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IDFFB

5th Indian Documentary Film Festival Bhubaneswar was organized from 26th to 29th September at the Odissi Research Centre, XIMB Square.

 

The festival line up focuses on contemporary documentary films from across the country. It will have a retrospective on the documentary films of Manipuri filmmaker Haobam Paban Kumar. Filmmakers from different parts of India will grace the festival with their presence and interact with the people of the city.


The festival poster is based on a poem called 'The Second Olive Tree' by Mahmoud Darwish.

Documentaries at IDFFB 2024

Fly past, Hornbill

Amit Mahanti

Nagamese

10

|

2022

The Hornbill Festival in Nagaland is an annual state-sponsored event spread over several days in Kisama (Naga Heritage Village), where the culture of different Naga tribes is show-cased. Fly Past, Hornbill is a video essay that unpacks different layers of the festival – the performance and staging of culture, the engagement of tourists, commercialisation, political instrumentalization and military presence.

The Orchard and the Pardes

Renu Savant

Hindi, Marathi, Nepali

144

|

2024

In 2021, the filmmaker lived and recorded in Ratnagiri, documenting the lives of four Nepalese migrant laborers in a mango orchard. The film, The Orchard and the Pardes reveals power struggles between the workers, their employer, and the filmmaker, and explores the complexities of power dynamics at the micro level.

If I Could Tell You

Niharika Popli

English, Indian Sign Language

70

|

2015

If I Could Tell You invites viewers to reflect on the universal human need for expression and the many different ways we all strive to communicate our truths

B25

Raqeeb and Manvendra

Hindi, English

34

|

2024

Inside the walls of B25 is a sanctuary, where lives intersect, stories intertwine and people flourish. The film offers glimpses of these unconventional bonds and experiences, that reframe notions of home and belonging, while reflecting on queerness, love, chosen families, gender, violence, identity and freedom, against the backdrop of a rapidly changing country.

Hello Guyzz!

Samiksha Mathur

Bengali, Hindi, English

24

|

2023

Hello Guyzz! is a reflection of modern day India, where cheap internet, longing to become the next big star, and high aspirations are a reality. But so are class, caste and gender differences.

Slaves of the Empire

Rajesh James

Malayalam

51

|

2024

Slaves of the Empire unfolds against the backdrop of colonial-era Fort Kochi, a picturesque town in Kerala. The film delves deep into the ordinary existence of a dhobi community, laundry workers who were enslaved by the Dutch during the colonial era.

Against the Tide

Sarvnik Kaur

Marathi, Hindi, Koli

97

|

2023

Two friends, both indigenous Koli fishermen in Bombay, are driven to desperation by a dying sea. Their friendship begins to fracture as they take very different paths to provide for their struggling families.

In Between Us

Rajkumar Prajapati & Ruchika Negi

Hindi

35

|

2023

Humare Beech Mein is a conversation between two women about making a film on caste. How do we film caste? What do we show? What do we hide? Who has access? Who refrains?

The books we made

Anupama Chandra and Umadevi Tanuku​

Hindi, English

68

|

2016

The Books We Made' is a documentary inspired by the work of Urvashi Butalia and Ritu Menon, both of whom co-founded the first feminist publishing house in India: 'Kali for Women'. The film is about the joy and pain of surviving in two non-lucrative professions: that of writing for small, discerning audiences, and that of publishing, translating and promoting work barely known outside its own linguistic region in India.

Flickering Lights

Anupama Srinivasan, Anirban Dutta

Tangkhul

90

|

2000

In Tora, an Indian village on the border with Myanmar, the rhythm of life is set by daylight and darkness. But the village is on the verge of change: electricity is finally coming. Will it bring this close-knit community the progress it is hoping for?

Umbro

Prachee Bajania

Gujarati

34

|

2024

Umbro, the threshold of a home, is the liminal space that speaks to the lives of women, including the filmmaker's mother and her friends who live in the small town of Dhrangadhra in Gujarat, India. The film explores joyful friends...

Rasan Piya

Niharika Popli

Hindi

80

|

2015

'Rasan Piya' is a documentary on the life of renowned Hindustani classical vocalist, Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, who represented the 16th generation of Miyan Tansen's lineage. The film explores the various influences that have shaped his life and music, a life steeped in the rich culture of Awadh.

Meelon Dur

Megha Acharya

Bundeli, Hindi

50

|

2023

The everyday lives of three female labourers working in a brick kiln takes an upsetting turn after an unexpected rainfall halts their work. What unfolds is a threatening tale of unorganized labour and economic debts in a rapidly urbanizing India.

