Thursday, September 26, 2024

13th Chennai Film Festival 2025 : Entries Invited!

📽13th Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2025
21-28 February; multiple venues, Chennai 

🎞 Entries invited!

Regular Deadline : 1 October 2024
Late Deadline : 1 November 2024

Notification Date : 1 January 2025


📹 Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival is the only event in Chennai exclusively organised for documentaries. The festival has brought in many renowned filmmakers from across India to the city in the past. The festival has also collaborated with prestigious institutions such as Madras University, Loyola College, Madras Christian College, Ethiraj College, Stella Maris College, Women's Christian College, Dr Ambedkar Govt Arts College, DOT School of Design, Don Bosco Arts and Science College, Madras School of Social Work, LV Prasad College of Media Arts, Roja Muthiah Research Library, Periyar Thidal, Goethe-Institut and Discovery Book Palace.

The idea behind the film festival is to promote and support documentary and short film culture (both viewing and making) in the state of Tamilnadu for which the city of Chennai is the administrative and political capital.


Rules and Regulations :

1) Only the films recommended by our official selection committee will be screened.
2) There will be not any competition.
3) No screening fee will be provided to selected and non selected films
4) Depending upon the local administration, the film festival will be held as an offline / physical event
5) Downloadable film files (MP4) should be sent for the selection
6 a) No travel support will be provided to the filmmakers who attend the film festival, if the festival takes place offline
b) Local stay will be provided to the filmmakers of the selected films, if the festival takes place offline
7) Films that promote or support hatred will not be admitted
8) Discussions will be organised via online if the filmmakers can't attend the festival physically
9) The films should have subtitles in English.
10) Entry fee will not be returned
11) Selected films cannot be withdrawn by the filmmakers
12) The decision of the selection committees and jury is final
13) The film should have been produced within last 24 months. 





Thursday, February 29, 2024

12th CIDSFF 24 : Winners

12th CIDSFF 24 : Award winners

1) Documentary
Shubradeep Chakravorthy Memorial Award for 
Best Indian Long and Medium Length Documentary 



Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: Now & Then
Dir: Jyoti Nisha

Indian Long and Medium Length Documentary / Certificate of Merit :

God Vulture and Human
Dir : Rishiraj Agarwal

Best Indian Short Documentary Film

My Son and Grandfather
Dir : Bijoy Chowdhury

Indian Short Documentary / Certificate of Merit :

Tam-brahm Cooking
Dir : Sraiyanti, Prem Akkattoos

2) Short Fiction

Best Indian Short Fiction (joint winners)

Sadabahar
Dir : Suyash Kamat

Three Piece Light
Dir : Tom Jose

Indian Short Fiction / Jury Mention :

Yes Sir!
Dir: Mudit Singhal

Indian Short Fiction / Certificate of Merit :

Discipline
Dir : Prahas N

Arunmozhi Memorial Award for the Best Indian Short Fiction (Joint winners)

Best Tamil Short Fiction (joint winners)

Rider Rukmani
Dir : Guhan S

Two Worlds
Dir : Nithya Gopalakrishnan

Thank you all!

Amudhan RP
Festival Director
12th Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2024

Sunday, January 7, 2024

12th CIDSFF 24 : We welcome you!

12th Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2024
20-29 Feb; multiple venues, Chennai


SCREENING SCHEDULE (subject to changes)
click above

12th Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2024 : 20-29 February; multiple venues, Chennai

More than 100 films; 10 days; 12 venues; 7 sections; 4 awards


Sections :

1) Indian Documentaries - competition
2) International Documentaries - non competition
3) Indian Short Fiction - competition
4) International Short Fiction - non competition
5) Homage : John Pilger
6) Special Package from Auroville Film Institute
7) Director's Cut - Curated by Amudhan RP

Screening Schedule (subject to changes)

Day Shows:

