Kavirikarai - A film festival on Culture and Traditions

Department of Visual Communication, 

St Joseph’s College, Trichy

presents

Kavirikarai - A Film Festival on Culture and Traditions

Curated by Amudhan RP

29,30 July; 9.30 am to 4.30 pm

St Jospeh's College, Trichy

Schedule (yet to be confirmed)

29 July, Tuesday

9.30 am Inauguration 

10 am Tea break

10.30 am to 12.30 pm 

Messi, Maradona & Tremenheere

Dir: Logesh S; 20:33 min; Documentary; India

Synopsis: In Vadakarai village of Tamil Nadu, Tremenheere Sports Academy, a budding football academy strives to set a stage for school going children to break the endless cycle of bonded agricultural labour.

Name: Only if the Baby Cries...

Dir: Shadab Farooq; 14:58 min; Documentary; India

Synopsis: In the world's only deaf-mute village where silence reigns, tension mounts as Misra Khatoon approaches childbirth. The villagers surround her home and beat drums seeking a response from the newborn.

 P for Paparazzi

Dir: Divya Hemant Kharnare; 26:40 min; Documentary; India

Synopsis: Amidst the chaos of flashing lights and crazy crowds, Manoj, an established Paparazzi from Nepal, faces off against fellow photographers in a high-stakes race to capture the most sensational photos. Despite his years of experience and connections with celebrities, Manoj confronts the harsh reality of his brother's deteriorating health.

Crafting the future

Dir: Vivek Sangwan, Srishti Chowdhary; 8:27 min; Documentary; India

Synopsis: The revival of craft, food and agriculture traditions in Nagaland, spearheaded by North East Network, is leading to stronger livelihoods, women's empowerment, and conservation of biodiversity. An inspiring example of community-led, intersectional transformation that helps meet the objectives of social justice and ecological sustainability.

Seeking Buchen

Dir: Taha Anwer; 12:53 min; Documentary; India

Synopsis: Two Clowns from Uruguay and Their Clowning Student (the filmmaker) set out in the higher villages of Spiti Valley in search of the Clowning traditions and practices of the Tibetan community taking refuge there since 2 generations.

Threads in Tune - The Melodic Magic of Hand and Loom

Dir: Nakul Jain; 3:06 min; Documentary; India

Synopsis: Experience the enchantment of Indian craftsmanship and modern technology intertwine in the creation of Natural Rugs and Throws. Join us on a visual journey through two factories in India, where the magic of handicraft meets mechanization, resulting in timeless products that transcend borders.

Hanna

Dir: Vinu Janardanan; 17:07 min; Documentary; India

Synopsis: Amid her work away from home, Hanna, a lactating working mother and staff member of Ernakulam General Hospital, Kerala, India discovers solace in alleviating her pain by donating her breast milk. This is the story of her transformation from considering sharing her baby's milk to wholeheartedly embracing it. 

Blue Mountain. White Cloud. 

Dir: Miglė Križinauskaitė Bernotienė; 10:42 min; Documentary; Lithuania

Synopsis: There is a story circulating among Zen Buddhist monks about two types of monks. First ones are settled and spend all their life in a monastery, they are identified with the blue mountains, while others are like white clouds – constantly traveling from one place to another. In the film, the filmmaker and Won Bo Sunim, a Lithuanian woman who decided to go to South Korea more than 20 years ago and become a Zen monk, embark on a journey in the mountains of South Korea.

1.30 pm to 3.30 pm

Indai Apai Darah 

Dir: Kynan Tegar; 14:55 min; Documentary; Indonesia

Synopsis: A young girl growing up in the Indigenous-held forests of central Borneo follows ancient connections to earn the gift of a story - her People's 1973 fight to preserve their lands amid rampant deforestation.

Amores hallarás 

Dir: Saro Vallejo; 29:11 min; Short fiction; Switzerland

Synopsis: On the move, along the roads of the Ecuadorian Andes, we are transported to random moments in everyday life. Without appropriating what we observe, we continue the journey.

In the footsteps of the Andalusi clay 

Dir: Dany Ruz; 28:00 min; Documentary; Spain

Synopsis: Traditional pottery is a production method and way of life on the verge of extinction. In the province of Almería, this ancient craft is still alive. Through interviews with potters and their work on the wheel, painting, decanting clay, lead glazing, placing ceramics inside the kiln or firing in an old kiln, we have recreated this ancient tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation, surviving and transforming itself

Her Name was Sita

Dir: Heshani H Sothiraj Eddleston; 24:00 min; Documentary; United Kingdom

Synopsis: Her Name Was Sita is a short documentary exploring the concept of a virtuous woman and how shame and honour can lead to self-harm and suicide in Nepal.

GIRLS: WOMEN TOO EARLY

Dir: Paolo Patruno; 13:29 min; Documentary; Cameroon

Synopsis: Christine, 17-years-old, got married when she was 15, lost her first child when she was 16, and she is now seven months pregnant.  Rose, 16-years-old, is currently breastfeeding first child of five months. Christine dropped out of school in secondary two and Rose dropped out at the end of primary six, both due to a lack of financial availability from their families. Christine and Rose live in a very remote and rural area in the tropical highland forest in Cameroon, making their living through farming cocoa. They represent thousands of teenage mothers in Cameroon. 

The Taste of Honey 

Dir: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan, Fabeha Monir; 15:00 min; Documentary; Bangladesh

Synopsis: A resilient tiger widow from the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans (Bangladesh), Shorbanu Khatun, grapples with the relentless impacts of climate change, struggling to provide for her children while preserving the endangered traditions of honey and Gol leaf collecting amidst a world of increasing storms, salinity, and societal ostracism.

