Bermuda Film Festival

BIFF Director Aideen Ratteray-Pryse Finally Comes up for Air...and gets to eat too

With a proverbial sigh of relief, and a  cup of mashed potatoesin her hand,  Bermuda International Film Festival Director Aideen Ratteray-Pryse could finally relax after another successful festival...until she had to do one more brief interview here: Download aideen.wav

Voices of the BIFF: Deputy Director Duncan Hall

   BIFF Deputy Director Duncan Hall, a former hockey journalist of all things, finally gets to relax after another smashing BIFF.  Hear Duncan before he passes out from exhaustion by clicking the button to the right: Download duncan_hall.wav

Voices from Bermuda: Rene Mohandas of "Elephant Boy"

Rajesh ‘Kai’ Kumar stars as Kai, in "Elephant Boy."

Proven by its litany of awards and attendance in festivals around the world, including the best foreign film award at the Los Angeles Short Film Festival last year, Rene Mohandas’ “Elephant Boy” has followed the example of resiliency its subject.  Playing tonight at the Tradewinds Auditorium in Hamilton, “Elephant Boy” chronicles the tale of a young beggar boy, Jai, who upon receiving a relatively large sum of money from a well-meaning tourist, finds that such a gift changes his life, for better and for worse. Written, produced, and directed by Mohandas, the film was made in 2004 and stars Rajesh ‘Kai’ Kumar, the real life version of the story.  Also in the film is Durdana Shaikh, a producer.  Both Mohandas and Shaikh are in town to introduce the film.  To hear from Mohandas, click the links below.

MT: "Talk about 'Elephant Boy'."  Download mohandas1.wav

MT:"Describe what the film festival experience means to you.": Download Mohandas2.wav

For more on "Elephant Boy", click here: http://www.elephantboy.co.uk/index.html

  "Elephant Boy" director, writer, producer Rene Mohandas and  producer/actress Durdana Shaikh at the Bermuda International Film Festival.

Bermuda Wind, Courtesy of the "Ghost of Mae Nak"?

    

   "Ghost of Mae Nak" poster.  Director Mark Duffield (photo by Mike Takeuchi)   

A hotel worker said that the seemingly eerie wind that blew across Bermuda, was a natural occurrence.  Or was it?   Mark Duffield’s “Ghost of Mae Nak”, a modern based different perspective on the Thai ghost legend, was screening last night at the Little Theatre in Hamilton. This legend, which has the ghost of a young Thai woman (Mae Nak) and her newborn appearing before her husband in such clear form, he is convinced she is still alive. In a country with a stronger belief in paranormal activity than most, there are many in Thailand who believe that it is a true story.

Duffield, who wrote and directed this film, is a veteran behind the camera, won the Best Cinematographer Award at the SlamDunk Film Festival (ParkCity) in 2003Click on the links below to hear more of Mark’s thoughts on his film and more.

MT : "Is your film much like the actual famous legend of Mae Nak?"  Download duffield1.wav

MT: "Other than this being a fascinating subject, why did you decide to do a ghost story in Thailand?" Download duffield2.wav

MT: "This is a story that appeals to not only the West, but  all over the world.  You have traveled many miles and crossed myriad cultures to screen "Ghost..." on the film festival circuit." Download duffield3.wav

For more information on "Ghost of Mae Nak", click the button here: http://maenak.com/