Indo-French joint prod of Bollywood films

Kolkata, Nov 18: World renowned French Producer-Director Samantha Longoni is currently on the lookout for a suitable screenplay in Bollywood for making a successful Indo-French joint film production by next year.

Speaking to UNI on the concluding night of the 12th Kolkata (International) Film Festival here yesterday, the 29-year-old Longoni, who had produced and directed a number of award winning movies in several other international film festivals around the globe like ''All on Women'',''Jornada Da Bahia''(Days of Bahia) and ''Dia De Festa'', said though she was presently working on a Franco-Brazilian co-production to showcase the condition of large gold mine workers at Serra Pelada region in Amazonian Brazil, she was also in search of a suitable Bollywood script to launch the first Indo-French joint venture in the Indian film industry in a big way.

''Since my first visit to this beautiful country about two years ago, I have fallen in love with Bollywood movies and seriously want to start a joint production without further delay,'' Ms Longoni said while speaking about her intention to look towards India to fulfill her professional goal.

The screening of her 77-minute long docu-feature film 'House Warming Party' has already created a sensation in Kolkata Film Festival because of its contemporary content and superb quality. She said she had decided to make the 'House Warming Party'after staying in the Brazilian city of Sao Paolo for over a year and realising the problem of single mothers and their grave difficulties in finding a home where they could live 'safely' with their children.

Describing the issue as one of the major problems facing a number of countries across the globe including many in Latin America, the French film-maker said the ''true story'' moved around four women who had been deserted by their husbands and how they fought to regain the rights and moved into safer places besides arranging for their daily livelihood.

The movie, since it was made in 2005, had earned several laurels including the best foreign language movie awards in Milan, Montreal and London film festivals earlier this year, she informed.

Coming back to her intention to produce and direct a film in India, Ms Longoni said talks with some of the script writers in Mumbai had ''progressed somewhat''. ''But still I am in the look out for better option and had even asked for English or French translation of several regional storylines.'' She, however, did not disclose further.

Referring to her ''very satisfactory experiences'' in the city during her brief stay here Ms Longoni said she had found a lot of similarities between Kolkata and Sao Paolo in terms of the general warmth of people and their love for international cinema and culture despite being 'so crowded'.

''Before coming here I only heard of Mr(Satyajit)Ray, but now I am much more aware about the situation in Bengal film industry and their potential,'' Ms Longoni said before bidding adieu to the city.

UNI