IFFB
The Festival Logo: 'Nabagunjara' (ନବଗୁଞ୍ଜର)‘Nabagunjara’, meaning ‘Naba’ (nine) and ‘Gunjara’ (sound), is depicted in traditional Patachitra painting as a composite figure of nine animals. The images of this creature are found in the paintings of the Himalayan Princely states and South India; however, the written version of the story of Nabagunjara is found only in the Sarala Das (15th century) Odia Mahabharata. Lord Krishna here reveals to Arjuna in Nabagunjara form to test his devotion. The depiction of the creature is found in the Jagannath temple, Puri. The creature is also found in the Ganjifa playing cards; it is the king card and Arjuna is the minister card. In the form of Nabagunjara, Krishna expresses the plurality of approaches to the understanding of reality. The ultimate reality that Krishna teaches Arjuna is one, but it may appear different to different people depending on their point of view and their own innate'svabhava' or nature.
The Hindu tradition is neither monolithic nor unitarian but instead plural and multifaceted, where multiplicity rather than uniformity is the watchword and, therefore, approaches to this reality also have to be varied. Therefore, we think this symbol of plurality could be a way to look at the composite art of Cinema. Nabangunjara not only represents the essence of acceptance and diversity but also is a representation of different perspectives that cinema throws light on and through. The entire idea of several animals unified through an eternal soul somewhere or the other, shows the unpredictable nature of cinema that keeps exploring and surprising the human mind through sight and sound in varied ways. The spirit of this motif is deeply ingrained in the Odia society, from small Vaishnava temples around the street corners of coastal Odisha to the sanctum of faith in the Jagannath temple. It makes sense that it stands out as the symbol of the work we are trying to do
Schedule

Retrospective Fatih Akin
Head On
Fatih Akin
German
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123
|
2004

Crossing The Bridge
Fatih Akin
German, Turkish
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90
|
2005

Soul Kitchen
Fatih Akin
German
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99
|
2009

The Edge of Heaven
Fatih Akin
German, Turkish
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122
|
2007

The Cut
Fatih Akin
German, Turkish
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138
|
2014

Retrospective Girish Kasaravalli
Thaayi Saheba
Girish Kasaravalli
Kannada
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138
|
1997

Ghatashradha
Girish Kasaravalli
Kannada
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120
|
1977

Retrospective Ritwik Ghatak
Jukti Takko Aar Gappo
Ritwik Ghatak
Bengali
113
|
1974
In this film Ghatak plays Nilkantha Bagchi, an alcoholic, disillusioned intellectual, in the character's own words "a humbug". After losing his wife and being forced from his home, he wanders through the countryside and meets unusual people along the way, including Bongobala, who was driven away from Bangladesh and does not have any shelter in Kolkata; he gives her shelter. He also meets Jagannath Bhattacharjee, a village school teacher of Sanskrit. Jagannath's school was closed after political killings and he came to Kolkata in search of a job. Nilkantha meets Naxalites whom he describes as the "frame of Bengal": misguided, successful and unsuccessful at the same time.
Ajantrik
Ritwik Ghatak
Bengali
102
|
1958
Bimal is a taxi-driver in a small town. His taxi is his only companion and, although very battered, it is the apple of Bimal's eye. The film shows the love of taxi driver Bimal and his pathetic vehicle Jagaddal.
Feature Films
Hello Arsi
Sambit Mohanty
Odiya
97
|
2018
The film chronicles a day in the life of a young man and woman, strangers who have just met on a highway, sharing a car ride and a conversation that stretches on as both of them strive to find something emotionally meaningful in the situation. It is a portrait of the society in flux as the recent and rapid socio-economic changes in India and elsewhere have changed the social networks, ways of interaction and the meaning of home, threatening individuals with urban loneliness of epidemic proportions.

Toni Erdmann
Maren Ade
German
162
|
2016
Winfried doesn't see much of his working daughter Ines. The suddenly student-less music teacher decides to surprise her with a visit after the death of his old dog. It's an awkward move because serious career woman Ines is working on an important project as a corporate strategist in Bucharest. Practical joker Winfried loves to annoy his daughter with corny pranks. What's worse are his little jabs at her routine lifestyle of long meetings, hotel bars and performance reports. Enter flashy "Toni Erdmann" - Winfried's smooth-talking alter ego. Disguised in a tacky suit, weird wig and even weirder fake teeth, Toni barges into Ines' professional life, claiming to be her CEO's life coach. As Toni, Winfried is bolder and doesn't hold back, but Ines meets the challenge. The harder they push, the closer they become.

