Emerging after World War II, Has stood apart from the prevailing Polish School of ‘the cinema of moral anxiety’. Distinct from Andrzej Wajda's historical scars, Jerzy Skolimowski's rebellious poetry, or Krzysztof Kieślowski's meditation on fate, Has was a prose poet of solitude and alienation, with a genius unnoticed in international cinema. Like a lone wolf, he had little interest in political strife or romantic heroism; his 14 feature films were mostly adaptations of Polish novels, set in the past to elude censorship. Never conforming to Socialist Realism during Stalinism, Has was closer in spirit to existentialism and the avant-garde, believing form is as important as content. Drawing inspirations as diverse as expressionsim, noir, surrealism, and the French New Wave, Has conceived an unparalleled cinematic universe, with his own sensibility and vision.
Original unsold ads and postersWhen we talk about Carl Theodor Dreyer (1889- 1968), it’s easy to reference the soul-baring closeups of Renée Falconetti in The Passion of Joan of Arc or his stylistic evolution from the master of the close-ups to a minimalist filmmaker who fell in love with the long take. However, Dreyer also deserves to be remembered for his absolute devotion to three principles throughout his career: the power of the image, the power of spirituality (though not religion) and the power of human suffering.
Dreyer’s conflicting relationship with spirituality and religion was most apparent in The Passion of Joan of Arc. In the depiction of her trial, the Danish maestro's lens quietly touches down on the French clergymen, who relentlessly interrogated the revered French martyr in an attempt to either discredit her claim of being on a mission from God or to shake her faith. While the film is reverent towards Joan’s commitment to her faith, it also depicts her persecutors – representing the system of organised religion – as oppressors standing on the wrong side of history.
Abundantia Entertainment is India’s premier content company focused on developing, producing and distributing progressive, insight-based and uniquely Indian stories for a global audience. Creating for both theatrical and streaming platforms, Abundantia Entertainment’s filmography boasts of critically acclaimed and commercial hit films like Baby, Airlift, Toilet – Ek Prem Katha, Shakuntala Devi, Sherni, Chhorii, Jalsa, Ram Setu, Sukhee and Sarfira. The company has an exciting slate of films in the pipeline, top-lined by the sequel to the successful, genre-defining horror film, Chhorii, the remake of the critically acclaimed Malayalam film, Angamaly Diaries and the action-drama film, Subedaar headlined by superstar Anil Kapoor. Book adaptations of bestsellers like Flawed – the Nirav Modi saga are also being developed as are films with talented directors like Jai Mehta who co-directed the smash hit series, ‘Scam 1992’, Bhav Dhulia, director of the critically acclaimed ‘Khakee: The Bihar chapter’ and with Mayank Sharma who directed three seasons of the globally hit Amazon Prime Video series, Breathe.
