One of Bollywood's most loved couples Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal have recently turned producers and started their own creator's lab. The couple's newly formed production company 'Pushing Buttons Studios has greenlit their first script 'Girls Will be Girls' which is written and will be directed by debutant Shuchi Talati.&nbsp; 
 
'Girls Will Be Girls' is the only Indian script invited to the prestigious Berlinale Script Station 2021 - a lab that selects only 10 projects from around the world each year. It is also the only Indian project at the Jerusalem Script Lab this year where it will be presented formally at the Jerusalem Film Festival in July. Previously, Ritesh Batra’s second film, Photograph, had also participated in the same programme. 
 
The film is set in an elite boarding school in a small Himalayan hill town in the North of India. It follows the story of sixteen-year-old Mira, whose sexy, rebellious coming-of-age is hijacked by her mother who never got to come-of-age. Mother and daughter grow up together through the course of the script and their fraught but ultimately loving relationship is the beating heart of the film.&nbsp; 
 
Talking about the film, Richa Chadha tells us, “The world that Shuchi has created is relatable, often cruel but never hopeless or nihilistic. It's honest awkwardness will make you chuckle, not weep. It’s full of relatable, lived-in episodes, that one finds oddly satisfying - like popping a zit. The mother in our story routinely dodges the self- sacrificing stereotype of the typical Indian mom - she’s complicated, grey, and not a martyr. The dynamic between mother and daughter is so under-explored in Indian and world cinema that the possibilities of 'Girls Will Be Girls' presents &nbsp;are very exciting." 
 
Ali Fazal tells us, “This is the first time that Richa and I are collaborating on a film as producers and the experience so far has been very rewarding. This film being our first is close to our hearts. I am also excited that our studio will enter the market with such a progressive, female-led story. We hope to be able to tell thought-provoking and universal stories with humour and love” 
 
Shuchi and Richa first presented 'Girls Will Be Girls' as part of the NFDC’s Film Bazaar co-production market, where they found like-minded producing partners in Sanjay Gulati from Crawling Angel Films, Delhi and Claire Chassagne of Dolce Vita Film, France. 
 
Crawling Angel Films, under the aegis of Sanjay Gulati and Pooja Chauhan, has a track record of producing groundbreaking, award-winning films from the subcontinent which have played at premiere festivals the world over including Berlinale, Rotterdam, Busan et al. 
 
Shuchi and Richa have been longtime collaborators. They co-directed a documentary about adults living with autism and Down’s syndrome while they were students at Sophia College in Mumbai as an assignment. As Richa became an actor and Shuchi became a director, the two remained close friends and often talked about making films together. Richa tells us, “In my opinion, Shuchi is an amazing voice and I’ve been following her evolution for years, knowing that one day an incandescent film would be born from her brain. She is definitely a filmmaker to watch out for” 
 
Both Richa and Ali are known for critically acclaimed films. While Fazal has been the lead in the Hollywood film 'Victoria and Abdul' alongside Dame Judi Dench and will be seen in Kenneth Branagh's magnum opus 'Death on the Nile' later this year. He is also a member of the Academy. Richa Chadha too has travelled with her films to Cannes and been on the jury of international film festivals at Marrakech and Nara, Japan. &nbsp; 
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One of Bollywood's most loved couples Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal have recently turned producers and started their own creator's lab. The couple's newly formed production company 'Pushing Buttons Studios has greenlit their first script 'Girls Will be Girls' which is written and will be directed by debutant Shuchi Talati.