Ajantrik
Ritwik Ghatak
Bengali
102
|
1958
Bimal is a taxi-driver in a small town. His taxi is his only companion and, although very battered, it is the apple of Bimal's eye. The film shows the love of taxi driver Bimal and his pathetic vehicle Jagaddal.

Thaayi Saheba
Girish Kasaravalli
Kannada
138
|
1997
Thayi Saheb is the second wife of Appa Saheb, a landlord who is involved in freedom struggle. The couple faces a lot of challenges after they adopt their relative's son as their heir.

Ka Bodyscapes
Jayan Cherian
Malayalam
99
|
2017
Three young people, Haris, a free-spirited gay painter; Vishnu, a rural kabaddi player and Haris’ object of desire; and their friend Sia, an activist who refuses to conform to dominant norms of femininity, struggle to find space and happiness.

Angamaly Diaries
Lijo jose Pellissery
Malayalam
131
|
2017
The story revolves around Vincent Pepe (and his friends) who wanted to be a powerful leader of a righteous gang that ruled the city, like his seniors. And then there’s the rival clan with the malicious gangsters of Angamaly a locale on which the entire film is based. The movie goes through all the gang-fights, the failed romances, an accidental death, a messy business deal and much more in the backdrop of a soundtrack with local fervor – with folk songs from Angamaly.

Bulbul Can Sing
Rima Das
Assamese
95
|
2018
Bulbul, a young girl, living in village in Assam, India, fighting her way through love and loss as she figures out who really she is!

Udalaazham
Unnikrishnan Avala
Malayalam
119
|
2018
The protagonist, Gulikan, was married in childhood, as part of their custom, to Mathi. He, being a transgender, is unable to fulfil his marital vows, and is constantly abused and raped by the predatory men he encounters both in the village and the city. Change of jobs, friendship with a dance teacher and a Tile Company owner doesn't make much of an impact in his life. Gulikan is unable to thrive in a racist and hostile city. Udalazham is about his plight, back to nature.

Paddayi
Abhaya Simha
Tulu
100
|
2018
PADDAYI is a modern-day adaptation of the epic drama, ‘Macbeth’ from Shakespeare. This version of Macbeth plays out in a tiny village in the borders of mega city. Characters in the film belong to an indigenous community of fishermen. Madhava and Sugandhi are a newly married couple from the fishing community of South India. Their lust for better life and thirst for upward mobility is ignited by the prophecies from the spirit that wander the land. Dinesha, owner of the fleet gives them new dreams and hopes. But when their life was on a new high, Dinesha betrays and takes back what he gave. Now Madhava and Sugandhi are determined for a bitter revenge. They set out on a journey riding the tide of ambition in a boat dotted by their personalities. Sugandhi provokes and Madhava is provoked. Madhava in order to win over his insecurities, defeats his morality. The story soon turns into a tale of murder and regrets. Indeed, earth hath bubbles that play mysterious games!

96
C. Prem Kumar
Tamil
157
|
2018
Ramachandran is middle-aged, free-spirited travel photographer who, upon visiting his childhood town of Thanjavur and his old school, gets nostalgic and puts forth an idea to conduct a reunion for their class, the class of ’96. Two months later at the reunion along with his old friends, Ramachandran’s high school sweetheart Janaki also turns up, creating moments of awkwardness and unresolved tension between the duos. The couple takes a journey back in time, remembering the sweet and bitter moments that took place 22 years prior, when the couple’s love strengthened and somewhere in between, disappeared mysteriously. They share a lot of things which happened during there 22 years, all in one night.

Ee Ma Yau
Lijo Jose Pellissery
Malayalam
120
|
2018
The story of ‘Ee. Ma. Yau.’ is set amidst the Latin Catholic community in Chellanam beach near Kochi in Kerala. It revolves around the death of Vavachan, a master mason, who comes home after a lapse of time, and suddenly meets with his death. Before his death, he shares with his son Eeshi, memories about the burial of his father and in turn, his own desire to be buried decently. Eeshi readily promises him a grand burial. After Vavachan’s sudden and shocking departure, Eeshi earnestly arranges forhis father’s funeral; he wants it to be performed with due respect, with all the usualrituals, colorful paraphernalia and celebrations that go with it. But this simple gesture of love and respect of a son for his father, meets with unpredictable obstacles and unseemly reactions from different quarters. over everything. With this intense, emotional core, the film journeys into the complex web of human relationships, customs, rituals, and beliefs that express and mark life as well as death.