20 Feb : Don Bosco College of Arts and Sciences, Kilpakkam; 9.30 am to 12.30 pm
20 Feb : Women's Christian College, Nungampakkam (outsiders not allowed); 11 am to 3 pm
21 Feb :  Madras School of Social Work, Egmore; 10 am to 4 pm
22 Feb : Ambedkar College, Vyasarpadi; 9.30 am to 12.30 pm
22 Feb : Tamil Nadu Government MGR Film & Television Institute
Taramani (outsiders not allowed); 10 am to 4 pm
23 Feb : Roja Muthiah Library, Taramani; 11 am to 4 pm
24, 25 Feb : LV Prasad Preview Theatre, Saligramam; 11 am to 8 pm
24, 25 Feb : Periyar Thidal, Veppery; 11 am to 8 pm
26 Feb : Anna University, Guindy; 10 am to 1 pm
27 Feb : Loyola College, Nungampakkam; 8.30 am to 1 pm
28 Feb : Stella Maris College, Radhakrishna Salai; 9.30 am to 4.30 pm
29 Feb : DOT School of Design, Ambattur; 9.30 pm to 4.30 pm

Evening Shows :
20-28 Feb; 5.30 pm: Periyar Thidal, Veppery; 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm

Jointly organised by
Department of Visual Communication - Don Bosco Arts and Science College
PG Department of Communication & Department of Visual Communication
 - Women's Christian College
 Anti Narcotics Club - Madras School of Social Work
Department of Visual Communication - Ambedkar Government Arts College, Vyasarpadi 
Tamil Nadu Government MGR Film & Television Institute
Roja Muthiah Research Library
LV Prasad College of Media Studies
Department of Media Sciences - Anna University
Department of Visual Communication - Loyola College
Department of Social Work & UNICEF on Campus Club - Stella Maris College
DOT School of Design 
Periyar Self Respect Media
Padapetti Film Movement / World Cinema Film Festival / Charulatha Publications
and
MARUPAKKAM 

WE WELCOME YOU! ENTRY FREE!

Amudhan R P
Festival Director
12th CIDSFF 24
SCREENING SCHEDULE (subject to changes)
click above

12th CIDSFF : International Short Fiction - Non Competiton

12th Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2024

International Short Fiction Non Competition

Bitter Brownies
Dir: James Carman; 12:15; United States; Short Fiction; Non Competition


In this dark comedy, a devious thief pilfers lunches from the company refrigerator. Staff employees are out for blood. Where will the food bandit strike next?!!!

Anna is angry and Buddha laughs
Dir: Lian Ram; 11:00; Israel

Anna is torn between the well-being that the Buddha gives her during meditation and her anger at the violence that is rampant in society, she sets out to see if she can let go of the anger

SLAVES TO WATER
Dir: Bertrand Jack Daniel LOYER; 10:00; France; Short Fiction; Non Competition

In the south of Madagascar, the village of Belemboké has no running water, no taps and no school. To access liveable amounts of water, 3 kids have to travel excruciating distances and make their way underground to the bowels of the Earth... everyday.

Letting Go
Dir: Ori Krichly; 13:13; Israel; Short Fiction; Non Competition


A child finds a novel but dangerous way to escape the savage fighting between his divorcing parents.

MAMA'S BOY
Dir: Yotam Deshe; 9:58; Israel; Short Fiction; Non Competition


Nitai is trying to get the money to get his cancer-stricken mother back for medical treatment. The problem is that his attempts prevent him from being with her in her last days.

LIFE AFTER DEATH
Dir: Yinnon Weil; 11:10; Israel; Short Fiction; Non Competition


Daniel lost his older brother in a car accident. At school, the Israeli memorial day ceremony for fallen soldiers and terror attack victims (Yom HaZikaron) is coming up, and Daniel attempts to find a space for his grieving among the children who have lost siblings in a wartime context.

IT'S ONLY IN YOUR MIND
Dir: Vered Yaari; 19:50; Israel; Short Fiction; Non Competition


Dror’s active army service in a commando unit is interrupted by a traffic accident, which leaves him in a wheelchair. Depressed and angry, he spends many hours alone trying to prove to himself that he can walk again. Asked one day by his sister to babysit his 5 year old nephew, he is forced to face his new reality.

GOD CHILD
Dir: Daniel Dahan; 16:59; Israel; Short Fiction; Non Competition


In a neglected house, a boy whose mother is coping with mental illness demands a cure from God. But the depression has its own divine source, and the boy struggles to keep his balance and his faith as begins the painful process of growing up.

