Raam Reddy’s Kannada language film debut feature, Thithi wins the Jury Grand Prize in the International Competition at Mumbai Film Festival, 2015
The Kannada language film, which made its Asian premiere at MAMI, was the only Indian feature to be selected in the International Category
Mumbai, November 6, 2015: Raam Reddy’s directorial debut, Thithi wins the Jury Grand Prize at Mumbai Film Festival, 2015. The Kannada-language film, which made its Asian Premiere at Mumbai Film Festival, 2015, was the only Indian feature to be selected in the International Competition.
The film had its international première at Locarno International Film Festival in August this year and won two top awards – Pardo d’oro Cineasti Del Presente Premio Nescens” (Golden Leopard, Filmmakers of the Present Competition) and “Swatch First Feature Award” for the best debut feature in the festival.
Excited about the winning one of the top awards at this year’s MAMI, Raam says, “Thithi’s journey so far has been nothing short of magical, and premiere at MAMI has continued this dream-come-true. It was already such an immense honour to be included in the wonderfully curated selection of the International Competition including films like Land and Shade that won the Camera d’Or at Cannes and Ixcanul Volcano than won in Berlin. It was truly a selection of some of the strongest films from around the world this year, so winning an award in this category is really overwhelming. In addition to the award, it was also so encouraging to see how Thithi seemed to be universally enjoyed as theatrical experience by the audiences in MAMI, with so much more laughter in the theatre that my team and I ever expected.”
All the screenings of Thithi were sold out, with audiences lining up three hours before the start of the film in the final screening. Thithi’s reputation in the world cinema circles has steadily grown ever since winning the Work-in-Progress Fiction Lab in NFDC Film Bazaar 2014. After the Locarno wins, the 26-year-old director was very excited to be felicitated by Karnataka’s Honorable Chief Minister Sri Siddaramaiah.
In addition to its critical accolades, Thithi has backing of a renowned international producer from the USA, Sunmin Park of Maxmedia, Los Angeles. She, along with Tom Cruise, produced The Others starring Nicole Kidman directed by Alejandro Amenabar, A Night in Old Mexico starring Robert Duvall, and many other films with globally acclaimed directors from around the world.
Tithi Film Synopsis
After the death of Century Gowda, a highly cranky 101 year old man, the film follows the humorous exploits of his elderly bearded son, Gadappa, his materialistic middle-aged grandson, Thamanna, and his confident pubescent great grandson, Abhi, up until Century Gowda’s “thithi”, the final funeral celebration 11 days after a death.
Shot in the Mandya district of Karnataka, Thithi is a dramatic comedy co-written by Eregowda, who spent most of his childhood in the village that the film was shot. Furthermore, Thithi entirely comprises a cast of non-professional actors who are mostly farmers from the area, lending a deep authenticity and unique breed of insider humour to the film. In addition, the young crew comprises collaborators from Holland, USA, as well as FTII graduates and many locals from the village.
Raam Reddy
Raam Reddy, 26, is a graduate of Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and Prague Film School. Previously, he has directed a critically-acclaimed short film called Ika (Feather), and published a magic-realism novel titled It’s Raining in Maya.