Sudani from Nigeria
Zakaria
Malayalam
115
|
2018
Majid, a football passionate from Malappuram , is working as a Soccer club manager in the region. Samuel, a Nigerian footballer who is recently hired by Majid is unfortunately met with a severe back injury in an accident. Having Samuel being prescribed for a two-month bed rest Majid is obliged to take him his own home promising a perfect nursing. They form an unlikely bond despite their cultural differences.

Chuskit
Priya Ramasubban
Ladakhi
89
|
2018
Sprightly Chuskit’s dream of going to school is cut short when she is rendered a paraplegic after an accident. She’s confined to life indoors in the company of her strict grandfather, Dorje. Chuskit continues to harbor hopes of school but Dorje tries to make her understand that school can’t handle her needs. As life at home gets harder, her battle with her grandfather exacerbates. Caught in between their struggle are Chuskit's parents and her enterprising brother who want to respect the old world views that Dorje represents, but also want to keep Chuskit's spirit alive. Chuskit will have to get her grandfather to yield or she will have to accept the reality he has chosen for her.

Abraham
Konarak Mukherjee
Bengali, English
127
|
2018
This is an interpretation of the mythical tale of Abraham, delving into the dark and macabre world of religious fanaticism and dogma. God is wrathful and His judgement is upon our world. God would burn down the sinful and decadent human civilisation to the ground. He, the preferred child of the lord, pleaded with God in order to delay the apocalypse and took up the task of ridding the civilisation of sin… one sinner at a time.

Oath
P.K. Bijukuttan
Malayalam
82
|
2018
Oath proceeds through the depth and expanse of tender human love and the movie breeds the seed of melancholy and agony in the heart of spectator visualising the tragic life of a mentally challenged son and his helpless father. The thread of the movie is the never ending quest for the reason behind tragedy and the lethargic solitude after this fatal incident. Finally it turns the finger towards the spectator himself. Blood relationship abandoned by the senseless society.

Victoria
Sebastian Schipper
German
138
|
2015
Victoria, a young woman from Madrid, meets four local Berliners outside a nightclub. Sonne and his friends promise to show her a good time and the real side of the city. But these lads have gotten themselves into hot water: they owe someone a dangerous favor that requires repaying that evening. Shot in a single take over the night and filmed in 22 locations of Berlin.

Piravi
Shaji N Karun
Malayalam
110
|
1988
Raghu, the only son of Raghava Chakyar was born late for him. So he poured his entire love and affection on him. Raghu, studying in an engineering college in a far away city has to arrive at his home to attend the engagement ceremony of his only sister. But he doesn't. The father starts his endless wait for his son. He daily waits at the bus stop till the last bus from the town also returns. Raghava Chakyar comes to know from newspapers that Raghu was taken into custody by the Police for political reasons. He reaches the capital and meets the higher Police officials. But they pretended helpless as there is no proof that Raghu was taken into custody. Raghu's sister comes to understand that he probably would have died in police custody after being tortured, but cannot bear to tell this to her father. The old man's grip on reality slowly slips and he starts dreaming that his son is with him.

Ghatashradha
Girish Kasaravalli
Kannada
120
|
1977
A young Brahmin Vedic school student, who is from an aristocratic family, befriends his school master's daughter who is a pregnant widow. The boy tries but fails in concealing his friend's pregnancy. The widow has an abortion forced on her, has the eponymous ritual performed on her and is excommunicated. The student returns home as his school shuts down.

Aedan
Sanju Surendran
Malayalam
130
|
2017
Hari is a young, aspiring writer living in the countryside. Hari lives with his mother in their sylvan surroundings. His only excitement, perhaps, is the sight of the doctor’s young wife, filling him with hope of an opportunity for flirting. Sometimes, he visits Peter Sir, an old retired school teacher and widower. The two lonely men take pleasure in a curious game, over drinks and exotic dishes. They cut out obituary notices from a local newspaper, put them in a bowl and randomly pick them out, one at a time. They stake small amounts of money against each pick. The person who picks the older victim of death becomes the winner, and pockets the sum. From among the pictures they pick, Peter Sir recognizes two men, Shaji and Kuriakose, whose deaths tell entirely different tales—one of a murder and the other of love.

Humans of Someone
Sumesh Lal
Malayalam
95
|
2018
A man gets obsessed with late filmmaker Padmarajan, whose films become inextricably entwined with his own life, including his relationship with his long-time girlfriend, Sarah. While wandering the streets in a daze, a loopy idea strikes him – start filming this situation, and see what happens.