Kuinerraq
Dir: Magnus Shipe; 3:00; United States; Short Fiction; Non Competition

A young seventh grader explores the heritage of his maternal grandma through this glance at a Yu'pik village and his Native Alaskan roots.

Dreamland
Dir: Lucas Dye; 6:47; United States; Short Fiction; Non Competition


A collective in Mexico works to preserve Maya identity while conserving land through sustainable subsistence farming.

The bathday
Dir: Maria Antonova; 13:44; Russian Federation; Short Fiction; Non Competition


A young girl Sasha is released from prison. Her father meets her and takes her to the village where Sasha spent his childhood.

Enter the Room
Dir: Harry Waldman; 15:00; United States; Short Fiction; Non Competition


A young adult (Brian) is visited by his brother, Jeremy, who needs a place to stay as he settles into his new city. The two polar opposite personalities begin to clash as Jeremy's presence poses a threat to Brian's way of life. Brian's uptight personality and unreasonable living standards rub off on Jeremy, creating an incredible amount of tension. Bad blood, stemming from a traumatic past event reveals the shocking truth of the brothers' current situations, as Brian struggles to differentiate between reality and his worst nightmares.

It's Just Business
Dir: Judy Boyle; 8:07; Greece; Short Fiction; Non Competition


It’s Just Business is a surreal short film about the crime of human trafficking and modern slavery. But the point of view is unexpected and disturbing.
The film is surreal, dreamlike, non-linear and experimental.
​It’s Just Business was shot in 4k, filmed primarily in Greece and New Zealand-Aotearoa.
Running time is 8 minutes.

From the water
Dir: Diana Menestrey; 10:14; Germany; Short Fiction; Non Competition



A person wakes up. Due to a constant and symbolic metamorphosis, they gets the head of different animals. Through these metamorphoses, they is led intuitively to the search for a secret. This secret is generated in water and a fish is the only trace that can reveal to Them the consciousness of Their own origin.

"From the water" shows the relationship between intuition and memory of living beings. In his search, the protagonist becomes half human, half animal. They is guided by animal instincts, but also by what They thinks They remembers.


Thursday, January 4, 2024

12th CIDSFF 24 : Indian Short Fiction - Competition

12th Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2024
20-29 February; multiple venues, Chennai

Indian Short Fiction - Competition

Theanchittu Catering Service
Dir: Pragadeesh; 20:00; India; Short Fiction; competition


The three women who run the catering business are Ganga, her sister, and their grandmother. Ganga has traumatized childhood issues. But over time, she managed to get past this. Ganga recognizes the person she was sexually assaulted by in her childhood, and she confronts him. What she did to him and how these three women stood up to the villain for themselves were imagined in a narrative and thoughtful way.

Barsa
Dir: AKHILESH K A; 19:53; India; Short Fiction; competition


Amidst the complexities of early marriage, a 19-year-old Muslim mother is determined to break barriers. Balancing motherhood with aspirations, she brings her 6-month-old baby to a 10th class equivalency exam. But a rigid invigilator stands in her way. The short film delves into her journey of defying norms and striving for education, showcasing the strength of a young woman's spirit.

Three Piece Light
Dir: Tom Jose; 19:45; India; Short Fiction; competition


Caught in-between a controlling mother and his own sense of morality, Tom must make a life changing decision to either migrate to a new country or follow his roots.

Ain’t No Beef In Tangra
Dir: Karthik Varma; 16:52; India; Short Fiction; competition


Sam, an English professor, goes drinking in Tangra with his 12-year old student, reminiscing over his dead wife.

Love Note
Dir: Janvi Madabusi; 13:43; India; Short Fiction; competition


Keshav, a 9 year old boy sells tissue paper packets on the streets of mumbai. He comes up with the idea of selling ‘love notes’ written on tissues to couples. The film talks about how one doesn’t have to be born in a loving family to be a vessel of love.

Kahi Ankahi
Dir: Khushi, Yakshika; 12:32; India; Short Fiction; competition


The story revolves around a long-lost female writer who revisits her village after 20 years. In her nostalgia she meets her childhood friend who takes her to different places where they used to go often which helps her to relive those memories and regain her motivation to write again.

The Discipline
Dir: Prahas N; 20:00; India; Short Fiction; competition


A teacher disciplines her pupils when few unwanted incidents occur in a hostel of a residential school for children.