One of Bollywood's most loved couples Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal have recently turned producers and started their own creator's lab. The couple's newly formed production company 'Pushing Buttons Studios has greenlit their first script 'Girls Will be Girls' which is written and will be directed by debutant Shuchi Talati. 'Girls Will Be Girls' is the only Indian script invited to the prestigious Berlinale Script Station 2021 - a lab that selects only 10 projects from around the world each year. It is also the only Indian project at the Jerusalem Script Lab this year where it will be presented formally at the Jerusalem Film Festival in July. Previously, Ritesh Batra’s second film, Photograph, had also participated in the same programme. The film is set in an elite boarding school in a small Himalayan hill town in the North of India. It follows the story of sixteen-year-old Mira, whose sexy, rebellious coming-of-age is hijacked by her mother who never got to come-of-age. Mother and daughter grow up together through the course of the script and their fraught but ultimately loving relationship is the beating heart of the film. Talking about the film, Richa Chadha tells us, “The world that Shuchi has created is relatable, often cruel but never hopeless or nihilistic. It's honest awkwardness will make you chuckle, not weep. It’s full of relatable, lived-in episodes, that one finds oddly satisfying - like popping a zit. The mother in our story routinely dodges the self- sacrificing stereotype of the typical Indian mom - she’s complicated, grey, and not a martyr. The dynamic between mother and daughter is so under-explored in Indian and world cinema that the possibilities of 'Girls Will Be Girls' presents are very exciting." Ali Fazal tells us, “This is the first time that Richa and I are collaborating on a film as producers and the experience so far has been very rewarding. This film being our first is close to our hearts. I am also excited that our studio will enter the market with such a progressive, female-led story. We hope to be able to tell thought-provoking and universal stories with humour and love” Shuchi and Richa first presented 'Girls Will Be Girls' as part of the NFDC’s Film Bazaar co-production market, where they found like-minded producing partners in Sanjay Gulati from Crawling Angel Films, Delhi and Claire Chassagne of Dolce Vita Film, France. Crawling Angel Films, under the aegis of Sanjay Gulati and Pooja Chauhan, has a track record of producing groundbreaking, award-winning films from the subcontinent which have played at premiere festivals the world over including Berlinale, Rotterdam, Busan et al. Shuchi and Richa have been longtime collaborators. They co-directed a documentary about adults living with autism and Down’s syndrome while they were students at Sophia College in Mumbai as an assignment. As Richa became an actor and Shuchi became a director, the two remained close friends and often talked about making films together. Richa tells us, “In my opinion, Shuchi is an amazing voice and I’ve been following her evolution for years, knowing that one day an incandescent film would be born from her brain. She is definitely a filmmaker to watch out for” Both Richa and Ali are known for critically acclaimed films. While Fazal has been the lead in the Hollywood film 'Victoria and Abdul' alongside Dame Judi Dench and will be seen in Kenneth Branagh's magnum opus 'Death on the Nile' later this year. He is also a member of the Academy. Richa Chadha too has travelled with her films to Cannes and been on the jury of international film festivals at Marrakech and Nara, Japan.

Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s first production is the only Indian film at Berlinale Script Station this year

The past year has been challenging for film-makers, who had to battle coronavirus travel restrictions and social distancing rules to participate in what is ordinarily a team activity.

But one film in this year`s Berlin Film Festival line-up embraced the spirit of the pandemic like no other: American director Natalie Morales`s 'Language Lessons'&nbsp;is a drama enacted via Zoom, revealing new artistic possibilities in the process. 
 
The film casts Morales as Carino, a language teacher from Costa Rica giving Spanish lessons via video call to Adam, a wealthy Oakland, California house husband played by Mark Duplass. But a sudden emotional blow transforms their relationship. 
 
"We didn`t know if it would work," Morales said of the film, shot over the summer by a skeleton crew entirely from the perspective of the two characters` webcams. 
 
"We didn`t really know how we were going to shoot it or if it was going to look good or if people were going to be bored to death or if we were going to be bored to death," she added. 
 
Duplass, who co-wrote the script with Morales, said he had been inspired by the experience of taking online language classes during lockdown. 
 
"We developed a bond just through the screen. And I thought this could be an interesting way to make a movie with the limitation of the COVID lockdown," he said." 
 
All of the films in this year`s Berlinale were shaped by the pandemic they were shot during. Actors wear masks in several films, notably Romanian director Radu Jude`s black sex comedy `Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn`, whose characters seem to poison their own environment as efficiently as any virus. 
But `Language Lessons` embraces the lived experiences of home workers during a pandemic year, exploring the curious ambivalence and intensity of online relationships conducted over weeks and months. 
 
