Official Selection in the international category “films that develop the theme of human unity”
All That Breathes
2022, India, Documentary, Hindi (with English subtitles), 94 minutes
Screening on: Monday 22nd January, 19:30 – Cinema Paradiso
Trailer: https://youtu.be/fYiC8gdfdqk
In one of the world’s most populated cities, two brothers — Nadeem and Saud — devote their lives to the quixotic effort of protecting the black kite, a majestic bird of prey essential to the ecosystem of New Delhi that has been falling from the sky at alarming rates. Amid environmental toxicity and social unrest, the ‘kite brothers’ spend day and night caring for the creatures in their makeshift avian basement hospital. Director Shaunak Sen (Cities of Sleep) explores the connection between the kites and the brothers who help them return to the skies, offering a mesmerizing chronicle of inter-species coexistence.
Director: Shaunak Sen
Executive Producer: Sean B., Carroll David, Guy Elisco
Producer: Teddy Leifer, Aman Mann, Shaunak Sen
Associate Producer: Guy Horlock, Sam Stanley
Consulting Producer: Joshua Oppenheimer
Co-producer: Florrie Priest
Production Company: Rise Films
Assistant Camera: Sundarram Arjun, Raju Biswas, Salim Khan
Sound Recordist: Moinak Bose
Additional Sound Recordist: Prasenjit Das
Mix Stage Engineer: Simon Ellegaard
Associate Sound Effects Editor: Shashank Kothari
Audio Description Writer/Narrator: Ketan Majmudar
Additional Sound Recordist: Ramandeep Malhotra
Senior Sound Design Consultant: Susmit Nath
Additional Sound Recordist: Anurag Pant
Re-recording Mixer: Jacques Pedersen
Sound Designer / Sound Recordist: Niladri Shekhar Roy
Foley Artist and Editor: Yuki Shizuoka
Dialogue Editor: Seby Varghese
Editor: Charlotte Munch Bengtsen
Co-Editor: Vedant Joshi
Associate Director: Rohan Ranganathan
Chief Assistant Director: Siraj Sharma
Second Unit Director, Assistant Director: Vedant Joshi
Cast: Salik Rehman, Mohammad Saud, Nadeem Shehzad
Website: https://www.allthatbreathes.com/
Apnea
2023, Italy, Documentary, Italian (with English subtitles), 64 minutes
Screening on: Saturday 27nd January, 19:34 – Outdoor Venue
Trailer: https://youtu.be/BBclSuj8UuI
The voices of 14 migrants leaving their home, moving through Libya, and arriving in Italy after crossing the Mediterranean Sea merge into a single story, representing thousands of other narratives lost beneath the sea.
Director: Stefano Poggioni, Claudia Cataldi, Elena Poggioni
Producer: The Factory PRD
Production Company: The Factory PRD
Script: Stefano Poggioni, Claudia Cataldi, Elena Poggioni
Music: Giovanni Magaglio
Animation: Pietro Elisei
Website: http://www.thefactoryprd.it/
Aware: Glimpses of Consciousness
2021, Germany, Documentary, English, Nepali, Spanish (with English subtitles for Nepali and Spanish only), 102 minutes
Screening on: Thursday 25th January, 20:13 – Outdoor Venue
Trailer: https://youtu.be/aDHD7QhBtJ0
AWARE opens as a science film but emerges well beyond the explicable, ultimately leading one on a voyage upon the ocean of consciousness, a contemplative, sensual, cinematographic meditation. The networks of consciousness are reflected in ‘grand’ imagery revealing the vast interconnectedness of Nature – from the smallest organisms, to the world of plants and animals and on to the cosmos. It invites one to experience the awe and mystery of life as the researchers do, to dive in with them, returning to see the world anew, to review long-held beliefs and assumptions and initiate one’s own oceanic journey. Ultimately, to be aware one is aware.