The Old Age Home
Dir: Rahul Razdan; 2:40; India; Short Fiction; competition


Sadabahar
Dir: Suyash Kamat; 12:55; India; Short Fiction; competition


One night when they find themselves falsely accused of robbery, band members of Sadabahar, a wedding brass quartet from UP working in Goa, have to decide between pursuing a livelihood as ‘outsiders’ in Goa and returning to the lives they left behind in their villages.

Sach Minus Jhooth
Dir: Rochna Kumar; 17:49; India; Short Fiction; competition


The film talks about an ordinary woman like Nisha who has everything that a patriarchal perspective thinks a woman needs. But what does she want? Where is her space?

Off-Camera
Dir: Vishal TM; 7:33; India; Short Fiction; competition


"Off-Camera" is a touching family drama that focuses on the effects of social media on the life of Sam, a lively four-year-old boy. Sam's mother records a cute dance performance and posts it online, unexpectedly turning Sam into an internet sensation. Despite his newfound fame, Sam's carefree personality becomes limited as he constantly needs to perform for his virtual audience. 

Yes Sir!
Dir: MUDIT SINGHAL; 20:00; India; Short Fiction; competition


Ramnarayan Tiwari, a Brahmin (dominant caste in India) is a peon/attendant in a government office to a Dalit (lower caste community that has been oppressed and treated as 'untouchables' by upper castes for centuries) who has risen to become a big officer. Tiwari burns with resentment towards this officer’s hierarchical superiority because he considers himself superior as per the religiously ingrained caste system. 

Autumn Flowers
Dir: Nikhilesh Mishra; 7:20; India; Short Fiction; competition


One rainy afternoon in a village in Medinipur, Rumi and her younger brother Imran are waiting for their father to return home. Father doesn’t bring good news but what awaits him is even more tragic.

Rider Rukmani 
Dir: Guhan S; 19:09; India; Short Fiction; competition


During her trip, Rukmani (A solo woman traveller) meets a man who sticks cinema posters on walls. They travel together to watch a movie. The man is not allowed inside the multiplex as he is wearing a Lungi.

Broken Wall
Dir: Mrinmoy Sarkar; 18:24; India; Short Fiction; competition


An old retired man, living in an almost deserted housing in Kolkata, feels lonely and suffers from an existential crisis. He seeks meaningful relationships with people around him. He finds a connection with a neighbourhood kid. Both the old man and kid are living in an adverse situation, which lacks compassion and love. The old man saves the kid from an incident of abuse. But he chooses to vanish from this ugly world because the perpetrator continues relationship with the kid’s mother.

Veiled Inches
Dir: Fathima A; 12:37; India; Short Fiction; competition

"Veiled Inches" is a gripping short film that delves into the struggles of Remya, a pregnant woman determined to overcome societal barriers. The film explores themes of resilience, societal oppression, and the courage to defy norms. Remya finds herself caught in a web of societal constraints as she navigates through her challenging circumstances. Despite her resilience, she encounters numerous hurdles that seem insurmountable. The society she lives in refuses to allow her the opportunities she deserves.

Hoṭṭebāka
Dir: Vishnu Tenkayala; 19:19; India; Short Fiction; competition


'Hottebāka' meaning gluttony, follows the journey of a young, small town woman who moves to Bangalore to pursue her dreams of becoming an actor in the film industry. She manages to secure a position in a film but is asked to lose some weight for the role. Determined to succeed, she becomes increasingly obsessed with her appearance and develops an unhealthy relationship with food. Her mental and physical health begin to deteriorate, and she finds herself struggling to maintain the impossible standards that have been set for her.

Farther than Distance
Dir: Taruna Khatri; 14:12; India; Short Fiction; competition


'Farther than Distance' is a day in the life of a student called Iti going through a phase of isolation in her life. The film explores her need to belong, with undertones of depression, intertwined with envy of others who seem to have better human bonds than her. Remaining distant and withdrawn, she finds herself conflicted when presented with an opportunity to connect with others.