"We`re still tired of Zoom, but we`re so used to it that it`s a language we understand," Morales said. "You relate to the nature of that relationship in a way that you wouldn`t have two years ago." 
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The past year has been challenging for film-makers, who had to battle coronavirus travel restrictions and social distancing rules to participate in what is ordinarily a team activity.

The past year has been challenging for film-makers, who had to battle coronavirus travel restrictions and social distancing rules to participate in what is ordinarily a team activity. But one film in this year`s Berlin Film Festival line-up embraced the spirit of the pandemic like no other: American director Natalie Morales`s 'Language Lessons' is a drama enacted via Zoom, revealing new artistic possibilities in the process. The film casts Morales as Carino, a language teacher from Costa Rica giving Spanish lessons via video call to Adam, a wealthy Oakland, California house husband played by Mark Duplass. But a sudden emotional blow transforms their relationship. "We didn`t know if it would work," Morales said of the film, shot over the summer by a skeleton crew entirely from the perspective of the two characters` webcams. "We didn`t really know how we were going to shoot it or if it was going to look good or if people were going to be bored to death or if we were going to be bored to death," she added. Duplass, who co-wrote the script with Morales, said he had been inspired by the experience of taking online language classes during lockdown. "We developed a bond just through the screen. And I thought this could be an interesting way to make a movie with the limitation of the COVID lockdown," he said." All of the films in this year`s Berlinale were shaped by the pandemic they were shot during. Actors wear masks in several films, notably Romanian director Radu Jude`s black sex comedy `Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn`, whose characters seem to poison their own environment as efficiently as any virus. But `Language Lessons` embraces the lived experiences of home workers during a pandemic year, exploring the curious ambivalence and intensity of online relationships conducted over weeks and months. "We`re still tired of Zoom, but we`re so used to it that it`s a language we understand," Morales said. "You relate to the nature of that relationship in a way that you wouldn`t have two years ago."

Shot during pandemic, Berlinale film explores lives lived on Zoom

The Berlin Film Festival will go ahead next February as planned despite the COVID-19 pandemic, its organisers said on Monday, as Germany battles a surge in infections linked to returning holidaymakers, large family gatherings and nightlife. 
 
The film festival, also known as the Berlinale, is being planned as a physical festival while a hybrid model of virtual and on-site events is intended for the European Film Market (EFM) event running at the same time, the organisers said in a statement. 
 
The EFM is the business centre of the Berlinale, and is one of the largest international film market events in the world. 
The festival will take place Feb. 11-21 and will observe the health guidelines in place then so that the greatest possible security can be guaranteed for all guests, they said. 
 
"Adjustments in the festival structure, the film programming and the total number of invited films will be defined by the festival management within the coming weeks," it added. 
 
The Berlin Film Festival, one of the industry`s biggest events in Europe, normally draws 480,000 filmmakers, movie stars and fans into the cinemas of the German capital.

The festival`s Golden Bear is one of the most prestigious awards in Europe, together with the Palme d`Or of the Cannes festival in France and the Golden Lion award of the Venice Film Festival. 
 
Cannes, the world`s biggest cinema showcase, usually held in May on the French Riviera, was abandoned following a two-month lockdown in France to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

&nbsp;

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The Berlin Film Festival will go ahead next February as planned despite the COVID-19 pandemic, its organisers said on Monday, as Germany battles a surge in infections linked to returning holidaymakers, large family gatherings and nightlife.

