Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival

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...

12th Chennai Int Doc & Short Film Festival 2024 : Indian Documentaries - Competition

12th Chennai International Documentary and

Short Film Festival 2024

20-29 February; multiple venues, Chennai

Indian Documentaries : Competition

Seed Stories

Dir: Chitrangada Choudhury; 42:00; India; Documentary; Competition

In a village in the Niyamgiri mountains of the Eastern Ghats in Odisha, eastern India, a heroic effort is underway: barefoot ecologist Dr. Debal Deb and his 3 member-team are conserving over one thousand endangered heirloom varieties of rice, the world’s largest project of its kind.

Odisha’s Eastern Ghats region is one of the world’s surviving biodiversity hotspots, with farmers and shifting cultivators, particularly from Adivasi (Indigenous) communities like the Kondhs possessing the knowledge of growing multiple crops with their own heirloom seeds, evolved over centuries. At the same time, the village and the wider region is irreversibly changing with the coming of genetically modified Bt and herbicide-tolerant cotton seeds and associated agrochemicals.

‘Seed Stories’ takes a worm’s eye view of how the swift expansion of a chemical-intensive cotton monoculture is reshaping a geography and a people steeped in agro-ecological knowledge, and altering their attitudes towards farming, food and ecology. It invites audiences to reflect on the question, ‘What is sustainability?

Beyond hatred and power, we keep singing

Dir: Ramdas Kadavallur; 1:55:44; India; Documentary; Competition

In the times of authoritarian interventions that stifle democratic voices and constitutional rights, by hate mongering and spreading animosity among the people, the documentary chronicles the resistance of people through songs and lyrics. As tellingly enunciated by Maya Angelou, these are ballads for creation of a new world order, by raising their voices against those who unabashedly trample upon the democratic rights. it germinated out of the firm conviction, rooted in and expressed by Bertolt Brecht, that “Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.”

Kaittari

Dir: Saroj Kumar; 22:19; India; Documentary; Competition

Kattari is short documentary film. This film is made on the lives of Subrayanpuddur village people from Tirrupur district, Tamil Nadu. Handloom craft being part of their life since ages is now vanishing due to several reasons. Film shows their daily life and situations in a poetic and observatory form of documentary filming. Visual story telling through different filmmaking techniques gives more realistic feel.

The First Ink-Memories that make History

Dir: Shridhar K S; 46:45; India; Documentary; Competition

The film portrays the life, times, and world view of Shri Shyam Saran Negi, 105 years old, and a resident of Kalpa, Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. He is considered to be the first person to cast his vote in Independent India and since then, he has not missed casting his vote in any elections. He is a strong believer in the Constitution of India and has an indomitable belief in the institution of Democracy.

My Son and His Grandfather

Dir: Bijoy Chowdhury; 38:30; India; Documentary; Competition

A daily account of a very ordinary grandfather of a lower-middleclass family in a suburban town – in the absence of the grandson.

Submerged

Dir: Iqbal Hussain; 25:00; India; Documentary; Competition

Kotmir, a village in the Dharaji Panchayat, was under the submergence area of the Omkareswar Dam built in the Narmada River. But many of the people from Kotmir had refused to leave the village due to unsettled compensation packages and they lived a subsistence life as migrant labourers in the cities. When they were forced to return homeduring the country wide lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, these migrant labourers faced a unique situation. They too had no work but the home-returned villagers also were left without any village body to address their issue as Dharaji Panchayat was dissolved as the villages were officially ‘under the submergence area’ They could not even avail the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a social scheme which helped secure the lost income of millions of home-returned migrant workers at that time. The film follows their saga and the struggle to avail the benefits of the MGNREGA.

Lyrical Lens- An ode to a magical photographer

Dir: Ankuran Dutta; 52:35; India; Documentary; Competition

A photograph is the harmonious outcome of various arts and skills and ace photographer Nalini Baruah uses his unnatural technique and delivers justice to this art form continuously in the last eight decades. While many photographers have excelled or pioneered different art forms, shutter guru Nalini Baruah broke all glass ceilings through his nude photography and created a subtle language of aesthetics and boldness in a remote place of northeast India.