A Drop of Time
Dir: Iniya Vasanthan; 12:01; India; Short Fiction; competition


Oru Thuli Pozhuthu (A Drop of Time) is a short fiction film which revolves around an estranged father-son relationship. Amudhan visits his home after his father’s demise. As he recollects his memories the moments with his father, he finds a bunch of unsent letters written by his father.

Canvas
Dir: Sanjai Chandrasekaran; 18:47; India; Short Fiction; competition


This is the story of a Therukoothu artist, it depicts how he challenges his problems and what all he went through behind the screen (offscreen) due to his challenging phase in life. Can he get out of his real life (tension, sadness and fear) and get into the reel life as a character of a Therukoothu artist is the plot of the story.

Two worlds
Dir: Nithya Gopalakrishnan; 11:28; India; Short Fiction; competition


A young graduate, deep in debt, receives a call on a sunny and busy morning in Chennai. Assuring that he'd reach within 15 mins, he begins racing in his motorbike through the traffic, risking his life even! The following sequence of events in the film unfolds the sad reality of today's world.

The Merchant Of Vinashna
Dir: Kunal Shrivastava; 19:03; India; Short Fiction; competition


In a dark and lonely wintry night, a tea seller is visited by a stranger who calls himself a trader of stories and claims to have come from an unknown city called Vinashna. He tells the tea seller a story about death. A poor man desperately wanders around the city in search of food to survive the night and fate and circumstances make him loot a temple. The stories intermingle and come together in the backdrop of a tragedy.

Roads
Dir: Daanish Shastri; 21:43; India; Short Fiction; competition


Divya, an eleven year old girl in a quaint Himalayan village dreams of becoming an astronaut. Crucial to her dream is the new road that will connect her small hamlet to a larger town and a bigger school. The road is made but it doesn't even weather one monsoon due to the inherent corruption of the system which lines the pockets of all those involved in the construction. When Divya learns of this corruption, she and her friends draw up a plan to pay-back the superstitious local contractor responsible for the road construction.

Reason Behind the Murder
Dir : Vishnu Ainguran; 29.57; India; Short Fiction; Competition 


Reason Behind the Murder" is a short film that follows a parallel investigation into a police officers death, exposing the psychological sadism of a renowned novelist through the intertwined journeys of investigation.

Saani Paadhangal
Dir : Balaji Velan; 25.49; India; Short fiction; Non Competition
 


Karupu the father and Chinna the son were heading to a private house as a watchman but his son doesn’t know that his father is going to do a Watchman job. A family with a grandfather called "Ravi," a grandson named "Neev," and father named "Vikram" resides in that private house. The story's plotline is thus: When Chinna and Karupu arrive to that residence, what consequences do they face by that family ?

IPSA
Dir : Pavitra Verma; 24.48; India; Short fiction; Non Competition 


AN ANCIENT INDIAN FABLE
The Himalayan Foothills, circa 500CE: A neglected housewife struggles with infertility, leading her husband to bring a second wife into their home. As she grows distant from the family, she visits a mysterious sage seeking divine intervention.

Blue Gold
Dir : Akash Shukla; 23.08; India; Short fiction; Competition 


After a desperate laborer from the lower caste steals water from the local Brahmin temple, he is banished from his water-impoverished village, forcing him to take destiny into his own hands.



Thursday, December 21, 2023

12th Chennai Int Doc & Short Film Festival 2023 : International Documentaries - Non Competition

12th Chennai International Documentary and 
Short Film Festival 2024
20-29 February; multiple venues, Chennai

 International Documentaries : Non Competition 

Finding Enok, Coping with Our Colonial Past
Dir: Dorna Xandre van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal; 01:06:10; Netherlands; Documentary; Non Competition 


In 1911 in the Dutch Indies, Emile van Rouveroy, a young Dutch planter, fathered a daughter with his housekeeper Enok, a local Sundanese girl of 15 years old. He legitimized her and raised Nelly, as she was called, in his (white) family. Nelly and her mother never saw each other again.110 years later, 2 of his grandchildren, Dorna van Rouveroy and Maurice Boyer, are looking for traces of Enok, her fellow sufferers and descendants.