The Berlin Film Festival will go ahead next February as planned despite the COVID-19 pandemic, its organisers said on Monday, as Germany battles a surge in infections linked to returning holidaymakers, large family gatherings and nightlife. The film festival, also known as the Berlinale, is being planned as a physical festival while a hybrid model of virtual and on-site events is intended for the European Film Market (EFM) event running at the same time, the organisers said in a statement. The EFM is the business centre of the Berlinale, and is one of the largest international film market events in the world. The festival will take place Feb. 11-21 and will observe the health guidelines in place then so that the greatest possible security can be guaranteed for all guests, they said. "Adjustments in the festival structure, the film programming and the total number of invited films will be defined by the festival management within the coming weeks," it added. The Berlin Film Festival, one of the industry`s biggest events in Europe, normally draws 480,000 filmmakers, movie stars and fans into the cinemas of the German capital. The festival`s Golden Bear is one of the most prestigious awards in Europe, together with the Palme d`Or of the Cannes festival in France and the Golden Lion award of the Venice Film Festival. Cannes, the world`s biggest cinema showcase, usually held in May on the French Riviera, was abandoned following a two-month lockdown in France to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Berlin Film Festival to go ahead next February despite pandemic

The racist killings of nine people in a German town cast a shadow over the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday, where a minute`s silence was held to commemorate the victims, and stars who will feature in the festival spoke out. 
 
Filmmakers, some from Germany`s minority communities, expressed their shock over the attacks at the Berlinale, seen as the most political of the major film festivals and traditional champion of arthouse movies and progressive causes. 
 
The attacker, who shot dead people in shisha bars in the central German town of Hanau late on Wednesday before killing his mother and himself, published a manifesto online strewn with conspiracy theories and racist views, prosecutors said. 
 
The attack, at least five of whose victims were Turkish nationals, followed another by a far-right gunman on an eastern city`s synagogue, when two people were killed. 
 
Burhan Qurbani, director of "Berlin Alexanderplatz", a retelling of a German novel of social exclusion from the 1920s that premieres on Wednesday, talked in an interview of his fear that such attacks could become `normal`. 
 
Born in Germany to Afghan refugees, Qurbani retells Alexander Doeblin`s novel with an African refugee as the central character instead of the novel`s freshly released, disoriented prisoner. 
 
"Yesterday there was a massacre," said Qurbani, who has close family ties to Hanau. "It`s not normal in Germany, and I hope it`s not going to become normal. Our history should teach us that we can`t allow nationalist, racist and xenophobic elements to define our image." 
 
Chancellor Angela Merkel`s decision in 2015 to allow in over a million refugees, mainly people displaced by Syria`s civil war, transformed German politics, fueled the rise of a far-right party and prompted soul-searching over whether the country could live up its commitments to asylum and human rights. 
 
"As a refugee you not only lose your home, you are leaving your language, your confidence, your family, the feeling of being secure: that is human dignity to me," Qurbani said, reflecting the views of the many people who had lauded Merkel`s decision. 
 
Melika Foroutan, Iranian-German star of "Pari", which premiers on Tuesday and tells the story of an Iranian mother seeking her vanished migrant son on the teeming streets of Athens, urged more social engagement from her compatriots. 
 
"Today is not a good day," she said in an interview. "I have a nephew who also goes to shisha bars. It could have been him... I take this attack personally, and I think all democrats in Germany should take this attack personally."

The racist killings of nine people in a German town cast a shadow over the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday, where a minute`s silence was held to commemorate the victims, and stars who will feature in the festival spoke out.

