List of Indian films
1) Two Flags
Dir: Pankaj Rishikumar; 86 min
'Two Flags' chronicles the life and politics of a quaint French town: Pondicherry (South India). As the 46000 Tamil French people belonging to the Tamil ethnic community, gear up for the French Presidential elections (2017) the film explores the idea of identity, citizenship and home in the post colonial era. Shot between 2012 to 2017, the film is a visual journey through the town, its homes and its people. ‘Two Flags’ is a chronicle of a legacy that is not easily evident, but manages to shine through ordinary events and occasional mishaps, and which brings together this tiny population in celebration, in grief, in anxiety and in serene acceptance.
2) The Tribal Scoop
Dir: Beeswaranjan Pradhan; 53 min
A small town of Sundergarh lying in the interiors of the state of Odisha has never been touched by modern civilization, but is paying for it with the blood of the tribal people living there. A people so backward that they still depend on forests for survival. And even those forests are fast being uprooted to make way for urban life.
In the midst of this cockpit of destruction there's one hope that they are desperately clinging on to- Hockey. The game that was once the only form of entertainment for a people cut off from the rest of the world has now become a weapon with which Sundergarh is trying to claim it's place in a world that never recognized it.
3) We Have Not Come Here to Die
Dir: Deepa Dhanraj; 110 min
On January 17th 2016 a Dalit, Phd research scholar, and activist Rohith Vemula unable to bear the persecution from a partisan University administration and dominant caste Hindu supremacists hung himself in one of the most prestigious universities in India. His suicide note, which argued against the “value of a man being reduced to his immediate identity” galvanized student politics in India. Over the last year thousands of students all over the country have broken the silence around their experiences of caste discrimination in Universities and have started a powerful anti-caste movement. The film attempts to track this historic movement that is changing the conversation on caste in India.
4) The Death of Us
Dir: Vani Subramanian; 76 min
The debates on the death penalty today are marked by a cacophony of strident assertions. Going against this tide is The Death of Us - a quiet contemplation on a range of cases in which the death penalty was pronounced, ending in execution, commutation to life sentence, acquittal or even pardon. Speaking only to those who have been on death row or those very closely involved with the cases, we engage in complex conversations on crime and punishment, revenge and justice, popular rhetoric and personal experiences. Only to find ourselves confronting larger ethical and moral questions across time and space.
5) Thadayam
Dir: Dhamayanthi; 55 min; fiction
Thadayam is a one hour meeting between two lovers after many years. Jeny is a divorcee and a cancer survivor who had been in love with Deva. Due to circumstances they couldn’t get united in marriage. Deva who is married to another woman comes to meet Jeny who is in death bed because of her illness.
In the midst of reminiscences, complaining about each other for whatever had happened, there are still expressions of love and charm as they cry, smile and hug.
6) The Color of My Home
Dir: Sanjay Barnala & Farah Naqvi; 48 min
What happens to people when they are violently displaced? Forced out of their home and ancestral village, buffeted by winds of hate, running for their lives, scattered like human debris in relief camps. Never able to return. How do they rebuild new homes and new lives, with hearts unable to leave the old one behind?
7) Santhana Gopala
Dir: Sandeep Ravindranath; 8 min; short fiction
A woman trapped in the dutiful bondage of an Indian arranged marriage grapples with the stigma of childlessness.
Her faith is her only pillar of strength as an oppressive social order strives to create a servile and dehumanized other, whose subjugation is then ensured.
8) Reason (work in progress)
Dir: Anand Patwardhan; 261 min
Reason takes us to a macrocosm – India, the world’s largest democracy. Its eight chapters are a chilling account of how murder and mind control are being applied to systematically dismantle secular democracy in a country which once aspired not just to Liberty, Egalite and Fraternity, but to lead the post-war world out of its mindless spiral of violence and greed.
9) There is No Moon
Dir: Ajay TG; 26 min
This film bears witness to the gross neglect of environmental and human rights by the so-called ‘development’ Sponsored by the state in Chhattisgarh, India.
10) Those Stars in the Sky
Dir: Debaranjan; 58 min
When people die, they become stars is a common belief. This film promulgates such belief in view of those killed by the State forces like in police firing, fake encounter, in custody and by the private armies of the corporations. Killing of common people and the rise of corporations have been a reality since economic reforms in India.
11) Tin Satyi
Dir: Debalina; 51 min
Tin Satyi…(In Fact…) captures the essence of three different life-stories that are defying the hetero-patriarchal norms of society at every breath. Aimed at understanding philosophies of non-conforming desires, the film also depicts ripples created by these lives in the society.
12) Squeeze Lime in the Eye
Dir: Avijit Mukul Kishorel 57 min
Kausik Mukhopadhyay’s art objects lie on the peculiar intersection of toy, machine and organism. Made out of discarded household gadgets, they have distinct personalities and quirks. They are noisy, humorous and sometimes break down. They invite the viewer to engage and complete the narratives embedded within them. These narratives contain signifiers of political, personal and art history. There is much beauty and poignancy in Mukhopadhyay’s fragile art works. This film takes an intimate look at Mukhopadhyay’s journey as an artist and teacher.
13) Coral woman
Dir: Prima Thuvassery; 52 min
This will be a filmmaker's journey with Uma, a certified scuba diver, exploring the underwater world & the threat to coral reefs of Gulf of Mannar, India.
Born in a traditional family in Tamil Nadu 53 years old Uma, a homemaker, has been trying to bring attention to this alarming environmental issue through her paintings.
It is, in fact, these corals that inspired Uma to learn how to swim, dive & paint in her 50s.
14) Koothu
Dir: Sandhya Kumar; 52 min
In many villages in Tamil Nadu, a theatre tradition still links people with a past. Closely connected with religion and caste rituals, koothu brings to life stories about gods, demigods, kings and demons from the Indian epics.
A typical koothu performance is an all-night show in which performers wear elaborate make-up, costumes and wooden ornaments, and simultaneously sing, dance and act on stage.
15) The Slave Genenis
Dir: Aneez K Mappilla; 64 min
The documentary ‘The Slave Genesis’ deals with the social transformation of Paniya tribals, who belong to South India’s hill district of Wayanad. ‘Paniya’ literally translates to ‘worker’.
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