Sospesi
Dir: Martina Dall & Ara; 01:29:33; Italy; Documentary; Non Competition


IN SUSPENSE is a collection of faces, voices and stories from 50 countries around the world. Through the director’s extensive research and sociological lens, one hundred different experiences of Italians living in foreign lands reveal the perceptions and states of mind of an unexpected quarantine spent between uncertainty and hope for the future. This window to the world aims to piece together the most important and overwhelming phenomenon of 2020.

Moments with Mujica
Dir: Ken McMullen; 47:00; United Kingdom; Documentary; Non Competition


A documentary interview with former president of Uruguay Jose & Mujica in which he discusses art, literature, philosophy and the global challenges that face humanity.

LANDEN
Dir: Vanessa Nica Mueller; 01:04:30; Germany; Documentary; Non Competition

An essay about Lebanon (mainly) and Germany (also), about coastlines and plants like the marsh samphire, the milk thistle, the angel trumpet or the crimson bottlebrush. About adaptation and transformation as well as resistance, about changes desired and dreaded, the city of Beirut and its unexpected revelations, modernism and time passing by, and, of course, the hopes and fears of its inhabitants, many of whom sense that their future might wait for them across the sea, even if they don’t want to leave.

Anna is angry and Buddha laughs
Dir: Lian Ram; 11:00; Israel; Documentary; Non Competition


Anna is torn between the well-being that the Buddha gives her during meditation and her anger at the violence that is rampant in society, she sets out to see if she can let go of the anger

Time of Seeds
Dir: Suan Seol; 01:41:00; Korea, Republic of; Documentary; Non Competition


The Two farmers, Yoon Gyusang and Jang Gui-deok, have been Two farmers, Yoon Gyusang and Jang Gui-deok, have been saving and planting their own seeds for decades. They have been working on the same things every year according to the natural and physical time flow. Their surroundings change and their ordinary labor for lives became special. There are people who look for the seeds preserved by their special labors. The cycle, in the end, doesn't end that easily.

Meteorite Hunter
Dir: Natalia Anisimova; 01:01:00; Russian Federation; Documentary; Non Competition

Meteorites are the oldest unchanging substance, that a person living on Earth can hold in his hands. Almost all meteorites are the same age as the Solar System. They are about 4,6 billion years old. More ancient particles, pre-solar matter, can often be found in some meteorites. However, there are also younger meteorites, primarily dislodged from Mars, where the processes of rock formation ended not so long ago by astronomical standards.

Mentawai - Souls of the Forest
Dir: Joo Peter; 01:15:00; Indonesia; Documentary; Non Competition


The last indigenous people of Mentawai, a small archipelago south-west of Sumatra, are fighting with creative resistance to preserve their ancient culture and rainforest.A culture on the verge of extinction - with the latest geopolitical developments, the destruction of their habitat reaches the point of no return. Smashing the hopes of thirty years democratization in Indonesia, Jakarta in relapse to authoritarian rule is enforcing deforestation in Mentawai.

Quest for a home
Dir: Moksh Krishnan; 16:30; United States; Documentary; Non Competition

This documentary directed by Moksh Krishnan observes the life of an exiled Kashmiri cartoonist, as he navigates his new life in New York, grappling with the loss of his homeland. The story delves into the complex themes of exile, diaspora, freedom, and the search for identity.

JAZZ MY HOME
Dir: BERAAT GOKKUS; 01:39:22; France; Documentary; Non Competition

AFRICA, CRADLE OF HUMANKIND AND MODERN CIVILISATIONS
Dir: Benita Jacques; 01:49:06; Canada; Documentary; Non Competition


For a long time, Benita Jacques has always had questions about her origins to which she never got any answers from her parents. Today, the young mother from Montreal wants to bring answers to her children who ask her the same questions that she herself could not have. So, she decided to leave for Africa, in search of her origins. 

Ice love
Dir: Katy Araiza; 16:15; Mexico; Documentary; Non Competition


Ten years after her last use, Katy investigates her memories through the photographic archive, creating a self-exploration journey with which she reflects on her addictive relationship with pain, love and drugs. From the distance that only time provides, she revisits the endless parties, the immediate joy, the deepest fall and her recovery, along with other two women who, like her, lived the “Ice love”.