The racist killings of nine people in a German town cast a shadow over the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday, where a minute`s silence was held to commemorate the victims, and stars who will feature in the festival spoke out. Filmmakers, some from Germany`s minority communities, expressed their shock over the attacks at the Berlinale, seen as the most political of the major film festivals and traditional champion of arthouse movies and progressive causes. The attacker, who shot dead people in shisha bars in the central German town of Hanau late on Wednesday before killing his mother and himself, published a manifesto online strewn with conspiracy theories and racist views, prosecutors said. The attack, at least five of whose victims were Turkish nationals, followed another by a far-right gunman on an eastern city`s synagogue, when two people were killed. Burhan Qurbani, director of "Berlin Alexanderplatz", a retelling of a German novel of social exclusion from the 1920s that premieres on Wednesday, talked in an interview of his fear that such attacks could become `normal`. Born in Germany to Afghan refugees, Qurbani retells Alexander Doeblin`s novel with an African refugee as the central character instead of the novel`s freshly released, disoriented prisoner. "Yesterday there was a massacre," said Qurbani, who has close family ties to Hanau. "It`s not normal in Germany, and I hope it`s not going to become normal. Our history should teach us that we can`t allow nationalist, racist and xenophobic elements to define our image." Chancellor Angela Merkel`s decision in 2015 to allow in over a million refugees, mainly people displaced by Syria`s civil war, transformed German politics, fueled the rise of a far-right party and prompted soul-searching over whether the country could live up its commitments to asylum and human rights. "As a refugee you not only lose your home, you are leaving your language, your confidence, your family, the feeling of being secure: that is human dignity to me," Qurbani said, reflecting the views of the many people who had lauded Merkel`s decision. Melika Foroutan, Iranian-German star of "Pari", which premiers on Tuesday and tells the story of an Iranian mother seeking her vanished migrant son on the teeming streets of Athens, urged more social engagement from her compatriots. "Today is not a good day," she said in an interview. "I have a nephew who also goes to shisha bars. It could have been him... I take this attack personally, and I think all democrats in Germany should take this attack personally."

'I take it personally': Stars at Berlin Film Festival vent anger over German race killings

Nadav Lapid`s 'Synonyms', an anarchic story about an Israeli who tries to suppress his origins after moving to Paris, won the Berlin Film Festival`s coveted Golden Bear award on Saturday. 
 
The film, a faintly comedic, semi-autobiographical study of identity and the ambivalence of national belonging, tells the story of Yoav, played by newcomer Tom Mercier, and his struggle to reinvent himself as French. 
 
Yoav is shown muttering French synonyms in an attempt to displace his native Hebrew with French as he bonds with a young, wealthy Parisian couple, played by Quentin Dolmaire and Louise Chevillotte. 
 
Lapid dedicated the film to his mother Era Lapid, who edited his films until her death. 
 
"We edited this movie between editing room and hospitals," he told Reuters. "It was a kind of competition between death and completing the movie. And death won."

<img alt="Berlin" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="220f10ec-de15-4608-b698-3f29b0e32460" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202019-02-18T072545.112.jpg" /> 
 
Like his protagonist, Lapid left Israel for Paris at a young age, and he compared his journey to Yoav`s. 
 
"In his head he leaves the worst country ever to arrive in the best country ever," he told a news conference. "And at a certain moment he is facing a more complex reality. But I am always a little bit like Yoav ... I`m trying to open this closed door. I`m always charmed by something that exists in France."

Mercier`s kinetic performance of a character determined to excise what he sees as an Israeli culture of machismo from his soul has been widely praised. But his attempts at reinventing himself also reveal much about French mores. 
 
"I hope that people will feel a deep truth watching the movie," he said, saying that it was in France that he had discovered cinema "as an essential thing ... one of the most magnificent things the world can suggest us." 
 
French director Francois Ozon`s 'By the Grace of God', a drama about victims of child abuse in the Catholic Church and their fight for justice, won the runner-up Silver Bear Grand Jury prize. 
 
Chinese actors Wang Jingchun and Yong Mei, who played husband and wife in Wang Xiaoshuai`s generational saga 'So Long My Son', won Silver Bears for best actor and actress respectively. 
 
Another Chinese film, Zhang Yimou`s 'One Second', was pulled from the competition earlier this week, with the festival citing "technical reasons", although it was widely speculated that the film had fallen foul of China`s state censors.

"We hope to see it on screens around the world very soon, and deeply missed this film here at the Berlinale," said French actress Juliette Binoche, the prize jury`s president, at the awards ceremony.

Nadav Lapid`s 'Synonyms', an anarchic story about an Israeli who tries to suppress his origins after moving to Paris, won the Berlin Film Festival`s coveted Golden Bear award on Saturday.

