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TOI : PUNE: The Marathi cinema scenario has been looking up for sometime now, but what also comes as a shot in the arm is that a Marathi film has been selected for screening for the first time in the history of the 37-year-old International Film Festival of Rotterdam.

What’s more, Valu (The Bull), directed by Umesh Kulkarni, is the only Indian film that has been allotted four screenings during the festival. It will be screened under the ‘Time and Tide’ section of the festival, which showcases films from all corners of the world that show the social commitment of their makers in a wide range of ways.

The festival will also have other Indian films such as Khoya Khoya Chaand (Sudhir Mishra), King Lear (Rituparno Ghosh) and Four Women (Adoor Gopalkrishnan).

Interestingly, the timing couldn’t be better for Valu as it will have a Maharashtra-wide release on Friday and will have a worldwide premier when it is screened at the festival on January 29. The film will also be screened on January 30, 31 and February 2.

Valu is a humorous account of the situation that arises when forest officials come to catch a wild bull that has been creating havoc in a small village.

The film comes as a landmark of sorts for Marathi cinema considering it is also the first Marathi film for which Mukta Arts had recently taken over the negative and worldwide distribution rights.

The team had an idea that such an honour could come their way when Valu received The Hubert Bals Fund – an initiative of the International Film Festival Rotterdam that provides grants to remarkable cinema projects in various stages of completion…More