11th CIDSFF 23 : 24 February @ Stella Maris College, Chennai

11th CIDSFF 24

20-28 February/ multiple venues; Chennai 


24 February; 10 am to 4 pm; Stella Maris College (students only)


10 am : Inauguration


10.30 to 1 pm


Kumu

Dir : Akanshya Bhagabati; 19.12 min; India; Short fiction



The short film “Kumu- The song of a wingless bird” is set against the backdrop of the lush tea estates of Assam. The film explores the life of a 12 year old Adivasi girl who had to abandon her school and care free life due to her familial circumstances.


A Little Someone 

Dir : Ramya Ankilla; 6.40 min; India; Animation 



Chotu is a kid with oversized shoes, carrying them around in the hope of growing into them someday. The film A Little Someone shows the contrast between the dreams and reality of 10 million Indian child laborers through the story of the protagonist Chotu.


Forest Rights Act 2006

Dir: Sanjay Barnela; 7:36; India; Documentary


A lost and confused village elder traverses through a forest and suddenly comes across a talking Saal tree- a spontaneous conversation between them reveals the provisions under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 that will benefit him and his community. Various members of the forest dwelling communities go on to ask questions about the Act that are answered by birds, butterflies and other animals in the forest.


Hands Of A… 

Dir: Snigdha P Roy; 14:55; India; Short films 



Hands Of A… is a story about a PAST that affects two people in the PRESENT. Jiten meets Reema to apologize after years, for a grave act he had done. Reema thinks that the apology is genuine. But as time unravels and talks go deeper, she realizes that Jiten is here for his own sake, there is no guilt.


P for Pyaaz (Onion), P for Paisa (Money), P for Paani (Water)

Dir: Laxminarayan Devda; 56:14; India; Documentary



In the fragile hydrogeological region of Narmada valley, a sizable number of affluent farmers descend from the rich Malwa plateau to take land on lease from marginal farmers at an attractive price. They grow onion, a highly lucrative commercial crop, a trend that is soon followed by the local farmers as well. But Onion is a water-intensive crop - while the cash income is the target, what is the impact of the new practice on the depleting groundwater table? The filmmaker follows one season of farming and the market vulnerability of the perishable cash crop of onion against the fragile landscape.


What’s in a name?

Dir: NAJRIN ISLAM; 22:00; India; Short film



'What’s in a Name?' is drawn from lived realities and experiences around the writer’s Muslim identity, and the delicate complications arising from the dual need to preserve and assimilate. Written as a monologue, it deals with the protagonist’s entrenched fear of hellfire on having deviated from normative expectations by offering the namaaz (Islamic prayer) while menstruating. 


Why We Work

Dir: Cesar Javier Monroy Jimenez ; 14:21; United States; Short Film



Maria, an undocumented Mexican single mother struggling in poverty, fights to provide a normal life for her child in the land of opportunity.


Trespass

Dir : Tharun Venkituswamy Saravanan; 6.50 min; India; Short fiction 


A woman's date is interested in helping her organize her room.


2 to 4 pm 



“Ningal aranayo kanda? | Have you seen the arana?



Set in Wayanad, part of the fragile ecosystem of the western mountain range in South India, the film takes you on a journey through a region that is witnessing drastic transformation in the name of ‘development’.


A woman’s concern over the disappearance of medicinal plants from the forest, a farmer’s commitment to growing traditional varieties of rice organically and a cash crop cultivator’s struggle to survive amidst farmers’ suicides, offer fresh insights into shifting relations between people, knowledge systems and environment.


Interaction with Sunanda Bhat


Dir : Sunanda Bhat; 72 min; India

“Nalai Nammadai” (Tomorrow is ours) Dir: Sunanda Bhat; 20 minutes 



This is the story of a young girl who benefits from the influence of her schoolteacher. He conveys the importance of savings and protecting their lives from uncertainties. This 20 minute short film using the popular form of song and drama has been extremely successful and was screened in several countries besides India.


Interaction with Sunanda Bhat


Jointly organised by Department of Social Work, Stella Maris College and MARUPAKKAM


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