Kidi - A Spark

Dir: Rujuta Doshi; 36:45; India; Documentary; Competition

Every year, hundreds of women are admitted in Burns Ward of Victoria Hospital in Bangalore reportedly as victims of stove burst or kitchen accident. A lot of them succumb to these injuries while the others survive to live a life with never ending trauma. This documentary is a compilation of conversations with some of the survivors, revealing the homicidal nature of the incident and their struggle to navigate through lives in its aftermath.

Tracing Shadows

Dir: Ahmed Rebin; 35:56; India; Documentary; Competition

A deep dive into the social barriers faced by certain people in three of the major metropolitan cities (Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore) in India. A close up analysis of questions like How justice is denied? How and where freedom is curtailed? And Where are they not accepted? in the cities they thought they belonged to.

The Long Road

Dir: Baylon Fonseca; 22:30; India; Documentry; Competition

'The Long Road' A Journey into Equality, Empowerment, and Unconditional Acceptance. Step onto a thought-provoking path of discovery in the compelling documentary 'The Long Road' where the lines between 'normal' and 'abnormal' & 'abled'; and & 'disabled' blur into insignificance. Directed with heartfelt curiosity, this documentary delves deep into the lives of individuals who have been blessed with unique abilities and challenges, inviting viewers to question society's perceptions of diversity.

PERUMBAKKAM

Dir: Sanjay Ridhwan; 37:42; India; Documentary; Competition

A detailed study on the dark side of the Urban housing development's eviction process and the horrors of basic human living standards in the slum clearance housing board of 'Perumbakkam'.

BIRUBALA- the fearless crusader

Dir: Dhiraj Kashyap; 26:17; India; Documentary; Competition

It is during calamities that the true nature of a person takes shape. Social activist Birubala Rabha is one such courageous woman, whose will power, tenacity and determination has helped her to overcome all the difficulties in life. This courageous tribal woman has been working tirelessly to eradicate the social stigma of witch hunting, which has been persisting in Assam for almost five decades today.

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: Now & Then

Dir: Jyoti Nisha; 01:50:50; India; Documentary; Competition

Dr. B. R Ambedkar: Now & Then, is a feature length documentary film that explores deep questions of human condition. Questions of liberty, equality, fraternity, social justice, exclusion and marginalized representation through, Jyoti Nisha, a Bahujan feminist filmmaker’s gaze in an upper caste Indian film industry. The film aspires to translate the praxis of Ambedkarite politics to image making and representation of marginalized subjects’ culture, history, politics in popular cinema and media. Driven by Dr. Ambedkar’s philosophy epistemologically, the film symbolically and politically documents the representation and assertion of Bahujan people in the contemporary era. Questioning the institution of caste in India, this film is a commentary on religion, revolution, politics, and the freedom of speech.

'लखी माई' The festivals of mother food (Rice)

Dir: Nitesh Kumar; 25:46; India; Documentary; Competition

In this film we will see the journey of Nine months of farmer, in which we will deals with the process of Cultivation of rice, festivals, traditions or culture like how jharkhand folk festival 'Karma puja'; and 'Sohrai puja'; interlinked with Cultivation, and the struggle of farmers while cultivation.

Archamaar (Women Warrriors)

Dir: Alfin Aloysius David; 20:00; India; Documentary; Competition

There is a place known as Vadakara in Kozhikode district Kerala, about correcting the public perception that market and carrying jobs are for men only. Vadakara Vegetable Market. Most of the porters here are women. From morning to noon, women here load the vegetables to other vehicles. When there was a shortage of work in the country, the women used to carry curry leaves and coriander leaves, which did not weigh much. They came to Vadakara market for the first time. Gradually they became porters here. They started with three women coming from Vallikkunnu. Many people came in search of better working conditions and the membership reached 35. From porters to 'Archamaar' (Women Warriors). Their day starts with reaching the market at 5:30 in the morning. By 6 o''clock the rush in the market starts and it finishes at 12 o'clock. They have to lift 65 to 70 kg of material at a time. Currently, there are only 11 members.