In no Sence

Gia Singh Arora

English

16

|

2023

In no sense, takes us on an intimate journey through a woman's complex relationship with the haunting reality of child sexual abuse. Through a unique interplay of movement and behind-the-scenes moments, it explores the complexities of trauma and attachment, memory and the body, inviting reflections on the possibility of healing and recovery.

My Grandfather’s House

Alvina Joshi

Marathi

28

|

2023

​The director visits her late grandfather's house to mourn his death with her grandmother. Once there, ugly truths about what kind of a man her grandfather was begin to surface.

I will come back dancing in the dunes

Christiane Mordelet and Stanzin Dorjai Gya

Mongolian

72

|

2024

Otgo, 11, is the youngest of a family of herders in the Gobi desert. Proud of her freedom when she sings on her camel, alone among the dunes, lovingly caring for baby animals, listening carefully to her father's advice, happy when dancing on the stage of her village while dreaming of becoming a dancer in Ulan Bator's Opera, will she be strong enough to follow a different path cut off from her roots?

Trolley Times

Gurvinder Singh

Punjabi

153

|

2023

'Trolley Times' is a portrayal of the historic and the largest sit-in protest, perhaps ever staged in the world, primarily by the farmers of Punjab and Haryana on the borders of Delhi from November 2020 to December 2021 against the three new farm laws passed by the Union government. The title itself is derived from the newsletter 'Trolley Times' that was started as a voice of the protest by a group of activists.

Insides and Outsides

Arab Ahmed

Hindi, English, Urdu

54

|

2024

In an increasingly hostile environment of escalating violence, discrimination and disenfranchisement, Arbab explores what it is like being a Muslim in the country. The film ebbs and flows between looking outside in his surroundings, where a constant stream of hate erupts and engulfs all sides, and inside, where Arbab’s parents back home renegotiate their sense of identity with a changing political reality.

All That Perishes at the Edge of Land

Hira Nabi

Urdu

31

|

2019

A ship berthed at Gadani and the shipbreakers coming from all over Pakistan to break it, discovers that they might have more in common than otherwise imagined, when they enter into a conversation

Ginger Biscuit

Sudha Padmaja Francis

Malayalam

63

|

2024

The long history of baking in North Kerala from 1880s to its everyday practice and labour today, intermingled with filmmaker's own memories of it.

Indiras Emargency

Vikramaditya Motwane, Archana Phadke, Arya Rothe

Hindi, nglish

112

|

2023

Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi abruptly proclaimed a 'internal emergency' in June 1975, imprisoning her opponents and stifling the media. The largest democracy in the world endured a virtual dictatorship for 21 months.

Dekho Main Hoon

Gia Singh Arora

Hindi, English

23

|

2022

A small film crew observes the poetic world of renowned Bharatanatyam exponent, choreographer, and teacher Navtej Singh Johar through a three day workshop at his home in Sonipat, Haryana. The participants go through an introspective journey through movement as they explore touch, intimacy, and expression. As questions emerge in space, the borders between observing, capturing and thinking being collide.

Andro Dreams

Meena Longjam

Manipuri

63

|

2023

Andro Dreams is the love story of Laibi, an old woman with spirited soul, and her three-decade old all girls football club battling economic challenges, patriarchal system and orthodoxy in an ancient village of northeast India.

And, Towards Happy Alleys

Sreemoyee Singh

Persian, English

75

|

2023

And Towards Happy Alleys is a passionate declaration of love for the cinema and poetry of Iran which also provides a frank view of daily life and bears witness to a fearless generation raising its voice and implacably demanding its civil liberties.

Prisoner No. 626710 is Present

Lalit Vachani​

Hindi, English

60

|

2023

Prisoner No. 626710 waits interminably for a bail hearing in court…Meanwhile, two friends who await his release reminisce and discuss the events and the circumstances that led to his incarceration.

No City for Women

Rangan Chanravarty

English

94

|

2023

Gurgaon, India's Millennium City, promises many opportunities - but, for women, it also poses specific challenges. Through women's personal narratives, the film explores their experiences of living and working in Gurgaon and illuminates the gendered nature of urban Indian life.

Retrospective: Haobam Paban Kumar

Pabung Syam

Haobam Paban Kumar

Manipuri

52

|

2020

The documentary "Pabung Syam," directed by Haobam Paban Kumar, serves as a tribute to the life and work of Aribam Syam Sharma, the pioneering filmmaker and luminary of Manipuri cinema. The film offers a glimpse into the esteemed career of Syam Sharma, exploring his profound contributions to Manipuri cinema and culture, his philosophies on life and art, and his enduring impact on the region's filmmaking.

Mr India

Haobam Paban Kumar

English

47

|

2020

The life and achievements of HIV-positive bodybuilder K. Pradipkumar, who won the Mr Manipur title in 2007 and several other laurels in other competitions at national levels.