Director: Eric Black, Frauke Sandig
Producer: Frauke Sandig
Production Company: Umbrella Films
Script: Redaction by Nicole Baum
Cinematography: Eric Black
Sound Mixer: Martin Grube
Sound Designer: Niklas Kammertöns
Dialogue Editor: Thomas Wallmann
Musicians: Causeyoufair, David Hykes, Zoe Keating, Jörg Seibold
Grader: Matthias Behrens
Supervising Editor: Sven Heußner
Editors: Rune Schweitzer, Franziska von Berlepsch
Cast: Richard Boothby, Mary Cosimano, Justine Fritz, Monica Gagliano, Roland Griffiths, Christof Koch, Josefa Kirvin Kulix, Matthieu Ricard, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Website: https://aware-film.com/ ; https://umbrellafilms.org/
Bangla Surf Girls
2021, Bangladesh, Documentary, Bengali (with English subtitles), 86 minutes
Screening on: Wednesday 24th January, 20:27 – Outdoor Venue
Trailer: https://youtu.be/MQqy_xMsMpM
“Bangla Surf Girls” is an immersive documentary capturing the journey of young girls in a Bangladesh slum who join a local surf club to seek freedom from a life of hardship. The film showcases their struggles, triumphs, and determination, leading to an international competition in India, demonstrating the strength of community amidst poverty’s confines.
Director, Cinematography: Elizabeth D. Costa
Production Company: InSync Media
Producer: Elizabeth D. Costa, Lalita Krishna
Executive Producer: Vijay Vaidyanathan
Production Assistant: Md. Sukkur
Additional Camera: Hira Azad, Shahadat Hossain, Kenneth Woo
Camera Assistant: Jewel, Jishan, Md. Sukkur
GoPro Operator: Md. Mannan, Rammohan Paranjape, Md. Roshid, Md. Sagar, Md. Sukkur
Drone Operator: Joeri van der Well
Script: Lalita Krishna
Sound: Elizabeth D. Costa, Masrur Rahman
Additional Music: Lydia Ainsworth
Re-recording Mix Supervisor / Sound Designer: Grant Edmonds
Editing: Matthew E. Cohn, Jordan Kawai
Translations: Tanveer Abid, Mily Chowdhury, B.H. Jowal Chy, Sabiha Hosnine, Tanazzum Kaiser, Arafat bin Kashem,
Leonard Perera, Mahbubur Rahman, Zana Shammi
Location Production Accounts: Bridget D. Costa
Footage Organization, development Phase: Sagar Sarwer, Zana Shammi
Cast: Suma Akhtar, Ayesha Akter, Rifa Akter, Rashed Alam, Shobe Meheraz
Website: https://insyncmedia.ca/documentary/bangla-surf-girls/
Dagh Dagh Ujala (This Stained Dawn)
2021, Pakistan, Documentary, Urdu (with English subtitles), 90 minutes
Screening on: Tuesday 23rd January, 19:30 – Cinema Paradiso
Trailer: https://youtu.be/rGjSgwzDwQ0
Detailing the preparation of the multi-city Aurat March (Women’s March) in Pakistan, This Stained Dawn tells the story of a feminist movement asserting itself in the country’s urban spaces through the eyes of the march’s organizers.
Director & Producer: Anam Abbas
Producer: Other Memory Media
Cinematography: Roger Goula, Anam Abbas, Haya Fatima, Iqbal Gul, Nayani Tazeen, Bari Mahnoor Mahar, Sadia Khatri
Director of Photography: Anam Abbas, Ben Bernhard, Riju Das, Saumyananda Sahi
Editor: Omar Majeed
Online Editor: Darren Hinchy
Colorist: Arlene Moelker, Mahak Gupta
Assistant Colorist: Prithvi Buddhavarapu, Aaryaman Kutty
Supervising Colorist: Sidharth Meer
Additional Editor: Ayelet Gil Efrat, Daphna Keenan, Michal Oppenheim, Walter Solon
Production Counsel: Dermot Desmond
E&O Insurance: Paul Hillier
Production Assistant: Krishna Khakhria
Science Editor: Aileen O’Hearn
Post-Production: Sim Canada
Production Counsel: Russell Smith
Original Score: Rahema Alam
Vocals: Aliya Rasheed
Narrator: Kulsoom Aftab
Animation: Aziza Ahmad
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14663858/?ref_=tt_mv_close
Do Not Feed the Pigeons
2021,UK, Stop-Motion Animation, 9 minutes
Screening on: Friday 26nd January, 20:10 – Outdoor Venue
Trailer: https://youtu.be/0z9vfmOoy-E
At a desolate coach station during the wee hours, a group of weary and isolated travelers awaits the last coach. Amidst the cold and gloomy atmosphere, the resident pigeons orchestrate a magical connection among these individuals for a fleeting yet beautiful moment.
