What To Watch At The Mumbai International Film Festival

What To Watch At The Mumbai International Film Festival

Monday, 27 January 2014 11:04

The last time you asked that artsy girl out on a multiplex date to Wolf of Wall Street, she rolled her eyes and refused. Reel her back in with a date to the The Mumbai International Film Festival, starring documentaries, cool features, indie films and the kind of obscure she'd love.  Registrations for the biennial festival from February 3rd to the 9th at NCPA, Nariman Point, are now open.  We asked Trupti Kanade ( who has worked on films like Anand Patwardhan’s Jai Bhim Comrade and Miriam Chandy Menacherry ‘s The Rat Race before  joining the media & arts collective Maraa) what to keep an eye out for. Here’s what you need to know: International Category: The Act of Killing directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, Christine Cynn has been the most acclaimed documentary film of 2013. It has been nominated for the 2014 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and has won at Berlin Film Festival and the European Film Award for Best Documentary among many other awards. Documentary film maker  Surabhi Sharma too swears by it, “The movie Act of Killing is  definitely one to look out for”, she tells bpb. Fire In The Blood - Dylan Mohan Gray This film has been described as 'a tale of medicine, malice and monopoly.' It talks about control of the Western pharmaceutical and governments over access to low cost AIDS drug for countries in  Africa and the global south after 1996 - causing ten million or more unnecessary deaths. It was nominated for the  Grand Jury Prize, World Documentary  --Sundance Film Festival, January 2013.The film has set a new all-time record for the longest theatrical run by any non-fiction feature film in Indian history. Gulabi Gang - Nishtha Jain The film is about Sampat Pal, the woman who brought about a revolution in the Bundelkhand region with her Gulabi Gang ( Pink Brigade) that empowers women to tackle the issue of domestic violence and caste oppression. I Am Micro - Shumona Goel & Shai Heredia I Am Micro is an experimental essay about film making, the medium of film, and the spirit of making independent cinema. The film is black and white and has been shot on 35 mm film. It won the National Film Award (Special Jury Award) Non-Feature film, India, 2013. A True Love Story - Gitanjali Rao Well known for her award wining and much acclaimed animated filmPrinted Rainbow, A True Love Story is Rao's latest animation film, not to be missed by anyone who is remotely familiar with her work. National Competition Category: Celluloid Man - Shivendra Singh Durganpur A documentary on the life and work of Indian archivist P.K Nair (also the founder of the National Film Archives of India), the film has won two National Awards at the 60th National Film Awards, including Best Biographical Film and Best Editing for Irene Dhar Malik. This  film is a must watch for anyone who loves the medium of cinema and an opportunity for those who missed it when it released in Match 2013 on the big screen. Invoking Justice - Deepa Dhanraj Deepa Dhanraj is behind award winning, gritty documentaries like Something Like a War and The Legacy of Malthus. Her film Invoking Justice tells the complex story of the inspiring challenge posed by the Women’s Jamaat to a corrupt judicial system. The film follows Jamaat members as they investigate cases and negotiate with families, male jamaats and the police with skill, tenacity and the courage of convictions grounded equally in faith and in a secular idea of justice. ...and the Unclaimed - Debolina Majumdar Based on the story of two lovers who committed suicide in rural West Bengal, the film questions social taboos and familial non-acceptance in regards to same-sex relationship. Getting There: Mumbai International Film Festival, 3rd-9th February, NCPA, Nariman Point. Sign up here, registration fee Rs 100 per head.