ImagineIndia in Girona cinemas

Casa Asia shares yet again the ImagineIndia International Film Festival 2020’s programming. In this edition, 6 full-length films, 5 documentaries and 5 short-films are going to be projected, understanding that the boundaries between formats are easy to demolish since in this case, they are complementary.

The series begins with a film that pays homage to the figure of Satyajit Ray who this year reaches a centenary since his birth. Before the official celebrations begin, which are going to take place throughout the year, we come ahead of time with this documentary from 2006 directed by the Belgian director Bo Van Der Werf who uses the material provided by the photographer Nemai Gosh who for the past 25 years has been investigating Satyajit Ray which in several episodes reminds him of the human quality and professionalism of the filmmaker. Gosh presents himself as the only and exceptional witness of the majority of his journey with more than 90,000 images taken during that period. The rest of the programming consists of films taken between 2017 and 2020 which show the development of an independent and experimental cinema which radicalizes itself due to, in some cases, minimum resources, a stance, and a compromise with the investigation of the image in movement and of the information that can be transmitted. It is not an easy cinema, regardless, it does show to its audience aspects of the society in which the films take place and is the only medium that provides it. The subordinated criticism, the gender policies, the resistance against discrimination and defending human rights are topics that are shown in this cinema and that opens doors to worlds we usually do not have the chance to either see or get to know if it is not through itself.

PROGRAMMING:

Saturday, January 30th 2021, 20:00.

The photographer Nemai Gosh spent 25 years of his life on Satyajit Ray and his work. The movie shows to the audience the admiration Gosh feels for this exceptional man and artist which he reminds us of throughout the film. Therefore, the photographer shows to the audience the universal filmmaker’s ability to develop and make decisions when it comes to producing any of his works as well as his perfectionism and passion for his job (which is the key to Ray’s international acknowledgement). This year Ray’s recognition is going to revive as different retrospectives which are going to be projected all around the world. Lastly, it is about a documental that nobody can miss out on because is about one of the figures that left an unforgettable footprint on Indian cinema.

The saxophonist and composer Bo Van Der Werf graduated from the Amsterdam conservatory. He directs and writes for Octurn, a contemporary jazz group that is based in Brussels. Bo also composes music for movies, dance and contemporary music groups. Moreover, he also teaches in the conservatory of Ambers and Lovaina and currently works in an investigation of a doctorate in Lovaina’s University. ‘My life with Satyajit Ray’ is his very first film and has been projected in various international film festivals (Teherán, Buenos Aires, Mumbai, Paris, Budapest y Calcutta).

The serene city of Ahmedabad comes to live during the nine nights of Navrati a dance festival that takes place all over India. Krishna, an economist, puts into doubt certain choices she has made throughout her life. She meets Alia a friend’s cousin from Dahli. A dish of sweet and spicy golgappas and a song lead two women to walk around the city to talk about love, home, religion and mass media. Regardless, each choice is made from another lost one, which conveys a different reality as if that night had never happened.

Aarti Neharsh graduated in Pune and specializes in Cinema and Television. After working for almost three years in Green Chutney Films as director and writer of movies, she explains a story very close to herself.

Saturday, February 6th 2021. 20:00

The Nepalese (Gurka) of Assam are neither foreigner nor strangers, except for those that might have been able to migrate to Assam (India) after 1971. Regardless, the predominant feeling between the Assamese is quite contrary according to what history says and the Assam Agreement of 1985. Through thesis self-reflexive film, the filmmaker explores the notion of identity of the Assam community. The film addresses the feeling of a common person regarding their own identity and their position within the Assam society, their identity problems and the degree of adaptation of the Assamese and Nepali women to contextualize the notions of loyalty and identity

A young couple spends a long night walking, recreating their memories.

Abhirup Halder grew up in Calcutta, the cultural capital of India. In 2018, he co-directed his first full-length film ‘Khyapa’ where he also worked as the photographer, director and editor.

Raunaq Das, also born in Calcutta, started as a writer and director of fiction while at the same time developing his interest in documentaries. Since then, he has been editing documental and writing several scripts for other directors.

Saturday, February 13th, 2021. 20.00

This film is situated within the catholic community in Chellanam’s beach, near Kochi and Kerala. The film revolves around the death of Vavachan, a master mason, who after being missing for a long time, dies abruptly. Before his death, he shares his memories with his son about his father’s funeral as well as his desire to be properly buried. Eeshi, promises his father a great funeral. After the shock of Vavachan’s death, his son Eeshi starts to prepare his father’s funeral which he wants to properly celebrate, with every custom and tradition that comes with it. Regardless, this simple gesture of love from a son to his beloved father founds a lot of unpredictable obstacles and unseemingly reactions from different people. With this very intense and emotional plot, the film travels through the complexity of human emotions.

Lijo Jose Pellissery, son of the late Malayalam actor, Jose Pellissery, has directed five films: ‘Nayakan’ (2010), ‘City of God‘ (2011), ‘Amen’ (2013), ‘Double Barrel’ (2015) and ‘Angamaly Diaries’ (2017).