Director: Antonin Niclass
Producer: Jordi Morera
Writer: Vladimir Krasilnikov
Cinematography: Taylor Shulin
Animation: Shirel Lebovich, Ollie Griffiths
Sound Design: Joe De-Vine
Composer: Fabio Amurri
Editing: Lorene Dewett
Production Designer: Eve Finnie
Model Maker: Agatha Roudaut
Instagram: https://instagram.com/do_not_feed_the_pigeons_
Jhini Bini Chadariya (The Brittle Thread)
2021, India, Fiction, Hindi, Bhojpuri, Hebrew, English (with English subtitles), 97 minutes
Screening on: Saturday 27nd January, 20:15 – Cinema Paradiso
Trailer: https://youtu.be/-xdd0LjWdRA
The ancient city of Varanasi, India, serves as home to Rani, an orchestra dancer, and Shahdab, a traditional Muslim saree weaver. Rani, a strong-willed mother to her deaf daughter, and Shahdab, a shy weaver, encounter a new world through an Israeli backpacker, Adah. Rani’s complex relationship with her father, Baba, and Shahdab’s unlikely friendship with the traveler, pave the way for self-discovery in cultural and political identity.
Director: Ritesh Sharma
Producer: Visvesh Singh Sehrawat
Co-Producer: Abhinav Pareek, Sampat Singh Rathore, Ritesh Sharma
Line Producer: Vishwanath Tiwari
Production Company: Hardhyaan Films
Co-Production: Veda Film Factory
Screenplay and Dialogue: Ritesh Sharma
Cinematography and DOP: Priyashanker Ghosh
Sound Effects Editor: Rahul Gujar
Sound Recordist: Mangesh Jadhav
ADR Mixer, Sound Editor: Akshay Sathe
Sound Design and MIx: Piyush Shah
Boom Operator: Faeez Shaikh
Editor: Bhisma Pratim
Color Grading: Shashank Jha
Associate Director: Ashish Kumar
Third Assistant Director: Vinod K Maurya
First Assistant Director: Rahul Raina
Second Assistant Director: Gaurav Singh
First Assistant Director: Vishwanath Tiwari
Colorist: Shashank Jha
Associate Writer: Shailendu Kumar
Festivals and Publicity: Chaitanya Tulsyan
Cast: Megha Mathur, Muzaffar Khan, Sivan Spector, Syed Iqbal Ahmed, Roopa Chaurasiya, Nishant Kumar, Shweta Nagar, Ashutosh Singh, Utkarsh Srivastava
Website: https://www.riteshsharmafilms.com/
Manikbabur Megh (The Cloud and the Man)
2021, India, Feature Film, Bengali (with English subtitles), 96 minutes
Screening on: Friday 26nd January, 20:30 – Outdoor Venue
Trailer: https://youtu.be/sCNg-To1On8
In artful black and white, “The Cloud and the Man” (Manikbabur Megh) delves into a surreal and philosophical exploration centered around a recently-bereaved middle-aged man and his unexpectedly intricate yet meaningful relationship with a cloud.
Director: Abhinandan Banerjee
Assistant Director: Susmita Biswas
First Assistant Director: Chandrika Chandran
Producer: Bauddhayan Mukherji, Monalisa Mukherji
Production Company: Little Lamb Films
Story, Screenplay: Abhinandan Banerjee
Dialogue: Abhinandan Banerjee, Bauddhayan Mukherji
Cinematography: Anup Singh
Gaffer: Deepak Kanojiya
Assistant Camera: Atanu Mandal, Agnijita Mukherjee
Sound Editor: Muppala Kiran Kumar
Re-recording Mixer / Sound Designer: Tenny
Editor: Abhro Banerjee
Costume and Styling: Monalisa Mukherji
Cast: Chandan Sen, Debesh Roy Chowdhury, Bratya Basu, Nimai Ghosh, Arun Guhatharkurta
Website: https://mubi.com/en/in/films/the-cloud-the-man
Persona [no] Humana ([Non]-Human Person)
2022,Spain-Argentina, Documentary, Spanish (with English subtitles), 109 minutes
Screening on: Friday 26nd January, 20:08 – Cinema Paradiso
Trailer: https://youtu.be/Li2sLoKUABs
Sandra and Cecilia, two great apes living in terrible conditions in Argentine zoos, become the focus of a legal battle led by NGO Proyecto Gran Simio and a team of Argentine lawyers. The objective: to secure recognition of three fundamental rights for these apes—life, liberty, and freedom from torture. Against them stand zoo managers with ties to animal trafficking, driven by economic motives. Candela, a photojournalist, investigates to highlight the scientific and evolutionary similarities between humans and the apes.