Nupishabi (Female Impersonator)

Haobam Paban Kumar

Manipuri

52

|

2010

Sumang Leela or Courtyard Play is one of the most popular art forms of Manipur. One of the main attractions of this theatre is the Nupishabi or Female Impersonator. In this theatre no female can act, so male perform female roles. In brief it is a socially accepted tradition where males can become a female in front of the common people.

AFSPA, 1958

Haobam Paban Kumar

Manipuri

77

|

2006

During lntegraion of Manipur in 1949, a large portion of Manipuri population was resistant, believing the merger to be an illegal and illegitimate annexation. To curb these 'separatists,' the government adopted the Armed Forces Special Power Act, 1958, allowing officers to search and arrest based on mere suspicion, also to shoot and kill at will. 

The First Leap

Haobam Paban Kumar

English

28

|

1976

The artiste of the first feature film of Manipur is meeting after a gap of 37 years. They meet, had lunch together and for the first time in 37 years they are watching the first feature film of Manipur - Matamgee Manipur together.

Phum-Shang (Floating Life)

Haobam Paban Kumar

Manipuri

52

|

2014

In 2011, Manipur government burnt down hundreds of huts in Loktak Lake, in the pretext of cleaning the lake and blaming the locals for the pollution of the lake. Thousands of fishermen were displaced, became homeless and their livelihood snatched. With nowhere to go, the fisherpeople still continue to fight the authorities. They continue to fight a losing battle, where the administration challenge their relationship with the lake, since they live on floating huts, built on floating biomass or ‘Phumdis’

Director's Present

Flickering Lights

Anupama Srinivasan, Anirban Dutta

Tangkhul

90

|

2000

In Tora, an Indian village on the border with Myanmar, the rhythm of life is set by daylight and darkness. But the village is on the verge of change: electricity is finally coming. Will it bring this close-knit community the progress it is hoping for?

Indiras Emargency

Vikramaditya Motwane, Archana Phadke, Arya Rothe

Hindi, nglish

112

|

2023

Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi abruptly proclaimed a 'internal emergency' in June 1975, imprisoning her opponents and stifling the media. The largest democracy in the world endured a virtual dictatorship for 21 months.

Prisoner No. 626710 is Present

Lalit Vachani​

Hindi, English

60

|

2023

Prisoner No. 626710 waits interminably for a bail hearing in court…Meanwhile, two friends who await his release reminisce and discuss the events and the circumstances that led to his incarceration.

The Orchard and the Pardes

Renu Savant

Hindi, Marathi, Nepali

144

|

2024

In 2021, the filmmaker lived and recorded in Ratnagiri, documenting the lives of four Nepalese migrant laborers in a mango orchard. The film, The Orchard and the Pardes reveals power struggles between the workers, their employer, and the filmmaker, and explores the complexities of power dynamics at the micro level.

Slaves of the Empire

Rajesh James

Malayalam

51

|

2024

Slaves of the Empire unfolds against the backdrop of colonial-era Fort Kochi, a picturesque town in Kerala. The film delves deep into the ordinary existence of a dhobi community, laundry workers who were enslaved by the Dutch during the colonial era.

The books we made

Anupama Chandra and Umadevi Tanuku​

Hindi, English

68

|

2016

The Books We Made' is a documentary inspired by the work of Urvashi Butalia and Ritu Menon, both of whom co-founded the first feminist publishing house in India: 'Kali for Women'. The film is about the joy and pain of surviving in two non-lucrative professions: that of writing for small, discerning audiences, and that of publishing, translating and promoting work barely known outside its own linguistic region in India.

Rasan Piya

Niharika Popli

Hindi

80

|

2015

'Rasan Piya' is a documentary on the life of renowned Hindustani classical vocalist, Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, who represented the 16th generation of Miyan Tansen's lineage. The film explores the various influences that have shaped his life and music, a life steeped in the rich culture of Awadh.

Against the Tide

Sarvnik Kaur

Marathi, Hindi, Koli

97

|

2023

Two friends, both indigenous Koli fishermen in Bombay, are driven to desperation by a dying sea. Their friendship begins to fracture as they take very different paths to provide for their struggling families.

Insides and Outsides

Arab Ahmed

Hindi, English, Urdu

54

|

2024

In an increasingly hostile environment of escalating violence, discrimination and disenfranchisement, Arbab explores what it is like being a Muslim in the country. The film ebbs and flows between looking outside in his surroundings, where a constant stream of hate erupts and engulfs all sides, and inside, where Arbab’s parents back home renegotiate their sense of identity with a changing political reality.

Festival Book

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