11th Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2023
Documentary Section : India
Clowning with Shakespeare
Dir : Siddhartha More; 59.04 min; India; Documentary
Rajat Kapoor, an Indian filmmaker & actor collaborates with fellow actors from Bollywood to put up a theater play that turns Shakespearean stories into a modern tale with an unconventional twist. Rajat’s clowning act of interpreting Shakespearean classics makes for an unbelievably appealing storytelling. The creative exploration of Rajat and his team is discomforting, entertaining, and addictive at the same time.
Dukhu Majhi - Son of the barren land
Dir: Somnath Mondal; 28:25; India; Documentary
This documentary is regarding a relentless struggle of a solitary man in his unique way to save the mother earth.
The old man - Dukhu Majhi lives in the district of Purulia (W. Bengal), where the temperature rises upto 50 degree Celsius in the summer. He had somehow been inspired by his father in childhood and later on by a Govt. campaign on the need of plantation. There he came to know how trees invite rain and supply oxygen in the environment. He also feels that people need shadows from the scorching sun.
KB Future
Dir: Anirudh Ajay Baboo; 13:43; India; Documentary
A mess worker in a big city, recalls his early days in a series of interviews. He relives his heartbreak and his crushing failures set in the social context of rural Rajasthan. Find out why his story of unrequited love still haunts him to his day.
Artworld of Athimoolam
Dir: Mayan; 01:15:47; India; Documentary
The documentary film 'Artworld of Adimoolam' traces the Life & Works of K.M. Adimoolam (1938-2008). A Legendary Master Artist from College of Fine Arts, Chennai during the times of The Madras Art Movement of the 1960s, 70s & 80s. With the Narratives of his Family, Contemporary Artists & Writers the Film documents his evolution as an artist over 4 decades of Masterpiece Works.
Known for his Special Illustrations in All Literary Magazines, Book Covers & Abstract paintings. He has carved a special place for himself in the Art history of the State & Country with his unique style & contribution.
Thirai Virutham
Dir: Sugumar Shanmugam; 56:15; India; Documentary
All constituent components of Therukkoothu, the folk performing art that exists in Southern India, particularly in North Tamilnadu, has enormous scope to speculate and research.
In this documentary, Sugumar Shanmugam, a research scholar of Performing Arts Department, who comes from a Therukkoothu family background, using his experiences and explorations, compares Western Acting Theories and Acting Strategies in Therukkoothu.
Chun Chun Maati
Dir: Sanjay Barnela; 10:35; India; Documentary
This cine-poem, Chun Chun Maati, attempts to evoke the eternal spirit of pastoral communities roaming with their animals across the planet in a way of life that is deeply attuned to nature, bringing out their resilience, fortitude and the value of impermanence! Where else would you come across people who live by the maxim, "everyday uncertainty is a certainty"!
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.
Thengapalli
Dir: Sanjay Barnela; 8:45; India; Documentary
Gunduribari is a tribal village in the Nayagarh district of Orissa known for its teak trees, the villagers were for years unable to protect the forests from the local timber mafia. Initially, women weren’t part of the decision-making process regarding forest management practices in the village. But with the situation getting worse women decided to take matters into their hands to protect their forests and all the women and girls started guarding the forest.
Dahar (Desert)
Dir: Vandana Menon; 12:16; India; Documentary
The Banni Grasslands Reserve in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat in West India was known to be Asia's largest grasslands. The landscape has changed dramatically over the past few decades due to human intervention. The film explores the impact of the invasive species Prosopis juliflora introduced by the government of India on the livelihoods of Banni.
Fantasy Parks
Dir: Ardehl Nainan; 23:27; India; Documentary
Two unseen, conflicting narrators recount the many ways in which a humble amusement park in Ahmedabad would be forced to shut down. Whilst a wayward filmmaker documents the attractions, workers and visitors at the park, the rambling duo explore its infinite identities and reflect on the strange times they exist in. With each fable graver than the last, the truth soon becomes quite irrelevant.
Mask Art of Majuli
Dir: Utpal Borpujari; 55:36; India; Documentary
"Mask Art of Majuli" is a documentary film on the 500-year-old mask-making tradition in Majuli river island, Assam, India. The masks, used in traditional dance dramas called "Bhaona", are made of bamboo, cotton clothe, a mixture of river soil and cowdung, and natural paints. The dying art, part of the Vaishnavaite Hindu culture of Assam, is currently practised full time by only two families related to each other, though they are trying to rekindle interest about it among the younger generations.
At the moment of death
Dir: Ajay Raina; 01:20:31; India; Documentary
Following his earlier film about the exodus of Hindus (Tell them, the tree they had planted has now grown – 2001), the filmmaker revisits Kashmir to follow a group of local Hindus who stayed back as they travel all across the Kashmir valley to document their vanishing—they meticulously archive their cultural and spiritual history, their traditional festivals and an ancient way of life. Filmed between 2003 and 2018, this documentary chronicles the process of extinction and the struggle to stay alive.
Kazhicho?
