<p>Debutante filmmaker Nithin Lukose's feature film "Paka" and Ritwik Pareek's "Dug Dug" are the two Indian films to have been selected for the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.</p>.<p>"Paka", titled "River of Blood" in English, will be screened in the Discovery section, which showcases the first or second feature films of directors worldwide.</p>.<p>Set in Wayanad, Kerala, the movie presents a tale of a river that swells with the blood of two feuding families and a young couple that tries to overcome this hatred with their love.</p>.<p>Pareek's "Dug Dug", touted as a "musically infectious satire", will also be screened in the Discovery section.</p>.<p>"In this striking and musically infectious satire, mysterious events in the wake of a freak motorcycle accident sow the seeds of a new religion," the official logline, posted on the festival's website, read.</p>.<p>The film's cast include Altaf Khan, Gaurav Soni, Yogendra Singh, and Durgalal Saini.</p>.<p>"Paka", produced by filmmakers Anurag Kashyap and Raj Rachakonda, features an ensemble cast that includes Basil Paulose, Vinitha Koshy, Jose Kizhakkan, Athul John, Nithin George, Joseph Manickal.</p>.<p>The film has been shot by Srikanth Kabothu and edited by Arunima Shankar. Faizal Ahamed has provided the background score for the movie.</p>.<p>"Paka" had earlier won the best WIP project in the Work-in-Progress Lab of NFDC Film Bazaar 2020.</p>.<p>Lukose, an FTII alumni who previously worked as the sound designer on critically-acclaimed movies "Thithi" and "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar", said he is delighted and honoured that his first feature film has been selected for TIFF programme.</p>.<p>"I was fascinated by the stories and myths my grandmother told me when I was young. 'Paka' is a manifestation of that fascination. The idea was to tell a universal story that can appeal to the global audience while keeping the film rooted in the cultural attributes of the remote village I grew up in and the people I love," the filmmaker said.</p>.<p>"It's a matter of pride that a regional film like our's is getting a platform through a globally renowned festival like TIFF," he added.</p>.<p>Kashyap, who boarded the project as a producer during its post-production stage, hailed the quality of movies coming out of Malayalam cinema.</p>.<p>"Malayalam cinema is at the moment leading India on the world stage and I am so grateful to be associated with it in a small way. 'Paka' is yet another powerful debut from a rooted new voice," he added.</p>.<p>Rachakonda said he decided to back Lukose's movie as he was impressed by his work as a sound designer on 2019 Telugu movie "Mallesham".</p>.<p>"I decided to produce the script from one of the crew members who helped me make my directorial debut, 'Mallesham'.</p>.<p>"Of the four scripts narrated to me, I opted to produce Nithin's, who helped me with sound design for 'Mallesham' because 'Paka' is a poignant story about people's simultaneous capacity for love and cruelty that displays great depth and emotion," the producer added.</p>.<p>"Paka" has been produced by Studio 99 Films in association with Alif Talkies Productions.</p>.<p>Other titles in the Discovery section include "A Banquet", "Farha", "As in Heaven", "Scarborough", "To Kill the Beast", "The Game", "Quickening" and "Wildhood", among others.</p>.<p>The 46th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival will be held in a hybrid format with both in-person and digital screenings. It will run from September 9 to 18 this year. </p>
<p>Debutante filmmaker Nithin Lukose's feature film "Paka" and Ritwik Pareek's "Dug Dug" are the two Indian films to have been selected for the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.</p>.<p>"Paka", titled "River of Blood" in English, will be screened in the Discovery section, which showcases the first or second feature films of directors worldwide.</p>.<p>Set in Wayanad, Kerala, the movie presents a tale of a river that swells with the blood of two feuding families and a young couple that tries to overcome this hatred with their love.</p>.<p>Pareek's "Dug Dug", touted as a "musically infectious satire", will also be screened in the Discovery section.</p>.<p>"In this striking and musically infectious satire, mysterious events in the wake of a freak motorcycle accident sow the seeds of a new religion," the official logline, posted on the festival's website, read.</p>.<p>The film's cast include Altaf Khan, Gaurav Soni, Yogendra Singh, and Durgalal Saini.</p>.<p>"Paka", produced by filmmakers Anurag Kashyap and Raj Rachakonda, features an ensemble cast that includes Basil Paulose, Vinitha Koshy, Jose Kizhakkan, Athul John, Nithin George, Joseph Manickal.</p>.<p>The film has been shot by Srikanth Kabothu and edited by Arunima Shankar. Faizal Ahamed has provided the background score for the movie.</p>.<p>"Paka" had earlier won the best WIP project in the Work-in-Progress Lab of NFDC Film Bazaar 2020.</p>.<p>Lukose, an FTII alumni who previously worked as the sound designer on critically-acclaimed movies "Thithi" and "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar", said he is delighted and honoured that his first feature film has been selected for TIFF programme.</p>.<p>"I was fascinated by the stories and myths my grandmother told me when I was young. 'Paka' is a manifestation of that fascination. The idea was to tell a universal story that can appeal to the global audience while keeping the film rooted in the cultural attributes of the remote village I grew up in and the people I love," the filmmaker said.</p>.<p>"It's a matter of pride that a regional film like our's is getting a platform through a globally renowned festival like TIFF," he added.</p>.<p>Kashyap, who boarded the project as a producer during its post-production stage, hailed the quality of movies coming out of Malayalam cinema.</p>.<p>"Malayalam cinema is at the moment leading India on the world stage and I am so grateful to be associated with it in a small way. 'Paka' is yet another powerful debut from a rooted new voice," he added.</p>.<p>Rachakonda said he decided to back Lukose's movie as he was impressed by his work as a sound designer on 2019 Telugu movie "Mallesham".</p>.<p>"I decided to produce the script from one of the crew members who helped me make my directorial debut, 'Mallesham'.</p>.<p>"Of the four scripts narrated to me, I opted to produce Nithin's, who helped me with sound design for 'Mallesham' because 'Paka' is a poignant story about people's simultaneous capacity for love and cruelty that displays great depth and emotion," the producer added.</p>.<p>"Paka" has been produced by Studio 99 Films in association with Alif Talkies Productions.</p>.<p>Other titles in the Discovery section include "A Banquet", "Farha", "As in Heaven", "Scarborough", "To Kill the Beast", "The Game", "Quickening" and "Wildhood", among others.</p>.<p>The 46th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival will be held in a hybrid format with both in-person and digital screenings. It will run from September 9 to 18 this year. </p>