The illusion of abundance
Dir: Erika Gonzalez Ramirez, Matthieu Lietaert; 60:25; Belgium; Documentary; Non Competition


Despite a deeply unbalanced game, Maxima, Bertha and Carolina share a common goal: they are leading today';s environmental fight against modern corporate conquistadors. Whereas governments and corporations are trapped in a global race to get the cheapest raw materials, these three women tell us a story of tireless courage: how to keep fighting to protect nature when your life is at risk? When police repression, corporate harassment, injuries or even death threats are part of your daily routine? 

If Not Now
Dir: Jill Daniels; 15:00; United Kingdom; Documentary; Non Competition


If Not Now is a documentary essay film addressed to my Jewish great-great grandmother, Rebecca, who lived and died in Brick Lane in London’s East End. Her death haunts my memories. Brick Lane has been home to successive immigrant communities, Huguenot weavers, Jews, Bengalis; today it is semi-gentrified with hipster clothes shops, street food, beigel bakeries, Indian restaurants and sari shops. 

Things Will Be Different
Dir: Lucie McMahon; 50:00; Australia; Documentary; Non Competition

Things Will Be Different documents two neighbours’ experiences of displacement as they are forced to relocate from the Walker Street public housing estate in Northcote, Melbourne when it is sold for private redevelopment. The film explores the impact of losing one’s home and the important role public housing plays in our communities. The film is made by local filmmakers Celeste De Clario Davis and Lucie McMahon.

A Letter To Lanka
Dir: Ilakkiya Mariya Simon; 28:00; Norway; Documentry; Non Competition


A Letter To Lanka moves between memories of the civil war to the present political turmoil. Told through a poetic and personal journey of the filmmaker`s reconnection to land, soil and people, it invites the audiences into existential questions of belonging in a chaotic world.  What does it mean to be at home in the world? What binds people together, and what can break them apart?

Piblokto
Dir: Anastasia Shubina, Timofey Glinin; 37:49; Russian Federation; Documentary; Non Competition


On the Arctic Ocean coast of Chukotka live a people cut off from the world. Their life revolves around hunting walruses and whales and protecting villages from bears coming from the tundra. This theme turns the film into a reflection on death. 

Complete Portrait Wanted of Markéta Ledererová
Dir: Joshua Richard van ’t Hoff; 50:00; Netherlands; Documentary; Non Competition


A quest through the unknown history of a Czechoslovak-Jewish refugee. Markéta Ledererová (1915-1987) fled from the expanding Nazism in Czechoslovakia in 1939 and settled in the Netherlands, where she started a family during World War II; her escape story and unknown Jewish origins prompted a daughter and two granddaughters to embark on an investigative quest spanning the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic and Israel decades after her passing.

Face Cover
Dir: Ashfaque Mohamed; 01:10:00; Sri Lanka; Documentary; Non Competition


Taking the cataclysmic Easter Sunday Bombings of Churches and Hotels in April 2019 by ISIS inspired Islamists in Sri Lanka as the point of departure, the film follows the life of Asifa in Kattankdy, in Eastern Sri Lanka, as she navigates the complex social forces shaping her and other women's stories. The film tells the story of the town, as a woman's tale.

Auto, Auto, Auto
Dir: David Helfer Wells; 5:55; United States; Documentary; Non Competition


An experimental film looking at the Auto (auto-rickshaw) one of the most recognizable icons of modern India. In a densely populated country with lower rates of car ownership, the sputtering motorized three-wheeler found all across India, is the backbone of transit for millions. 

THE SAVIOURESS THE MYSTERY OF A BUDDHIST ICON
Dir: Anna Koryakovtseva; 40:00; Russian Federation; Documentary; Non Competition


Tara means savior from Sanskrit, and thangka means icon. One of the main relics of the Stavropol State Museum-Reserve is the icon of the Indian deity Green Tara. At the end of the thirties of the last century, this icon disappeared. It seemed like forever. But then she was miraculously found. The film tells about why the thangka of the Green Tara is one of the most revered in Buddhist iconography.

The Guardians
Dir: Kira &Boyle; 6:00; United States; Documentary; Non Competition


Two brothers in Mexico work to conserve the ancient Maya practice of raising stingless bees.

The Taste of Mango
Dir: Chloe Abrahams; 01:15:00; United Kingdom; Documentary; Non Competition


In this hypnotically cinematic love letter flowing through time and generations, director Chloe Abrahams probes raw questions her mother and grandmother have long brushed aside, tenderly untangling painful knots in her family’s unspoken past.