Nadav Lapid`s 'Synonyms', an anarchic story about an Israeli who tries to suppress his origins after moving to Paris, won the Berlin Film Festival`s coveted Golden Bear award on Saturday. The film, a faintly comedic, semi-autobiographical study of identity and the ambivalence of national belonging, tells the story of Yoav, played by newcomer Tom Mercier, and his struggle to reinvent himself as French. Yoav is shown muttering French synonyms in an attempt to displace his native Hebrew with French as he bonds with a young, wealthy Parisian couple, played by Quentin Dolmaire and Louise Chevillotte. Lapid dedicated the film to his mother Era Lapid, who edited his films until her death. "We edited this movie between editing room and hospitals," he told Reuters. "It was a kind of competition between death and completing the movie. And death won." Like his protagonist, Lapid left Israel for Paris at a young age, and he compared his journey to Yoav`s. "In his head he leaves the worst country ever to arrive in the best country ever," he told a news conference. "And at a certain moment he is facing a more complex reality. But I am always a little bit like Yoav ... I`m trying to open this closed door. I`m always charmed by something that exists in France." Mercier`s kinetic performance of a character determined to excise what he sees as an Israeli culture of machismo from his soul has been widely praised. But his attempts at reinventing himself also reveal much about French mores. "I hope that people will feel a deep truth watching the movie," he said, saying that it was in France that he had discovered cinema "as an essential thing ... one of the most magnificent things the world can suggest us." French director Francois Ozon`s 'By the Grace of God', a drama about victims of child abuse in the Catholic Church and their fight for justice, won the runner-up Silver Bear Grand Jury prize. Chinese actors Wang Jingchun and Yong Mei, who played husband and wife in Wang Xiaoshuai`s generational saga 'So Long My Son', won Silver Bears for best actor and actress respectively. Another Chinese film, Zhang Yimou`s 'One Second', was pulled from the competition earlier this week, with the festival citing "technical reasons", although it was widely speculated that the film had fallen foul of China`s state censors. "We hope to see it on screens around the world very soon, and deeply missed this film here at the Berlinale," said French actress Juliette Binoche, the prize jury`s president, at the awards ceremony.

Israeli director Nadav Lapid's 'Synonyms' wins Golden Bear award at Berlin Film Festival

A new film about a father-daughter relationship in a world without women was shaped by Casey Affleck`s own struggles with becoming a single parent, the Oscar-winning actor said at the Berlin Film Festival where 'Light Of My Life'&nbsp;is premiering. 
 
In the movie, which Affleck directs, he plays a father who isolates his daughter from society in a desperate attempt to protect her from a pandemic that has wiped out most women. 
 
In this dystopia, the father and daughter - dressed as a boy - fear discovery and plan escape routes wherever they stop. They trek through rain and snow, camping in woodland and seeking shelter in an abandoned house, a church and a home with three religious men. 
 
Affleck, who won the best actor Oscar in 2017 for his performance in the family drama 'Manchester by the Sea", said some ideas in the new film could be considered feminist but his goal had not been to make a film with a political message. 
 
"It`s certainly about a young woman sort of asserting herself as the storyteller and beginning to define herself with the narrative that she chooses to tell," Affleck told a news conference. 
 
Anna Pniowsky, who played the daughter - the only female in the movie other than her mother, who features solely in flashbacks - said: "I think it is partially about showing that women are critical in this world." 
 
Affleck, who divorced his wife Summer Phoenix in 2017, said he was finding it hard to adjust to life as a single parent when working on the movie and got the idea for it from stories he had told his children and conversations he had with them. 
 
Affleck - the younger brother of actor and director Ben Affleck - has been accused of sexual harassment by female crew members on an earlier film. Two lawsuits alleging unwanted advances were settled out of court for undisclosed sums. An attorney for Affleck denied the accusations at the time. 
 
He said "Light of My Life" had been conceived before the #MeToo movement that took off in 2017 in response to accusations of sexual assault and harassment in the entertainment industry. 
 
