Festival Note IFFB 2024

With increased polarisation and a focus on partisan film making, it is a surprise that independent films are being made although the ecosystem is under increased strain. The effort in this edition is to look at films touching on issues from across the sub-continent. The screenings are a mix of interesting debuts and experienced film makers working in the

regional film industry, some of them nudging the space to become pandyaa films. The challenges of pandyaa films can be explored in our opening day special screening. We are screening Subas Das's Odia film “Eka Eka” which has not been screened before in our town.

Focus of the festival is on young film makers working in diverse areas of the country - from Kashmir to the North-east. There are debut films from diverse areas - Nainital, Darbhanga, Baroda - the films from these areas are interesting debuts (Opium, Bahadur, Mithya, Follower, It's all in your Head, Kayo Kayo Colour, Jhilli, Water Station, Whispers of Fire & Water), which have been recognised in international film festivals and won accolades for its treatment and presentation of stories rooted in their respective milieu(s). Water Station is a debut by noted theatre director Abhishek Majumdar, an adaptation of Japanese playwright Ota Shogo's eponymous play. Ishaan Ghosh's “Jhilli” is an examination of the discards of human society set in Asia's biggest dump yard. Aman Sachdeva's "Opium” takes a look at religion in contemporary times through an anthology. Diwa Shah's “Opium" is set in Nainital during the pandemic looking at a Nepali porter's life. Lubdhak Chatterjee's "Whispers of Fire & Water" is set in Jharia mines examining the dystopic landscape emanating from economic development practices. Shahrukhkhan Chavada's “Kayo Kayo Colour" looks at everyday struggles of a muslim family in an Ahmedabad neighbourhood. Harshad Nalawade's "Follower" looks at modern day extremist journalistic practices set in Belgaum.

We have interesting films from the North-east by Haobam Paban Kumar, Bobby Sarma Baruah & Rajni Basumatary that bring stories from a troubled region. Paban's new film "Joseph's Son" brings a touching human story from Manipur. Bobby's "Sikaisal" is in Tiwa and Rajni's "Gorai Phakhri” in Bodo are films that we do not get to see in these languages. Rajni's film was made with a predominantly female cast & crew.

The section on contemporary Malayalam Cinema brings to our audience - the stories of workers' rights during the 1940s at Cochin port (Thuramukham), predators in families and expression around sexual oppression (Family). The films at the festival explore issues of migration, gender, uneven development, issues of geo-politics, environmental degradation, political & ethical questions.

The festival is holding a retrospective on Mani Kaul with a line-up that covers his work across the 1970s till 2000s. The films screened provide a view of his work spread over seven days - a body of work spread over four decades.