National Film Development Corporation’s Hindi language feature Island City, directed by the first-time feature filmmaker Ruchika Oberoi and produced under the Ministry of I&B’s 12th Five Year Plan Scheme on film production, is all set to have its world premiere at the prestigious 72nd Venice International Film Festival.

Still from Island CityThe film starring Vinay Pathak, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Amruta Subhash and Chandan Roy Sanyal amongst an ensemble cast, is competing in the Venice Days sidebar, and will have its premiere on September 8, 2015. The film connects three stories, two black comedies and a tragicomic tale of love showing an ever-changing city in a time of uneasy transition, both economically and socially.

Say’s Nina Lath Gupta, Managing Director NFDC , “It is a great moment for us since Island City was developed in Venice as a part of the Screenwriter’s Lab 2012, and eventually produced by us. We have always endeavored to create a global appreciation and celebration of the Cinemas of India by leveraging film festivals and Island City‘s selection in the prestigious Venice Film Festival is an important milestone in that endeavor.”

Excited to be going back to the acclaimed festival along with members of her cast and crew, the FTII graduate says, “It is an honour to be having the world premiere of Island City at Venice, one of the most respected film festivals in the world. This film has only been possible because of NFDC’s immense support, who not only produced it but also brought to the table their invaluable experience and a nurturing spirit that helped me through the struggles of making my first film”. Tannishtha Chatterjee, Amruta Subhash, Chandan Roy Sanyal, the DOP Sylvester Fonseca and the Music Director Sagar Desai amongst others will be there to present the films to its very first international audience.

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NFDC continuously endeavors to break into non-traditional markets by leveraging film festivals, which are a critical and central component of its International distribution network, to associate with Sales Agents, who exploit the various rights across diverse media platforms in different international territories. Say’s Vikramjit Roy, Head of Sales & Marketing, “We are delighted to be associated with Stray Dogs, an emerging French Sales Agent and are hopeful that our collaboration will help worldwide audiences discover Island City. The film has also been invited to other prestigious film festivals, which are due to make their selections public, soon.”

Recently NFDC’s international Co-production Chauthi Koot directed by Gurvinder Singh premiered in this year’s edition of The Cannes Film Festival, where it was in competition in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section. The Indo-French co-production Arunoday featured in the recently concluded Durban International Film Festival, where it won the Best Film Award and Best Cinematography Award and the Kannada co-production Attihannu Mattu Kanaja was showcased this year at the Beijing International Film Festival.

About Island City

The film follows three comic-dramatic stories set in Mumbai. The first one is about a middle-aged man who wins the office ‘Fun Committee Award’, which entitles him to a whole day full of fun. He is most reluctant to leave the safety of his cubicle, but he has to. Prescribed fun modules have to be completed and non-compliance is not an option.

The second story begins with an autocratic man whose family brings home a television set when he is critically ill and away in a hospital. Now, every night the family plugs into a popular soap whose hero is a man ideal in every way.

While the third story centers on Aarti whose repetitive existence is slowly making her more and more mechanical and numb. Deep inside ferments a disconnect and unease that she is unable to articulate to anyone. Then one day there arrives a most intimate letter and everything changes.