But he added: "I think everyone out there has had to do some sort of self-reckoning and think about culturally what part they play and how they can play a positive role no matter how much they like to think of themselves as one of the good guys." 
 
Asked whether the movie reflected difficult times in his own life, Affleck said that as an actor, "your private life has been sort of invaded", and he had wondered whether to wait until his children were older to pursue his career.

"It`s definitely difficult sometimes - you know I`ve developed a pretty thick skin but then you have kids and they don`t have such thick skin and you have to do a lot of explaining to them about the world prematurely," he said.

A new film about a father-daughter relationship in a world without women was shaped by Casey Affleck`s own struggles with becoming a single parent, the Oscar-winning actor said at the Berlin Film Festival where 'Light Of My Life' is premiering.

A new film about a father-daughter relationship in a world without women was shaped by Casey Affleck`s own struggles with becoming a single parent, the Oscar-winning actor said at the Berlin Film Festival where 'Light Of My Life' is premiering. In the movie, which Affleck directs, he plays a father who isolates his daughter from society in a desperate attempt to protect her from a pandemic that has wiped out most women. In this dystopia, the father and daughter - dressed as a boy - fear discovery and plan escape routes wherever they stop. They trek through rain and snow, camping in woodland and seeking shelter in an abandoned house, a church and a home with three religious men. Affleck, who won the best actor Oscar in 2017 for his performance in the family drama 'Manchester by the Sea", said some ideas in the new film could be considered feminist but his goal had not been to make a film with a political message. "It`s certainly about a young woman sort of asserting herself as the storyteller and beginning to define herself with the narrative that she chooses to tell," Affleck told a news conference. Anna Pniowsky, who played the daughter - the only female in the movie other than her mother, who features solely in flashbacks - said: "I think it is partially about showing that women are critical in this world." Affleck, who divorced his wife Summer Phoenix in 2017, said he was finding it hard to adjust to life as a single parent when working on the movie and got the idea for it from stories he had told his children and conversations he had with them. Affleck - the younger brother of actor and director Ben Affleck - has been accused of sexual harassment by female crew members on an earlier film. Two lawsuits alleging unwanted advances were settled out of court for undisclosed sums. An attorney for Affleck denied the accusations at the time. He said "Light of My Life" had been conceived before the #MeToo movement that took off in 2017 in response to accusations of sexual assault and harassment in the entertainment industry. But he added: "I think everyone out there has had to do some sort of self-reckoning and think about culturally what part they play and how they can play a positive role no matter how much they like to think of themselves as one of the good guys." Asked whether the movie reflected difficult times in his own life, Affleck said that as an actor, "your private life has been sort of invaded", and he had wondered whether to wait until his children were older to pursue his career. "It`s definitely difficult sometimes - you know I`ve developed a pretty thick skin but then you have kids and they don`t have such thick skin and you have to do a lot of explaining to them about the world prematurely," he said.

Casey Affleck's new film explores fatherhood in world without women

Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra starrer 'Photograph' will be screened at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival in February.&nbsp;The film's director, Ritesh Batra took to Twitter to share the news.&nbsp;

"Hello all, `Photograph` will be screened at the #Berlinale2019," Batra posted on Thursday.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Hello all, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/photograph?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#photograph</a> will also be screened at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/berlinale2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#berlinale2019</a> 
Berlinale Special Gala 
Photograph 
von Ritesh Batra 
mit Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vijay Raaz, Jim Sarbh, Akash Sinha, Saharsh Kumar Shukla
— riteshbatra (@riteshbatra) <a href="https://twitter.com/riteshbatra/status/1085897479319703552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The lead actor, Nawazuddin too shared the news on his Twitter page. "Super Excited to inform you all that after being officially selected at the prestigious SundanceFilmFestival2019 my film #photograph will also be screened at the #berlinale2019 Thank You @riteshbatra for doing this wonder &amp; @sanyamalhotra07 for being a wonderful part of this(sic)" the actor tweeted.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Super Excited to inform you all that after being officially selected at the prestigious <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SundanceFilmFestival2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SundanceFilmFestival2019</a> 
my film <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/photograph?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#photograph</a> will also be screened at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/berlinale2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#berlinale2019</a> 
Thank You <a href="https://twitter.com/riteshbatra?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@riteshbatra</a> for doing this wonder &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/sanyamalhotra07?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sanyamalhotra07</a> for being a wonderful part of this. <a href="https://t.co/NxBiJQQM5V">pic.twitter.com/NxBiJQQM5V</a>
— Nawazuddin Siddiqui (@Nawazuddin_S) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nawazuddin_S/status/1086158805510037504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
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According to the official site of the festival, 'Photograph' will be part of the Berlinale Special Gala at the Friedrichstadt-Palast where it will have its European premiere. It also features in Berlinale Special films category. The fest will start from February 7 and will run till February 17. The festival will also have a screening of Zoya Akhtar's 'Gully Boy'.&nbsp;