Powerstar

Dir: Pratik Singla; 29:24; India; Documentary; Competition

A group of climbers aspire to bring more inclusivity in the Indian climbing scene by developing new sport routes in Badami - a town known for it's historic temples of the Chalukya dynasty (6th century). Facing opposition from other climbers they stay determined to seek new ways of taking the sport forward. With the help of a crowdfunding initiative they get the support from climbers from India and abroad to bring the community togetherand train a new generation of route developers. Creating lasting bonds through a shared love for climbing.

LEH 107

Dir: Zenobius; 11:38; India; Documentary; Competition

'Leh 107' is a observational/experiential film that focuses on the lives of migrant workers at Khalsi Camp, located at an impressive altitude of 10,000 feet. The film's setting in such a secluded area, devoid of powerlines and mobile network coverage, adds an intriguing layer of isolation and challenges to the narrative., it is an authentic and unfiltered portrayal of the workers' daily lives, struggles, and triumphs in efforts to fostering empathy andunderstanding. the breathtaking natural beauty of the high-altitude location serves as avisually backdrop for the film, juxtaposing the majesty of the surroundings with the toils ofthe workers.

CAT's ATTIC

Dir: Nundrisha Wakhloo, Daksh Punj; 24:56; India; Documentary; Competition

Brair Kani, or Cat's Attic, explores an ancestral house located in Srinagar, Kashmir. A document written by the filmmaker’s grandfather traces the history of the house to shed light on its changing ownership. Through architectural elements and objects with embedded histories, the house comes alive with stories. Using the attic as a site of reflection, the film navigates the relationship between space, belonging and personal history. Inhabiting the confines of the attic, the house spirits exist simultaneously as carriers of collective memory and as manifestations of the emotional landscape. Characters—human, material and

mythical—contribute to this temporal experience of the home, as the dilapidated attic stands witness to the lived and living experiences of its inhabitants. The past, present and future are bound by uncertainty as the different narratives create a space that transcends beyond the attic to address the larger themes of home as belonging.

The Unjust and Beyond

Dir: Ratheesh Mon Panampatta; 22:43; India; Documentary; Competition

Landslides are often conceived as natural disasters. It becomes an issue of justice when it disproportionately affects different sections of society. In the Indian state of Kerala, it disproportionately affects the Dalits (“Lower caste”), Adivasis (Tribes), and the poor. The present work engages with the spatial injustice faced by the lower caste and class people in Kerala.

My Radio My Life

Dir: Bidit Roy, Makarand Waikar; 01:08:00; India; Documentary; Competition

Set in the 21st century, the film revisits the golden era of radio in India, when it was the dominant, popular, and only source of entertainment, news, and knowledge. Being a medium that is heard across national borders, the radio has been instrumental in expanding horizons and enriching the lives of generations. Besides giving companionship to individuals, the radio brought families together and inspired people to make life choices.

When The Earth Rusted

Dir: Duttatreya Dey; 17:05; India; Documentary; Competition

Students of a film institute tread through elusive memories and a long lost time, as they try to find meaning in the aftermath of a student’s absence.

Our Film

Dir: Dakxin Chhara; 49:00; India; Documentary; Competition

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a collective of indigenous artists belonging to India’s ‘ex-criminal’ De-notified Tribes and associated with Budhan Theatre, decided to produce video-podcasts of the impact of the pandemic on the margins. This process was an effort to generate memory against processes of collective amnesia; and to usher indigenous communities to the digital space in a post-pandemic context, where the digital has become an essential component of our cultural and economic life. This film tells the story of the makers, who did not stop recording despite losing members of their own family along the way.