Railway Children
Prithvi Konanur
Kannada
120
|
2016
12 year old Raju arrives on an unknown city platform. He's soon sucked into a gang run by 'Solution' that deals with petty crimes. A new life of adventure away from home begins, bringing along dangers of drugs, abuse, crime and also hope.

Teen Aur Adha (Three And a Half)
Dar Gai
Marathi, Hindi
121
|
2017
“Teen Aur Aadha” has been approached with a unique non-traditional perspective on storytelling, as the entire feature (119 mins) has been filmed in three long shots of 43 mins each (only three cuts in the film), however its the depth and magic of the narrative which really is fascinating.T’is story of one house in three different eras. Where 50 years ago it was divided between a school and an apartment, in which a young boy struggles with the pressures of pre- pubescent school life, coupled with being compelled to share a tiny room with his paralysed, disconsolate grandfather. Who in turn has devious plans for the child’s 12th birthday which happens to fall on a leap year. The same building 20 years later becomes home to a brothel, where a young unexploited concubine is dealing with her self-proclaimed “first” client who has a strange inability to fulfil his physical desire unless obligated to the duress of a transaction to do so. Now, 30 years later these same walls surround a sublime.

Ajji
Devashish Makhija
Hindi, Marathi
128
|
2016
Little Manda is found raped and dumped in a trash heap in her slum. Her parents are more concerned with survival than dignity and want to forget and move on. The cops are powerless to help as the rapist is a local politician's son. But Manda's grandmother Ajji cannot accept the injustice of it all. Can a frail, arthritic and powerless old woman grapple with the big bad wolf? Is there still hope for justice in a cruel world? Can anything act as a deterrent to rape? Ajji is a parable of our times. There are no easy answers.

Haanduk
Jaicheng Jai Dohutia
Assamese, Moran
83
|
2016
Heramoni, mother of untraced extremist Mukti, whose last rites she had performed receives intimation that his death cannot be confirmed by the outfit and knows not how to respond while Biplob, who had left the outfit and is alone, unable to be part of the mainstream surrendered rebels, has his own problems of existence.

Ashwathama
Pushpendra Singh
Hindi
120
|
2017
After bandits raid their home killing his mother, 9-year-old Ishvaku is sent to his uncle's village to start a new life with his cousins. Still in shock and pain, Ishvaku tries to cope with his loss by entering an imaginary realm. But the difficulties and mysteries of reality won't let him go that easily.

Aamrityu
Arup Manna
Assamese
81
|
2018
A tired rebel Amrit returns to his village after four years of serving a losing cause. In those four years, the virgin village he left behind has changed considerably. His little brother has grown up, more in wisdom than in age; surprising him. His father Dinanath is older, worn and somber. He still tills their land every day; but Amrit can see his father’s health slowly failing. He tries to pick up where he left off, but he sees people stop conversations at his sight, he hears whispers and spies stares and pointed fingers, and it troubles him. As he tries to fit back in while making an honest living, he realizes the daily drudgery of life. He doubts if coming back was the right decision. Does Amrit find hope? Faced with fear of what life brings and courage to overcome it in his quest, what will Amrit choose?

Kyoyang Ngarmo
Ritu Sarin, Tenzing Sonam
Tibetan
91
|
2018
When a young, exile Tibetan woman unexpectedly sees a man from her past, long- suppressed memories of her traumatic escape across the Himalayas are reignited and she is propelled on an obsessive search for reconciliation and closure.

The Young Karl Marx
Raoul Peck
German
118
|
2017
At the age of 26, Karl Marx embarks with his wife Jenny on the road to exile. In Paris in 1844 they meet young Friedrich Engels, son of a factory owner, who’s studied the sordid beginnings of the English proletariat, brings Karl Marx the missing piece to the puzzle that composes his new vision of the world. Together, between censorship and police raids, riots and political upheavals, they will preside over the birth of the labor movement. This will grow into the most complete theoretical and political transformation of the world since the Renaissance.

Jukti Takko Aar Gappo
Ritwik Ghatak
Bengali
113
|
1974
In this film Ghatak plays Nilkantha Bagchi, an alcoholic, disillusioned intellectual, in the character's own words "a humbug". After losing his wife and being forced from his home, he wanders through the countryside and meets unusual people along the way, including Bongobala, who was driven away from Bangladesh and does not have any shelter in Kolkata; he gives her shelter. He also meets Jagannath Bhattacharjee, a village school teacher of Sanskrit. Jagannath's school was closed after political killings and he came to Kolkata in search of a job. Nilkantha meets Naxalites whom he describes as the "frame of Bengal": misguided, successful and unsuccessful at the same time.

