25th Madurai Film Festival 2023Screening Schedule
7 DecemberParattai Arangam; Dalit Resource Centre, Tamilnadu Theological Seminary, Arasaradi
11 am
Forest Being (Vanjeevi)
Dir : Akash Rakesh Shukla, Akshit Vedavyas Salian; 109 min; Documentary; India
"Vanjeevi" dwells through two parallel narratives united by a common purpose: protecting the environment. Padma Shri awardee Daripali Ramaiah and his wife exemplify this dedication with persistence, while the lesser-known tribals of the Hasdeo forest showcase it with resolute resistance.
2 pm
Mahanadi - The River in the Eye of a Poet
Dir : Jubanashwa Mishra; 59 min; Documentary; India
The hour long feature documentary film titled ‘MAHANADI - The River in the Eye of a Poet’ is a novel attempt to capture the quintessential spirit of the great river Mahanadi, the lifeline of the eastern state of Odisha in India, through the literary imagination of poets throughout known history.
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.
4 pm : Tea break
4.15 pm
At the Moment of Death
Dir : Ajay Raina; 80.31 min; Documentary; India
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.
8 December
11 am
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.
Red Hill Studio
Dir : Phillip Hester; 65 min; Documentary; Germany / China
In Hohhot, the capital of the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia, a young Mongolian hip-hop scene struggles for visibility by their public. The group Red Hill is about to grant the new rap artist EK shelter in their studio and to baptize him into the art of Mongolian hip-hop. As EK’s dream of becoming a rap star seems to grow nearer, the group Red Hill finds itself suddenly at a crossroads.
2.30 pm
Thirty Five
Dir : Ashique Mostafa; 70 min; Documentary; Bangladesh
A farewell to the generation who grew up making 35mm movies. In this hybrid documentary, we watch a mock attempt to produce the last celluloid film in Bangladesh investigating the emotion and nostalgia for the good old days of celluloid cinema that have faded into obsolescence. It’s a farewell to celluloid.
The Order of Things
Dir : Ramona Badescu, Jeff Silva; 62 min; Documentary; Romania
At the ripe age of 90 years old, Alexandru gardens, jokes, and continues to repair watches in the workshop opened by his father in 1909, somewhere in southern Romania. But what is invisible to everyone, and what has changed his life forever, is his past as a political prisoner.
4.45 : Tea break
5 pm
Where the Mask Speaks the Mind
Dir : Malay Das Gupta; 66 min; Documentary; India
A tribute to the master mask-maker, Kanhaiyalal Maharana, this is an exploration of the meaning and structure of the mask that despite it being frozen comes to life as soon as the performer dances. His body magically seems to imbue the mask with a thousand expressions.
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.
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