Film Journalists' Association pays tribute to Paul Cox

Noted filmmaker Paul Cox had a deep bonding with Kolkata and had an unfulfilled dream to make a film here with thespian Soumitra Chatterjee in the lead role, speakers at the West Bengal Film Journalists' Association recalled here last night.
The WBFJA paid tributes to the celebrated Dutch-born filmmaker, lauded as the father of independent cinema in Australia, who passed away on June 18 this year.
A special screening of his film 'Island' which interestingly made use of exponent Ritu Guha's Rabindrasangeet as the signature sound-scape of the film was arranged on the occasion.
"Being close to Paul, who was so much fascinated about Kolkata, the WBFJA knew he had the desire to make a film here with his alltime favourite Soumitra Chatterjee in the lead role. Sadly that project fell through. But we are lucky he could visit our city during the KIFF 2015 where his latest film 'Force of Destiny' was screened," executive committee member Sajal Chatterjee said.

The Indian edition of Cox's 'Tales from the Cancer Ward', was also published under the imprint of the WBFJA at the KIFF venue in the presence of the filmmaker last year, Chatterjee recalled adding ironically the director did not live long after that despite battling the dreaded disease for years since 2008 and even undergoing a liver transplant in 2011.
Paul Cox, a filmmaker, author and photographer, having later migrated to Australia, "had also finished scripting of a film encapsulating the fight of three women.

But he could not take up that," his long-time friend, associate in several film projects, and noted city publisher Anil Acharya said.

Acharya also screened a collage of his works on the occasion.
Cox had made 'Man of Flowers' (1983), 'My First Wife' (1984), 'Exile' (1994), 'Innocence' (2000) and 'Human Touch' (2004) among many others.
"We have plans to pay tribute to him on a bigger scale later this year," Chatterjee said.
The authorities of Nandan, the state-run cultural complex, collaborated in the screening with WBFJA.