Vanaprastham
Shaji N Karun
Malayalam
119
|
1999
An illicit relationship between a Kathakali dancer and a young woman from an upper caste family, results in an illegitimate child. He faces hardships when she refuses to let him see their child.

Eeda
B. Ajithkumar
Malayalam
152
|
2018
Anand and Aiswarya who hail from nearby villages in North Malabar. A chance meeting in their native place develops into a passionate affair in Mysore. But their lives suddenly become intertwined in a series of violent events. Separated from each other, they try to overcome the obstacles and unite once again. And their frantic attempts to escape tightens the knot further. Will their love weather this storm?

Nayinte Hrudayam
Sreekrishnan KP
Malayalam
120
|
2017
Based on Mikhail Bulgakov’s acclaimed novel ‘Heart of a dog’, the film digs deeper into the text in search of the philosophical undercurrents and bring forth refreshing dimensions on the anthropomorphic nature of all the human constructs. Ultra experimental in cinematic form, it creates a hybrid, synthetic and inter- textual imagery through which the filmmaker achieves something unusual; converging the ideas and emotions rooted in time into spatial forms. Film tries to go beyond all the conventional storytelling methods and breaks the spatiotemporal continuity to deconstruct the mainstream ideas on representational realism and show us how simulated the narraturgy is. It transcends all the structure of filmic form / content through disconnected, fragmented and various contradictions which creates a refreshing mosaic of audio-visual landscapes. Film achieves a kind of poetic quality through going beyond the existing ideas and creates a polyphonic , kaleidoscopic break in the cinematic form and content which is truly epistemological in filmic nature.

Bhayanakam
Jayaraj
Malayalam
124
|
2018
A First World War veteran is coming to a small Backwater village in Kuttanand, India as a Postman. He is distributing money orders and letters to the family of soldiers as a symbol of happiness. He turns out to be an Omen of death once Second World War starts. The pain and impact of Second World War is shown through the telegrams and postman’s dilemma.

Prathibhasam
Vipin Vijay
Malayalam
158
|
2018
Maya the protagonist, on her way to the college, hears a radio news of a strange geometrical figure with the shape of a ‘tetrahedron’ that appears from nowhere besides the Nazca lines in Peru. In the mean time, Maya’s friend Divya's father, Neelan, goes missing. Few days later he is found from a distant land with signatures of pre-historic habitats around the place. Maya meets a few people from distant lands, of different races, roaming around a desolated architecture. Are they humanoid creatures? By the end of the film, through a dream passage that connects both Maya and Divya, we get to know about the disappearance of Maya.

Pariyerum Perumal
Mari Selvaraj
Tamil
154
|
2018
Pariyerum Perumal, an idealistic youngster, enrolls at the law college optimistic of the future that lies ahead of him. However, a chain of events ensue that wake him up to the realities of the world he lives in.

Ave Maria
Vipin Radhakrishnan
Malayalam
75
|
2018
Rex, a diffident, pervasive man who works as a driver in the holy town of Velankanni meet Maria Gomez, a Catholic devotee with strong religious beliefs in a peculiar situation during one of his debaucheries. Maria later takes the help of Rex for completing couple of her errands gets acquainted with him further and it ends up changing both their lives in the most unexpected of ways.

Garbage
Q
English, Hindi
105
|
2018
Panishwar is a taxi driver in Goa, living with a mysterious girl, Nanaam, who he keeps in chains. When Rami, a medical student, and a victim of revenge porn leaked online by an ex-boyfriend, seeks refuge in Goa, she stumbles into the strange but placid lives of Panishwar and Nanaam.

Walking With The Wind
Praveen Morchhale
Ladakhi
79
|
2018
Tsering, a 10-year-old boy in Himalayan terrain, mistakenly breaks his friend’s school chair. His everyday, seven kms-long journey to school in mountainous terrain on donkey, turns mammoth and challenging when he decides to bring the chair to his village. Now, the chair silently becomes a metaphor in his awakening journey of life, quest for inner truth and reality in the adult world, which is deeply engrossed in their own. He is unaware that this journey will finally make him a man.

Ami O Manohar
Amitabha Chatterjee
Bengali
118
|
2018
Two solitary individuals meet each other every day in the city of Calcutta and share the stories of their imaginary life. But one day when death makes an appearance, the truth is revealed.

Mishing
Bobby Sarma Baruah
Sherdukpan
75
|
2018
A Manipuri Army deserter grows roots in the Sherdukpan community of Arunachal Pradesh and suddenly disappears only to resurface decades later and once again vanish behind a curtain of curious questions.

