In Bollywood Dreams photographer Jonathan Torgovnik explores the beloved pastime of an Indian population of over one billion. As the largest film producer in the world with more than 800 films made each year, the Indian movie industry is a cultural phenomenon. Paying tribute to the stars, filmmakers, technicians and moviegoers who make this possible, Bollywood Dreams puts a human face on the fantastical spectacle-rich films that compel more than fourteen million people to the cinema each day in India. Torgovnik's lucid photo-essay is both a behind-the-scenes personal diary of the magic and contagious excitement of Indian film and a discerning look at the film industry's profound impact on Indian society. Singular in its conception, this book is unique in the way it documents India's spectacular movie culture against the backdrop of everyday life. With an introduction to Indian cinema by Nasreen Munni Kabir, an internationally recognized authority on the subject, and extended captions by Torgovnik explaining each image, Bollywood Dreams is an important testament to the power of cinema as both entertainment and social phenomenon.

Jonathan Torgovnik's photographs take me back to an India that thrives on pure cinema, perfectly capturing our need for innocent surrender to an unreal movie paradise. His photographs show us both the grit and the fantasy, the lurid and the sensual. Welcome to this unique, dusty, insightful journey.' (Mira Nair, director of Monsoon Wedding and Mississippi Masala)

Jonathan Torgovnik began his career as a combat photographer in the Israeli army, before graduating with a BFA degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York. His photographs from various projects and assignments have been published in international publications including Newsweek, GEO, The Sunday Times Magazine, The Telegraph Magazine and Paris Match, among others. Torgovnik's award-winning photographs have been included in numerous solo and group exhibitions in the United States and Europe, and are in the permanent collections of museums such as The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris.

Nasreen Munni Kabir is a documentary filmmaker and author who has made several series for television on Hindi cinema, including Movie Mahal and In Search of Guru Dutt. She programmes Indian film seasons for Channel 4 UK and has organized festivals of Indian Cinema at the Pompidou Centre, Paris. Her books include Guru Dutt: A Life in Cinema (1996), Talking Films: Conversations on Hindi Cinema (1999) with Javed Akhtar and Bollywood: The Indian Cinema Story (2002). Born in India, Kabir has lived in France and in Britain for most of her life. In January 2000 she was made a Governor of the British Film Institute.

Auteur: Jonathan Torgovnik
Editeur(s): Phaidon
ISBN: 0-7148-4456-X
Date de publication: 5 novembre 2004
Langue: Anglais
Format: Broché sous jacquette - 120 p.
Dimensions: 28 x 29 cm

120 col photos

Jonathan Torgovnik began his career as a combat photographer in the Israeli army. In 1992 Torgovnik entered the photography department at the School of Visual Arts in New York where he graduated with a BFA degree. His photographs have been published in numerous American and international publications including Newsweek, Smithsonian, London Sunday Times Magazine, The Telegraph Magazine, Paris Match, and Stern, among others. Torgovnik’s award-winning photographs have been included in numerous group and solo exhibitions in New York and Europe and have been acquired by museums such as The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and The Jewish Museum, New York.

Photographer`s Residence: New York City

Author Nasreen Munni Kabir is a well-respected documentary filmmaker and author who has made several series for television on Hindi cinema, including Movie Mahal and In Search of Guru Dutt. She programmes Indian film seasons for Channel 4 UK and has organised festivals of Indian Cinema at the Pompidou Centre, Paris. Her books include Guru Dutt: A Life in Cinema (1996), Talking Films: Conversations on Hindi Cinema (1999) with Javed Akhtar and Bollywood: The India Cinema Story (2002). Born in India, Kabir has lived in France and the United Kingdom for most of her life. In January 2000 Kabir was made a Governor of the British Film Institute.