Blue crab (and a wooden camera)
Dir: Daniel Martínz-Quintanilla Pérez; 20:00; Peru; Documentary; Non Competition


This is an unfinished documentary, a reverse account of a story that was abruptly interrupted by the corrupt police of one of the most authoritarian regimes in South America.

Homesick Lungs
Dir: Felix Klee; 14:39; Germany; Documentary; Non Competition


You can't bring back a dead horse, but there are ways to step into a place that was lost. "Homesick Lungs'is an experimental farewell. The film delves into the lungs of Sheila, the dying horse, and the history of a sold family farm. 3D animations, screen recordings and documentary footage combine to form an essay on reconstructed memory. In the end, the wind brushes through virtual nettles.

Fucking Paradise
Dir: Shahar Shabtay; 23:57; Israel; Documentary; Non Competition


When Covid hits worldwide, Carmel is stuck on the cruise ship where she works, in the middle of the ocean, without a clue about when she’ll be able to return home.

The Bus Savior
Dir: Fanny Ben David; 15:13; Israel; Documentary; Non Competition


Amit Shahar collects old buses. He grew up in Hatzeva and when his parents divorced, he left with his mother. As a child, he traveled by bus to visit his father. Collecting buses symbolize a complex, magical period that shaped him to be the man he is today.

Sew to Say
Dir: Rakel Aguirre; 01:09:00; United Kingdom; Documentary; Non Competition


42 years ago, in the summer of 1981, a group of 36 women left their homes and marched from Cardiff, the capital of Wales, to Greenham Common near London to protest against the American Cruise missiles that were going to be deployed in the UK as part of the Cold War response.

In Plain Sight
Dir: Ruvin De Silva; 30:00; Sri Lanka; Documentary; Non Competition


‘In Plain Sight’ is a glimpse into Sri Lanka’s complicated socio-political history that led to strategic disappearances and the existence of mass graves in the country. The documentary features seven mass grave locations and focuses on the different oral histories and narratives that have been affected by these sites: from families and loved ones, to activists, researchers, actual histories, and unanswered questions that continue to haunt Sri Lanka’s past, present, and future.

PARALLELS
Dir: Benoit; 01:05:00; France; Documentary; Non Competition


A wandering documentary. Images, lives and words in voiceover. Artists, workers, political prisoners, migrants, farmers, women and men wonder what they are doing with their lives. Ask, contemplate. Facing the animal world, the power of nature. Dream. Seek balance.

Mekong Apocalypse
Dir: Michael Buckley; 55:35; Canada; Documentary; Non Competition


The Mekong River is the most productive in the world in terms of fish catch and supply of nutrient-rich sediment. It is the most important river in Asia. But all that is rapidly changing. This is a satirical personal take on ecosystem collapse along the mighty Mekong, with the biggest threat being Chinese megadams in Yunnan, SW China.  The filmmaker shot this on the run, getting undercover footage of megadams and illegal sand-dredging. Drawing inspiration from water puppetry theatre in Vietnam, this film features characters like a talking glacier in Tibet, waltzing fish in Laos, and a talking sunflower in Vietnam to get complex concepts across.

Drifting
Dir: Somnur Vardar; 01:07:00; Turkey; Documentary; Non Competition


Covered in dust, a city by the sea loses its identity and memories while drifting apart from sea and sky. The notable daytime “silhouettes” on construction sites become real characters at night with their longing for home, anxieties for unclear future and their young burned-out bodies. While watching the dramatic changes in urban texture, we meet two young Kurdish cousins working in constructions, just like their fathers and grandfathers did for decades. Ferhat is a teacher, waiting to be assigned while working in constructions. His cousin Emrah plans going to university also to become a teacher. They both dream of a different life, wanting to break the vicious cycle of construction work.

Without Stratos
Dir: NIKOS KATSOS; 5:01; Greece; Short Fiction; Non Competition




...a while ago they lived together... now it's different...

13th Chennai Film Festival 2025 : Entries Invited!

📽 13th Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2025 21-28 February; multiple venues, Chennai  🎞  Entries invited! Regula...