'Photograph' revolves around a struggling street photographer (Nawazuddin), who is pressured to marry by his grandmother. He convinces a shy stranger to pose as his fiancee.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bombairiya-to-hamid-11-indies-to-look-forward-to-in-2019-189218">Also see:&nbsp;'Bombairiya' to 'Hamid': 11 Indies to look forward to in 2019</a>

It also stars Farrukh Jaffar, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vijay Raaz, Jim Sarbh, Akash Sinha and Saharsh Kumar Shukla.&nbsp;

'Photograph' is Nawazuddin's second film with director Ritesh Batra. The actor-director duo earlier worked in 'The Lunchbox'.&nbsp;

'Photograph' will also premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2019, which will be held from January 24 to February 3, 2019.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra starrer 'Photograph' will be screened at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival in February. The film's director, Ritesh Batra took to Twitter to share the news.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra starrer 'Photograph' will be screened at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival in February. The film's director, Ritesh Batra took to Twitter to share the news. "Hello all, `Photograph` will be screened at the #Berlinale2019," Batra posted on Thursday. Hello all, #photograph will also be screened at the #berlinale2019 Berlinale Special Gala Photograph von Ritesh Batra mit Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vijay Raaz, Jim Sarbh, Akash Sinha, Saharsh Kumar Shukla — riteshbatra (@riteshbatra) January 17, 2019 × The lead actor, Nawazuddin too shared the news on his Twitter page. "Super Excited to inform you all that after being officially selected at the prestigious SundanceFilmFestival2019 my film #photograph will also be screened at the #berlinale2019 Thank You @riteshbatra for doing this wonder & @sanyamalhotra07 for being a wonderful part of this(sic)" the actor tweeted. Super Excited to inform you all that after being officially selected at the prestigious #SundanceFilmFestival2019 my film #photograph will also be screened at the #berlinale2019 Thank You @riteshbatra for doing this wonder & @sanyamalhotra07 for being a wonderful part of this. pic.twitter.com/NxBiJQQM5V — Nawazuddin Siddiqui (@Nawazuddin_S) January 18, 2019 × According to the official site of the festival, 'Photograph' will be part of the Berlinale Special Gala at the Friedrichstadt-Palast where it will have its European premiere. It also features in Berlinale Special films category. The fest will start from February 7 and will run till February 17. The festival will also have a screening of Zoya Akhtar's 'Gully Boy'. 'Photograph' revolves around a struggling street photographer (Nawazuddin), who is pressured to marry by his grandmother. He convinces a shy stranger to pose as his fiancee. Also see: 'Bombairiya' to 'Hamid': 11 Indies to look forward to in 2019 It also stars Farrukh Jaffar, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vijay Raaz, Jim Sarbh, Akash Sinha and Saharsh Kumar Shukla. 'Photograph' is Nawazuddin's second film with director Ritesh Batra. The actor-director duo earlier worked in 'The Lunchbox'. 'Photograph' will also premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2019, which will be held from January 24 to February 3, 2019.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra's 'Photograph' heads to Berlinale

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