Renowned
Canadian stage and film director, writer and producer Atom Egoyan hosted a special Master Class on Day 8
of the 48th International Film Festival of India. Atom Egoyan is one of
Canada’s most celebrated directors and was knighted by the French government
and is a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest honour.
While his film Exotica, which won the FIPRESCI Prize at
Cannes’94, was his first international breakthrough, The Sweet Hereafter, his
most critically acclaimed film, received two Academy Award nominations. His
other films Where the Truth Lies, Adoration and The Captive have all competed
for the Palme d’Or in Cannes.
Exotica talks about a
dutiful wife and mother re-examining her veneration of her husband after she
finds another woman’s underwear in his laundry. Her quest to find the truth
leads her to an unexpected journey of liberation.
The Master Class held
on November 27, was a treat for budding filmmakers and cinema aficionados, as
he discussed his filmmaking style and other aspects of direction.
Atom Egoyan said, “I
think that for any drama genre film to work, you need to work on the projection
through the eyes of a viewer and then the actual transformation happens.
There’s this sense of naturalism which I try to display in each of my films,
the structure, the story-telling and situations need to be realistic. My
stories have always been unconventional.”
Festival
Director Sunit Tandon said, “We are so pleased that Mr Egoyan agreed to be part
of IFFI 2017. Almost all his films have screened at IFFI as they were made over
the years. It’s wonderful to have him here, especially as he will be accepting
the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Closing Ceremony of the Festival
tomorrow.” – Agencies