Director: Alejandro Cuéllar, Rafa G. Sánchez
Executive Producer: Xavier Crespo
Production Company: DACSA Produccions
Script: Alejandro Cuéllar, Rafa G. Sánchez
Camera Operator: Juan Meseguer Navarro
Sound Mixer: Fabio Pécoro
Sound Designer: José Serrador Villanueva
Mixing Engineer: Tomás Santibañez Bustos
Music Mastering: Pablo G. Schuller
Score Mixer: Tom Bailey
Score Engineer: Mat Bartram
Score Coordinator: Ed Marquis
Editor: Estefanía Mora
Production Secretary: Lucía Ros Serra
Unit Production Manager: Kate Brower
Second Unit Director: José María de Luxan
Cast: Candela Moreno
Website: https://www.agenciafreak.com/peliculas/persona-no-humana/
Sędziowie pod presją (Judges Under Pressure)
2022,Poland, Documentary, Polish (with English subtitles), 85 minutes
Screening on: Thursday 24nd January, 20:25 – Cinema Paradiso
Trailer: https://youtu.be/wPwhELBEBbM
They were taught to speak only through their decisions, maintain distance, and engage in public life with restraint. Yet, professional ethics demanded that they boldly defend judicial independence. Kacper Lisowski and Iwona Harris spotlight Polish judges who upheld ethics during the assault on free courts. Judges like Igor Tuleya, Waldemar Zurek, and Dorota Zabludowska emerged as judge-citizens defending independent courts alongside prosecutors, lawyers, and civil society.
Director, Script, Cinematography: Kacper Lisowski
Producer: Iwona Harris
Production Company: Lollipop Films
Editor: Bartosz Pietras, Marcin Sotysik
Website: http://judgesunderpressure.com/
Siege in the Air
2022, India, Documentary, Kashmiri (with English subtitles), 30 minutes
Screening on: Tuesday 23rd January, 21:15 – Cinema Paradiso
Trailer: https://youtu.be/qJYFwGgLfJo
“Siege in the Air” delves into the lives of women in Indian Administered Kashmir, unraveling the experiences of perpetual uncertainty and continuous lockdowns, especially focusing on the aftermath of the 2019 communication blockade post the abrogation of Article 370. It weaves together their memories to paint a vivid portrayal of life under such circumstances.
Director, Producer, Writer: Muntaha Amin
Production Company: Not specified
Cinematography: Ghania Siddique
Sound: Mohammad Fibin
Music: Reneesh Basheer, Vimal Nazar
Color: Thamjeedh
Solidarity Crime
2022, Switzerland-Spain-Argentina-Italy-France-Morocco, Documentary, Spanish, Italian, French, Arabic (with English subtitles), 54 minutes
Screening on: Thursday 25nd January, 19:30 – Cinema Paradiso
Trailer: https://youtu.be/AnDgAwAD8Us
Across Europe, civilians face severe penalties, including hefty fines and lengthy imprisonment, for providing humanitarian assistance at the continent’s borders. This documentary, filmed in fourteen cities across five countries, follows individuals committed to aiding refugees, highlighting the criminalization of humanitarianism and its impact on democratic EU values.
Director, Writer, Cinematography, Producers: Nicolás Braguinsky Cascini, Juan Pablo Aris Escarcena
Production Company: Mandorla Films
Sound Design: Wilmer
Design & Art: Agustin Merlo
Cast: José Antonio “Onio” Reina, Kristina Touzenis, Cédric Herrou, Bastien Stauffer-Cart, Abdul Jalil Isah, Vander & Farmarco, Ousmane Biaback Anoung, José Palazón, Esteban Velázquez, Omar Naji, Alikhali Leigh, Seikou Fofana, Faousto Melluso, Giovanni Maiolo, Luca Quirolo Palmas, Nino Trillo, Julia Melichar, Delia Bounuomo, Manuela Vanzonneveld, Ana Elena Altuna, Roberta Ferruti, Angela & Rosina, Insa Moussa Ba Sané, “Didi”, Ruby Katz
Website: https://facebook.com/SolidarityCrime/
The Great Indian Kitchen
2021, India, Feature Film, Malayalam (with English subtitles), 101 minutes
Screening on: Monday 22nd January, 20:17 – Outdoor Venue
Trailer: https://youtu.be/uydrNjJdE_I
Post her marriage, a woman endeavors to conform to society’s conventional expectations for married women. However, she gradually realizes that this prescribed life is not the one she desires.