Dir: Darpan Bajaj; 30:00; India; Documentary
An observational & experimental documentary that captures a mundane life of a Son, her mother, their cat & kittens co- existing at Andaman & Nicobar island, together symbolising the "being in itself". Observed through the eyes of "Being for itself" (the aware being) who ponders over the never-ending mystery of human existence and the tensity of which is prevailed by food- a gesture of love, survival & a fuel for thought.
Like the flowing river
Dir: Neelansh Mittra; 29:03; India; Documentary
Why wander outside?
Dir: Neelansh Mittra; 25:21; India; Documentary
Hailstorm
Dir: Shobhit Jain; 01:01:43; India; Documentary
A freak hailstorm sets off a series of events in the life of farmers unfolding the vulnerability and precarious situation of those on the margin.
Entrance Exam
Dir: Aditya Verma; 01:00:19; India; Documentary
In a remote village in central India, school teachers put their heart and soul to prepare a group of children for an entrance exam for admission in a Government-run School of Excellence (Utkrisht School). Public-funded, these schools take care of the complete expenses for the students and hence the admission for these children would ensure their continued studies as most of them are first-generation school-goers from underprivileged families. 'Entrance Exam' unfolds many layers of struggle in this intense journey as much as many pleasant surprises.
Bonded
Dir: Shobhit Jain; 56:19; India; Documentary
The film takes an ethnographic look into the life of a bonded labourer in a remote tribal village in central India.
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.
The Bird, The Priest and The Sixteen Millet Thieves
Dir: Milind Chhabra; 57:40; India; Documentary
Rala (Foxtail millet) is integral in the lives of the natives of central India, evident by its presence in their rituals, myths, legends and ballads; it’s fascinating that these stories even hint at the disappearance of Rala from the farm fields, diet and the people’s psyche. Oscillating between the ballads and the present times, The Bird, the Priest and The Sixteen Millet Thieves tells the story of grains and farm fields, rains and pests, market and diet, following the life cycle of Rala and the dwindling cultivation practice of this indigenous crop.
a.k.a.
Dir: Geetika Narang Abbasi; 01:33:21; India; Documentary
To look like a film star is one thing, to be a lookalike of one is quite another. The latter comes with a stamp of ‘urf’ or ‘also known as’ for life.
The film delves into the lives of Kishore Bhanushali, Firoz Khan and Prashant Walde, lookalikes of superstars Dev Anand, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, respectively. Their collective narrative unravels the world of a lookalike, who tends to gain a relatively easy entry into Bollywood but only at the cost of one’s own identity.
Small-time Cinema
Dir: Priya Naresh; 29:00; India; Documentary
Small-Time Cinema is a documentary that follows two Youtube filmmaking groups, one living in Balochistan, Pakistan, and one, in Assam, India. The film follows these groups, as they make space for their complex history and cultures, beyond a blanket Indian or Pakistani identity.
Seven Seeds
Dir: N Ravindran; 33:14; India; Documentary
Seven Seeds is the origin story of Indian filter coffee. It explores the journey of coffee from seed to cup. Coffee planters of Chikamagalur, Karnataka, share their stories on how an Indian filter coffee is made, through presumably insurmountable challenges. Climate change, keeping traditional cultivation methods alive, and navigating the changing economics of agriculture in India. This is seven seeds.
Behind the Doors.
Dir: Kushal Shekhawat; 12:38; India; Documentary
The film emphasises the toll the pandemic has had on the mental lives of young and ambitious individuals. While COVID-19 continues to exacerbate physical vulnerabilities across the world, the film takes the spectators through some of the heart wrenching details of the effect, the pandemic has had on the lives of these young individuals. The film tries to convey the internal turmoil of these young adults with the use of nature.
In A Dissent Manner
Dir: Ehraz Zaman; 01:02:20; India; Documentary
The campus of Aligarh Muslim University became a battleground on 15th December, 2019 when police and RAF forces entered the campus on the pretext of dispersing protestors, and inflicted what can only be described as one of the worst cases of police brutality, and violence on the students. 'In A Dissent Manner', through various footage, and accounts of students and professors, explores the events of that one single night and its horrific after-effects on many students.
HOW DO I SHOW THE OCEAN SPACE YOU CARRIED INSIDE YOU?
Dir : Abeer Khan; 42 min; India; Documentary
HOW DO I SHOW THE OCEAN SPACE YOU CARRIED INSIDE YOU? is a film driven by love, and wonder. It is about two individuals, artists, living, working and growing, together and separately. Through the works of the male protagonist, the film brings to us his sharp commentary on the ethos of his times: growing consumerism and pollution; state violence and repression; and the yearning for freedom, both artistic and personal. Memories and objects come together to situate these events in the city of Bombay, very different from the Mumbai of today.
Koppa
Dir: Vivek Sangwan, Aishwarya Ravikumar; 15:44; India; Documentary
This film was made in collaboration with the Kondh Adivasis of Odisha, to help sustain dialogues and reflections about the changing paradigm of agriculture. This film hopes to be a part of the continued effort to sustain dialogues with the community about the culture of debt-dependent chemical-intensive agriculture.
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