Jagran Film Festival

ENTERTAINMENT/FILM FESTIVAL

Irrfan Khan, Dilip Tahil, Anand Mahadevan, Subhash Kapoor visit the screening of Lumière Brothers at Jagran Film Festival

 Grandson of Mr Lumière, Max Lefrancq Lumière and his wife visit the screening for the first six movies of Lumière Brothers that were shown in Mumbai after 117 years 

In the beginning it was only films, no wires, no nothing, only film. It was difficult to capture the right angle, but brother Lumière was very good at it - says Mr Max Lefrancq Lumière 

Mumbai:  The show that started it all in July 1896 is back in Mumbai, from where it all started. It’s an event where the history unfolds yet again.

 

Way back on 7th July, 1896, the Lumière Brothers, Louis and Ausguste’s first ever shot six films were shown to an exclusive audience at the Watson Hotel in Mumbai, which was then named Bombay. It was India's first ever film screening and thus, the day was etched in gold in the history of Indian cinema. After 117 years, in the fourth edition of Jagran Film Festival (JFF) that glorious day of cinema, which audience had witnessed more than a century ago in the year 1896, was recreated for cinephiles.

 

Various film personalities and intellects visited the screening at JW Marriot today. Amongst them were,  Irrfan Khan, Dilip Tahil, Anand Mahadevan, Subhash Kapoor, Deepak Kejriwal and the likes. In its final leg, the festival had organized a special event titled Theme Night on Saturday 28^th September 2013. In a special segment, started at 8 pm and lasted for almost 45 minutes, JFF created an enchanting atmosphere and provided the same mesmerizing experience to a select number of august audiences. In this segment, they had showcased the Lumière Brothers' made those six quickies once again in Mumbai but this time at the JW Marriot, Juhu. 

The who’s who of Mumbai and the industry were invited to relive one of the most glorious moments in the cinematic history with the grandson of Mr Max Lefrancq Lumière. The festival was thankful to him for gracing the occasion.

 

Addressing the conference, Mr Max Lefrancq Lumière said, “First of all thank you so much for inviting me to this festival. I will take the opportunity to introduce how cinema was invented by my grandfather. The first show of cinema was screened on 27th December, 1895. Amazingly the Lumière brothers did not attend this show.  A while later they realised that cinema could be a very good thing and art. So they decided to do presentation on 23rd without brother Lumière just before Christmas. Before the screening begins today, I will show you some equipments made by Lumière after he invented cinema, after that I will show the first film made by his family, not himself as he was always behind the camera. In the beginning it was only films, no wires, no nothing only film. It was difficult to capture the right angle, but brother Lumière was very good at it.  Louis Lumière was asked by his father to search an emulsion that was very sensitive and a emulsion that was still in use. When he found that, he was only 17yrs old.

 

When asked about the start of cinema he responded, “It arrived at the end of 1970, as people were very keen about pictures. People were excited about moving pictures. At that time a short sequence of moving pictures was found and invented and when asked about how did movies commercialize, he said, It sold by screening and also they sold camera’s. The Lumière brother made good money at the age of 17. In Leon, there is a museum called “Institute Lumière”. The museum consists of pictures of his family and also his brothers. The museum is built in a castle, the castle made by his father. It took 15 yrs to make the castle.”

 

Thrilled with this opportunity, Mr Manoj Srivastava, Strategic Consultant with Jagran Film Festival said, “We are honored that we got this opportunity to recreate that landmark day in the history of cinema. We are privileged to showcase in India once again, the first set of movies made by the great Lumière Brothers at the final edition of the Jagran Film Festival.”  

 

The organizers had left no stone unturned to provide an everlasting experience of reliving that historic moment of cinema, to audiences at the Theme Night of the festival. Along with the organizers, it was an exciting experience for the audiences as well. Even after a century, not much has been changed. Back in the year 1869, audiences were asked to bring a one rupee coin as entry free to the screening. Keeping the tradition intact, this time also the organizers requested all the invitees to bring a one rupee coin. They got entry in the event upon showing that one rupee coin. 

 

Screening of each of these films was preceded by a short narration about them to introduce the concept to the audience. An AV with a live voice over from eminent personalities of the industry - Shyam Benegal, Firoze Rangoonwala, Kiran Shantaram, Vivek Damle, Shashi Kapoor, Anwar Ali, Anant Mahadevan, Renuka Sahane, Ranveer Shorey and others – was also played at the event.

The Jagran film festival will culminate on 29^th September at Andheri’s Fun Republic.