The Leopard's Tribe

Dir: Miriam Chandy Menacherry; 40:00; India; Documentary; Competition

Mumbai authorities axe thousands of trees to expand a mass transit system. Home to 10,000 indigenous tribals led by Prakash Bhoir a scuffle unfolds to protect forest and the leopard they worship. A battle to save the green lungs of India’s financial capital unfolds. He joins a hip-hop band, gets legal counsel but it is Pramila, his wife who is his biggest ally. She surprises everyone by stepping into the frontlines of a battle with high political stakes. This is the story of a marginalised couple, forced to be leaders through floods, fires and leopard attacks to claim their position as climate leaders in one of the fastest growing metropolis in the world.

Penmudra

Dir: Jishnu Krishnan A; 37:20; India; Documentary; Competition

The movie outlines a socio-political and historical journey of women in the oldest classical theatre form of Kerala called Koodiyattam. It is trying to look into the historical foundations and contemporary changes that happened to the role of women in classical art spaces through the life and experiences of women performers and scholars who comes from both traditional and modern styles of training and different kind of school of thought.

Tam-bram Cooking

Dir: Sraiyanti, Prem Akkattoos; 10:02; India; Documentary; Competition

A man who works as a security guard in an apartment complex goes about his day, while the residents who live there express their views on caste, identity and their own social standing. But actions speak louder than words.

The Legacy from Beyond

Dir: Harsh Raj Gond; 26:21; India; Documentary; Competition

The Legacy from Beyond is a documentary provides an insightful exploration of Gond art and depicts the lives and struggles of Gond artists who are passionately keeping the Gond art form alive even today. Residing in Patangarh village, they carry forward this art legacy left by the legendary Gond tribal artist Late Shri Jangarh Singh Shyam.

Seaside

Dir: Iniya Vasanthan; 18:50; India; Documentary; Competition

Kasimedu fish market is one of the major fish market in Chennai. It is a very lively place all day. From boats bringing fish to people buying it fresh directly from there, everything is quite interesting to observe. Kadaloram(seaside) is a short documentary film made on that place and the people. The film shows how the market functions, in a visually grounded treatment and also with the interview of a person from the community. Jaya, is been selling seafood for 12 years in that place. The narrative structure of the film moves forward majorly as an observational documentation being among them.

God Vulture and Human - A hero's dichotomy

Dir: Rishiraj Agarwal; 49:27; India; Documentary; Competition

The film explores the subject of organ donation through the lens of transplant coordinators, highlighting their role in the process of organ donation, retrieval and transplantation. Through the lives of 4 transplant coordinators, the film deals with the intensities of life and death, and an attempt to humanise the coordinators.

Portmanteau: The Word And The World

Dir: Dhananjay Bhawalekar; 29:58; India; Documentary; Competition

The film depicts the project of the People’s Linguistic Survey of India (PLSI), led by Prof. Ganesh Devy carried with the team of about 3000 volunteers. It is the world's largest linguistic survey carried out at the beginning of the 21st century. It presents the process of conceptualizing and gathering information on over 700 Indian languages. The documentary highlights the significance of preservation of languages and their cultural heritage. The focus of the film is the work of Prof. Devy related to the language diversity in India and to show how essential it is to India';s democracy.

The Old Man And The Cinema
Dir: Bijoy Chowdhury; 8:29; India; Short Fiction; competition

"The Old Man And The Cinema" is a heartwarming and nostalgic documentary film that explores the enduring love story between a nonagenarian manager and a vintage single-screen cinema hall named "Chhabighar" in the heart of Kolkata, India.

Indian Documentry – Non Competition

From the Shadows

Dir: Miriam Chandy Menacherry; 01:16:09; India; Documentary; Non Competition

From the Shadows uses the imagery of public art to delve into missing narratives. Paint cans and stencils in hand, Leena Kejriwal relentlessly sprays splattered walls with a girl’s shadow #missing #everyeightminutes, a haunting reminder that girls disappear at a staggering pace. The narrative starts from her terrace overlooking Asia’s largest red-light district and into the world’s largest delta, quick sands of missing cases.