Director: Jeo Baby
Associate Director: Swathi R
Production Company: RDC Media
Executive Producer: Omsaran
Producers: Durgaram Choudhary, Neel Choudhary
Script: Jeo Baby
Cinematography: Balasubramanyam
Sound Designer: A. SathishKumar
Editor: Leo John Paul
Cast: Yogi Babu, Kalairani, Poster Nandakumar, Mekha Rajan, Aishwarya Rajesh, Rahul Ravindran, Nimisha Sajayan, Sindhujaavijii, Suraj Venjaramoodu
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13299890/
The Miniaturist Of Junagadh
2022, India, Fiction, Hindi (with English subtitles), 30 minutes
Screening on: Friday 26nd January, 19:40 – Outdoor Venue
Trailer: https://youtu.be/6dsL5ZMIhcA
In 1947, the ramifications of Partition led an elderly artist, Husyn Naqqash, to sell his ancestral home in Western India and relocate with his family to Karachi, Pakistan. Kishorilal, the buyer of the house, discovers Husyn’s renowned stature as a miniature painter and the presence of a valuable collection. Intent on obtaining the collection, Kishorilal finds that there’s a secret surrounding it, kept not only from him but also from Husyn.
Director: Kaushal Oza
Producer: Girish Jotwani, Ashwani Sharma, Nachiket Waikar
Executive Producer: Charu Oza, Rajnikant Oza
Co-Producer: Ranjan Singh
Production Company: Luminoso Pictures
Script: Kaushal Oza
Continuity Department: Vishal Padwal
Script Supervisor: Archana Ghangrekar
Cinematography: Kumar Saurabh
First Assistant Camera: Shashwat Saxena
Second Assistant Camera: Saumya Joshi
Assistant Cinematographer: Prateek Lokhande
Assistant Cinematographer (Second Unit): Navgath Prakash
Sound Mixer: Pradyumna Chaware
Sound Designer: Bigyna Dahal
Boom Operator: Aliullah Khan
Music by: Nayantara Bhatkal, Aditya N., Chhavi Sodhani
Editor: Amit Malhotra
Subtitling Editor: Soham Hazra
Art Direction: Sanjeev Sharma
Costume Design: Nivedita Das
Construction Coordinator: Israr Ahmad
Graphic Designer: Siddhi Ashar
Assistant Art Director: Arvind Keshri
Set Dresser: Anupam Sharma)
Props: Krishna Sharma
Set Designer: Kaushal Thakkar
Property Master: Kaushal Trivedi
Assistant Costume Designer: Kishor Ojha
Miniature: Ved Chandra Madesia
Marketing Manager: Sagar Shah
Production Design: Nitin Zihani Choudhary
Cast: Babar Imam, Kaushal Oza, Ashish Pandey, Aslam Parvez, Stefan Zweig, Naseeruddin Shah, Rasika Dugal, Raj Arjun, Padmavati Rao, Uday Chandra
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luminosopicturesindia/
Two Minutes To Midnight
2021, Germany-Netherlands, Fiction, English (with English subtitles), 48 minutes
Screening on: Monday 22nd January, 19:30 – Outdoor Venue
Trailer: https://youtu.be/MJG2hvh7uCA
What if women ruled the world? Yael Bartana stages the question in her performative ‘Two Minutes to Midnight’, where an all-women government of a fictitious country must take a stand on an imminent nuclear threat from a foreign nation.
Director: Yael Bartana
Producer: Yael Bartana, Naama Pyritz
Co-Producer: Zsuzsanna Kiràly
Post Production Producer: Anja Lindner
Executive Producer (Live Performance): Jo Paton
Production Company: Studio Bartana
Script: Alex Barrett
Co-writer: Yael Bartana
Cinematography: Uri Ackerman
Director of Photography: Agnesh Pakozdi, Matan Radin, Claudia Schröder, Sophie Winqvist
Sound Designer: Daniel Meir
Editor: Yael Bartana
Additional Editing: Ayelet Gil Efrat, Daphna Keenan, Michal Oppenheim, Walter Solon
Cast: Olwen Fouéré, Anat Saragusti, Samira Saraya, Jo Martin, Alix Wilton Regan
Website: www.yaelbartana.com