Saturday, February 20th, 2021. 20.00

A poet who is a journalist and a radical communist; a secret of state’s murder; an intent to start a revolution in the town of Naxalbari, in the foothills of the Himalaya. Pretending to find the history of the murdered revolutionary Saroj Dutta, the film takes place during the tumultuous times of the communist movement which had a huge role in Indian politics for more than three decades. The filmmakers draw upon historical archives, both personal and public, of the recorded conversations of the Naxalbari’s rebels. 50 years later, the film is a key point to understand the troublesome 60s and 70s’ both in India and World Wide.

Katsuri Baru is an independent documentalist, social activist, investigator, writer and editor in Calcutta. She is a founding member of the People’s Film Collective as well as the co-director of Pratirodher Cinema, a Bengali magazine about countercultural filmography. Moreover, she has also co-edited a book called “Towards a popular cinema: independent documentary and its audience in India” (2018). ‘Saroj Dutta and His Times’ (2918) it’s her first full-length documentary.

Mitali Diswasi is a filmmaker, social activist and has previously worked as an independent journalist. In 2015, she directed and produced a documental titled ‘Unrevealed Identity (?)’ (2018) which is about sexual violence against women. Nowadays, she is part of the editorial council of Protibidhan, a magazine dedicated to the feminist movement.

Saturday, February 27th, 2021. 20.00.

How was growing up in Assam during the 90s and living between an insurrection and the military? It’s what Childhood Tales by Mukul Haloi tries to discover. The film was produced between 2016 and 2017. The documentary is a compound of real and imaginative memories in the battle between militants of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and the Indian military. The movie includes interviews of family members and friends of Haloi. Moreover, it also includes how the director’s friend dressed as a member of the ULFS and tries to pass as a rebel soldier.

Mukul Haloi (1991) from Nalbari, Assam. He studied Film Direction at the Film and Television Institute of India, in Pune. His short film ‘Autumn Days’ won the first prize in the International Festival of Documentary and Short Films in Kerala in 2017. ‘Tales from Our Childhood’ premiered in India and Indonesia in 2018.

Mamatra analyzes the life of a midwife of an inferior caste in a village in the centre of Uttar Pradesh. The film portrays how the midwife experiences the birth of her sister’s-in-law’s son starts an inner desire that she had not acknowledged until that moment.

Kirty Singh has a Postgraduate Diploma in Directing and Scriptwriting from the Film and Television Insitute Satyajit Ray in Calcutta, India.

Saturday, March 13th, 2021. 20.00

On the 14th of August of 2018 an old couple, Marykkutti a teacher and Narayanan who has Alzheimer travel to the United States to visit their family members. The sudden floods force them to go back home while going to the airport. It’s a film about the survivor of the disasters that took place in Kerala in 2018.

Jayaran Rajasekharan Nal, professionally known as Jayaraj, is an Indian filmmaker that mainly works for the filmography industry of Malayalam. He is also the founder of Birds Club International. Moreover, he received the Crystal bear Award in the International Film Festival in Berlin, the Golden Peacock award in the IFFI, the Golden Crow Pheasant award in the IFFK, the FIPRESCI Award of the International Federation of Film Critics, the Red Award for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) and also received a special mention in the first International Film Festival of Karlovy Vary. Besides, he was seven times awarded the National Film Award and in the Kerala State Film Awards. The most relevant films are ‘Desadanam’ (1996), ‘Kaliyattam’ (1997), ‘Karunam’ (2000), ‘Shantham’ (2001), ‘Daivanamathil’ (2005), ‘Vellapokkathil’ (2007), ‘Ottaal’ (2015), ‘Veeram’ (2017) and ‘Bhayanakam’ (2018).

Usha is a single mother who lives in an Indian rural area. While being incapable of reading nor writing she finds herself attracted to her son’s teacher and this attraction is what will give her the motivation to learn. U for Usha is a subtle representation of the sexual awakening and how this naïve attraction can empower women to take control over her life and make every day something important out of it.

Rohan, who graduated in Interior Design, left his full-time job in 2010 and started to write and direct films. In 2017, his short film Khidkee was selected for the Indian Panorama section in the 48º International Indian Film Festival.

The writer Devdutt Pattanaink extended his financial support to Rohan’s following short film ‘U Ushacha’ which finished in 2019.

Saturday, March 20th, 2021. 20.00

The Tibetan Buddhist nuns have always been fighting for equality. Empowered by His Holiness Dalai Lama they now receive the highest monastic degree: the Geshe Ma or Doctorate. The film explores these nun’s journey. For buddha establishing a nun community in his times was a radical experiment. Through the centuries, religious Buddhist life was available for women. However, a lot of historical events mention successful nuns that were denied the highest qualifications.

Malati Rao has been producing documentaries for the last decade, some of them which have been aired on public television. ‘Hand-made in India’ and ‘Born Behind Bars’, which are films about children who are born in prison, have been aired in several film festivals.

