All film aficionados unite! India has a rich and a vibrant variety of films to choose from for your regular movie-goer, considering that we are the country that houses the Bollywood industry, apart from the innumerable regional films that are made here. As the number of viewers and the consumption of film increases day by day, so does the emerging interest in the film fraternity outside of commercial cinema.
Similarly, filmmakers get recognition and further funding, as well as an audience and acclaim through their submissions and selections at film festivals. India has its fair share of film festivals and as springtime approaches the subcontinent, so does a new batch of festivals and film screenings to look out for to feed the inner movie-buff in you!
Nashik International Film Festival (NIFF), 2016
Image Courtesy: NIFF
The 8th Annual Nashik International Film Festival presents itself as an ‘annual celebration for independent filmmakers worldwide’. Nashik was the hometown of the renowned filmmaker, the late Dadasaheb Phalke, to whom they dedicate the spirit and inspiration behind the festival and whose vision is what the festival aims at foregrounding.
The festival features short films, documentaries, and international, Indian, Hindi as well as Marathi cinema. NIFF as a festival aims at supporting young and independent filmmakers, by accepting entries for screening and by keeping awards under various categories. So, if you are in or around Nashik, you can catch the NIFF between 17th and 20th March. Their full schedule as well as other specific details can be found on the festival’s website.
Urban Lens Film Festival, 2016
Image courtesy: urban lens film festival
The Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) presents the 3rd edition of the Urban Lens film festival. For the first time, it will be held in two cities – Bengaluru and Delhi.
The festival would primarily showcase non-fiction films that engage with the real and imagined idea of the city. This edition of the festival features a wide range of films from India and abroad, including animation and student films. Among the Indian films being shown are Mira Nair’s India Cabaret and So Far From India, Arun Khopkar’s Narayan Gangaram Surve, Rahul Roy’s The Factory, Ruchir Joshi’s My Rio, My Tokio, Paromita Vohra’s Where’s Sandra? and Gitanjali Rao’s TrueLoveStory.
The international films include Harun Farocki’s Videograms of a Revolution and Workers Leaving the Factory, Fatih Akin’s Crossing the Bridge, Olivier Meys and Zhang Yaxuan’s A Disappearance Foretold and Jens Wenkel’s Lagos-Notes of a City.
The festival runs from 4th to 6th March in Bengaluru and from 18th to 20th March in Delhi. For the Delhi edition of the festival, IIHS will be collaborating with the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan. Check out their website for more details.
Screenings by the Habitat Film Club, New Delhi
The Habitat Film Club, which was founded in 2000 and has been given the award for the best film society in north India, in collaboration with the Korean Culture Centre, is hosting a package of Korean films, including films like A Long Visit, The Actresses, Take Care of my Cat, 200 Pounds Beauty, Wedding Dress, My Dear Enemy, Forever The Moment, and Goodbye Mom. Apart from these screenings of Korean cinema, the Film Club would also be screening the critically acclaimed Kakka Muthai (The Crow’s Egg) in association with The Indian Express. These screenings would all take place throughout the month of March, and to know more head onto their website!
Film Screenings at Alliance Francaise de Delhi
Image Courtesy: Henri Henri on FilmsQuebec
Alliance Francaise, the French cultural centre in New Delhi, is screening a host of French movies with English subtitles spanning various genres, as a part of Francophone 2016. The screenings are taking place on the 16th, 17th, and 18th of March at the M.L. Bhartia Auditorium, Alliance Francaise. From films about the necessity of mathematicians, to the story of a man with a very noble cause in hand: to make the kindred spirits around him happy; and various other films including animated feature films, are all being screened at this delightful festival. So residents of Delhi, block your pre-Holi weekend calendar with this eclectic selection of French cinema at Alliance Francaise from 10 am onwards. Here’s a list of films that are being screened along with the timings.
The film making and film consumption scene in India is increasing day by day, and TYS looked at some of the most interesting film festivals and screenings that are taking place in and around some parts of India in the month of March. Stay tuned to be updated to various other festivals and events that would tickle the creative individual inside of you and for this March, grab a seat in the hall, sit back, and let the cinephile in you bloom.
