JOIN US In a first of its kind, the 13th edition of Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (MIFF) will showcase 54 films across seven cities in a special event entitled — MIFF-Zone.
The screenings, from February 4 to 9, 2014, will be simultaneously on in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Kolkata, Mumbai and Nagpur.
The films have been selected from national and international competition sections of MIFF-2014. In Bangalore, screenings are at Freedom Park, Seshadri Road, Gandhinagar from February 4 to 7 from 6 to 9 pm, and at Priyadarshini Auditorium, Badami House, NR Square, JC road, on February 8 and 9, between 11 am to 7 pm.
The films being screened include celebrated Kannada auteur Girish Kasarvalli’s daughter Ananya Kasarvalli’s 20-minute Kannada short — Kallina Saitana (Devil In The Black Stone), based on short story by Kannada writer Mohammad Bollevar revolving around Byari community. The film spotlights on 60-year-old Byari Muslim widow Kunnipatu, living with her widowed daughter Sakina, her daughter-in-law Sara and grandson Adrama.
Making living by rolling beedis, the news that following elections people living below poverty line would get a kg rice for Rs two by her grandson, has Kunnipatu bifurcating her family into three different households so that they can collect 30 kg of rice. How her dreams are cruelly shattered forms the film’s focus.
Documentary and short film enthusiasts can also look forward to hour-long Bengali film — And The Unclaimed by Debalina Majumder, which, set in a remote West Bengal village spotlights on two girls who kill themselves with one of them leaving a five-page note, and the village, which so hated them, burning their unclaimed bodies. Pushpa Rawat’s Hindi feature Decision, exploring lives of women — young, educated and bright but, who feel bound and helpless when trying to take major decisions — career or marriage.
Renowned documentary maker Deepa Dhanraj’s Tamil film Invoking Justice documents the complex story of inspired challenge Women’s Jamaat pose to a corrupt, male dominated judicial (Jamaat) system , in search of secular idea of justice. Odiya film Kandhamal Unresolved by Shailendra Boora revisits Kandhamal, where communal violence unleashed on Christians, and current situation of victims, denial of justice and relationship between Hindu and Adivasi identities. Ishani K Dutta’s Womb for Rent, in English, follows the emotional journey of a surrogate mother.
Spotlighting on an age-old practice of communicating through whistling by Kongthong natives in Khasi Village of Meghalaya is Dip Bhuyan’s Resonance of Mother’s Melody.