Kamali is the only female skater in her fisher’s town in the south of India. While she tries to find a way to express herself in an environment dominated by men, Suganthi, her mother, makes a pilgrimage to search for her own identity. Educate Kamali and keep her dreams is a fight given the traditional nature of their society. Regardless, Suganthi has decided to help Kamali to go against the grain and become the champion of skate and try the freedom she didn’t have.

Sasha Rainbow has worked in several disciplines including cinema, art direction, photography and custom design. She is very passionate about cinema and wants to use the power of narrating stories to shed light on protected communities and show role models worth following. She participated in the BAFTA Crew programme in 20198 and 2019. The films have been projected in festivals World Wide, obtaining several awards. She lives in New Zealand and is currently working on her first full-length film.

Saturday, March 27th, 2021. 20.00

The film revolves around two couples with an age gap of 15 years. Yogesh is a 40-year-old well-known painter in Berlin and Nivedita is a 39-year-old interpreter who lives alone in her flat. The other couple, Piyush who is 25 years old and is a social entrepreneur and his girlfriend Navi who is 24 years old and is a free soul. Both couples live in the same building. One day these two couples decide to marry and by mistake, the office changes their names.

Prashant Johari was born in Patna, Bihar and had graduated in 2015 in NIFT. She has directed and written her first full-length film in Hindu ‘Odd Couple’. The film has been projected everywhere throughout 2020 while its director is finishing the script for her second full-length film ‘Happy Birthday Mummy’.

Saturday, April 3rd, 2021. 20.00

In Rajasthan’s dessert (India), the birth of a girl is no longer a curse. Families that previously got rid of their baby girls, because they were not able to pay the dowry, today celebrate their lives by planting 111 trees. It’s the story of those women like Kale that succeeded in working outside their homes and encouraged other women to follow their path. O Bhavari barely knows how to read but she is teaching her daughter Nikita that one day she will be an empowered woman.

Camilia Menéndez graduated as a film director. She has worked in different television channels, fiction TV series, documentaries and full-length films (La pasión de Verónica Videla (‘Veronica Videla’s passion’), 2010 – Madame Baterflai, 2012 and Los ojos llorosos (‘The crying eyes’) 2016).

Lucas Peñafort obtained the Creative Documentaries Studies Diploma in the Film Observatory of Barcelona. Before, he had graduated from Buenos Aires’ Film University. He has produced films such as La familia chechena (‘The Chechen Family’) (2015), Caja Cerrada (‘Closed Box’) (2009), Hamdan (2013), El gran canto del shamanismo (‘The Great Shamanism Chant’) (2015) and El manifiesto del shamanismo (‘The Shamanism Manifest’) (2019).

Saturday, April 10th, 2021. 20.00

In an era where alienating from your true-self has become for a lot of people, starting a journey towards self-discovery can make a person feel emotions such as loneliness, confusion, fear and doubt. The villager Avdhut Kale who has artistic aspirational fights to find himself in the metropolis of Pune. Working as a journalist for a local newspaper has to help his peer to write the horoscope section or trying to satisfy his editor’s demands, who wants to publish objective news yet sensationalist. Trijya follows Avdhut’s journey from his natal city in rural India who confronts his dreams without knowing if he will be well-received in the city.

Akshay Indikar, an Indian filmmaker who comes from a nomadic family and studied in the Film and Television Institute, in Pune. ‘Trijya’ is his debut as a director. The film premiered in Shangai’s International Film Festival in 2019 where it was nominated in the following categories: Best Film, Best Director and Best Photography Director in the Asian New Talent Awards. The film also participated in several international film festivals. Currently, Indikar is working on his new film ‘Sthalpuran’.

Saturday, April 17th, 2021. 20.00

Kishan, who is 17 years old, is a good boy from a village in Himalaya and helps his grandmother and mother as well as listening to his father and earns extra money working in a restaurant for tourists. Regardless, he feels the call from the outer world but he knows that moving into the city entails many risks, giving the stories of jail and abuse of those who have come back to the village. Kishan’s family tries to dissuade him of his goals. His father’s workshop offers a steady yet predictable life.

Gurvinder Singh is an Indian filmmaker best known for his films in Punjabi, Anhe Ghore Da Daan y Chauthi Koot (The forth direction) that premiered in the Film Festival of Venice and Cannes respectively. Gurvinder was a student in the Film and Television Indian Institute (FTII) in Pune where he studies cinema and graduated in 2001. Moreover, he travelled through Punjab between 2002 and 2006 living with nomadic people and documenting popular ballads and oral narrations. He produced his first documental ‘Pala’. In 2005, he was invited by Mari Kaul, the avant-garde Indian filmmaker to be his assistant for a master class in FTII which made his friendship with Kaul much more stable who would also become his mentor. Afterwards, he translated and published a book of conversations between Udayan Vajpeyi and Mani Kaul titled ‘Uncloven Space’. His last film is ‘Infiltrator’ starred by Veer Rajwant Singh.

30/01/2021
From January 30th to April 17th, 2021. 20.00
Cinemes Girona
Carrer de Girona, 175
Barcelona
Ticket Price: 4,5€ | Price for subscribers and associates: 3€
Casa Asia, ImagineIndia and Cinemes Girona.