3.30 Tea break

4 pm to 4.30 pm : Interaction 

Day 2,  30 July, Wednesday

9.30 am to 11 am 

Pushpa Ka Rickshaw 

Dir: Aajad Singh Khichi; 15:49 min; Documentary; India 

Synopsis: In a remote village of Charbardi, in central India, Puspha Didi breaks the stereotype by driving the e-rickshaw, the first women driver in the entire tehsil, not marred by the people casting doubts on the capabilities of a woman as a driver. But the general commuters are relieved by the arrival of a transport in the village for plying up and down to the market and the tehsil headquarter, and more importantly, it also gives Pushpa Didi a new identity. 

The Dance Of Gods 

Dir: Zafar Mehdi; 21:27 min; Documentary; India 

Synopsis: “The Dance of Gods “delves into the heart of Kerala's 1500-year-old Theyyam tradition, a sacred ritual where ordinary men transform into living deities. This documentary intimately follows the lives of Theyyam artists, revealing their extraordinary journey from mortals to gods. We witness their struggles, intense preparations, and the profound physical and spiritual metamorphosis they undergo to embody divine spirits. 

Name: Seaspeaker 

Dir: Parvathi Nayar; 16:30 min; Documentary; India 

Synopsis: Faith and knowledge entwine to flow deep within fisher elder S Palayam, who lives in the fishing village of Urur Olcott Kuppam, located in the South Indian city of Chennai. 

Name: Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi- Vintage Cars in Indian Weddings 

Dir: Urvi Varshney; 15:31 min; Documentary; India 

Synopsis: A collector's dream, an owner's pride, a groom's delight, and a sight for sore eyes; vintage cars are far from being forgotten. This documentary delves into the timeless beauty and enduring charm of vintage cars, capturing the dynamic genres of action, drama, and the fast-paced love for these classic vehicles. With a mix-media touch, including animation and motion graphics, it brings a cinematic and filmi flair to the storytelling. From their meticulous manufacturing in workshops to the customizations tailored to individual needs, the film explores every facet of these automotive masterpieces. 

Name: NEVER SAY DIE 

Dir: Diya Gambhir; 9:37 min; Documentary; India 

Synopsis: Never say die is the title I have chosen for my film. Since the work is inspired by the life of my aunt, I have titled it as she would like it to be. My aunt is the sister of my father. This project is an attempt to understand personal experiences and transform them into cinema. 

Tea break

11.30 am t0 1 pm 

Name: Mic Drop 

Dir: Kallol Mukherjee; 27:00 min; Documentary; India 

Synopsis: In a region where the native language is often overlooked, a young Bundelkhandi (a tribal dialect) rapper from Madhya Pradesh, India works tirelessly on his first album. As he faces financial struggles and a lack of resources, the question remains: will he be able to make it and at what cost? 

Name: The Caretakers 

Dir: Biswajit Das: 20:17 min; Documentary; India 

Synopsis: A conservationist in the north eastern Indian state of Assam devises innovative solutions to mitigate damaging human elephant conflict and develop community tolerance. 

The Leopard’s Tribe 

Dir : Miriam Chandy Menacherry; 40 min; Documentary; India 

Mumbai authorities axe thousands of trees to expand a mass transit system. Home to 10,000 indigenous tribals led by Prakash Bhoir a scuffle unfolds to protect forest and the leopard they worship. A battle to save the green lungs of India’s financial capital unfolds. 

1 pm Lunch break

2 pm to 4 pm 

Seaside 

Dir : Iniya Vasanthan; 18.50 min; Documentary; India; Student film 

Kasimedu fish market is one of the major fish markets in Chennai. It is a very lively place all day. From boats bringing fish to people buying it fresh directly from there, everything is quite interesting to observe. Kadaloram(seaside) is a short documentary film made on that place and the people.

The Last Journey 

Dir : Suraj Gunjal; 21 min; Documentary; India 

Praful (52) is a coffin-maker and has a very conventional run of the mill attitude towards his unconventional work; working for the dead. Delivering coffins, crosses, dead bodies on order while juggling between mortuaries, houses and cemeteries, his life gets weaved with the stories of the dead ones. 

And I call him my father 

Dir : Hanna P A; 17 min; Documentary; India 

Since 2016, Musthafa has been restoring a piece of degraded mining land tucked away in a village of Kerala into a greenland of his mind. The land then witnessed substantial changes which has since then been known as Greenara. Six years later, His daughter retraces the steps of his journey developing the land. 

Picture Abhi Baaki Hai 

Dir : Prasad Vasant, Nikhil Harish Salian; 23.47 min; Documentary; India; Student film 

A memoir celebrating yesteryears of cinema and how silver screen has evolved over the years, this documentary is an ode to cinema by the audience, for the audience.

A Candid Conversation about Butterflies 

Dir : Nisam Asaf K J; 7.35 min; Documentary; India 

Bhagyaraj, a wildlife watcher at the Parambikkulam Tiger Reserve, talks about his passion for learning about butterflies among a few other things about forest and nature. 

Taanaa-baanaa 

Dir : Shubhangi Bansai; 19.25 min; Documentary; India 

Set in one of the last surviving weavers’ colonies of Delhi, the film follows the journey of a thread while intricately weaving the rhythms of the space with the conversations of the people who inhabit it. 

They are not meant to tell this story

Dir : Deepanwita Goswami ; 13.21 min; Documentary; India; Student film

It is one of the regular days in the life of one Santhal family where 3kg of rice yields up to 9 litres of handia approximately. It is mostly the womenfolk who participate in the making of this drink. The film addresses further points of the conflict in the intersection of culture and economics.

4 pm : Closing remarks