Showtime in Shimla

Nonika Singh

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OTT may have brought the world of entertainment to our doorstep, but real cinema still remains out of our grasp. To bridge the gap between cinephiles’ hunger for pure cinema and the avenues available for satiating the desire to watch quality cinema, the International Film Festival of Shimla was conceived by Pushp Raj Thakur, festival director, and Devkanya, creative director, among others.

As the three-day International Film Festival of Shimla moves into its 10th edition, it stands as an epitome of inclusivity and broad vision. Showcasing no less than 105 films from 27 countries with simultaneous screenings happening, it’s an amalgamation of short films, animation features, documentaries and, of course, feature films. If the festival got rolling with Bandit Queen-fame actress Seema Biswas-starrer Mrs Tendulkar, directed by Alok Verma, which examining the life of an elderly widow, it will end on Sunday with yet another cinematic gem, The Borders Never Die, by Iranian filmmaker Hamidreza Arjomandi. A poignant look at families forced to cross borders due to the war in their homeland, it circles around the challenging journey of a Kurdish couple from Iraqi Kurdistan.

Migration, a burning issue, is also the subject of Iranian short film Survivor by Karim Azimi. In fact, a large number of films from Iran make the cut at the festival. Iranian cinema, which has been the toast of connoisseurs worldwide, is represented by Farshad Golsefidi’s film Seven Citrus Aurantium, among others.

Films have been selected by illustrious jury members such as Bina Paul, Arik Moran, Sarv Chetan Katoch, and others, from online applications. The representation from India is as diverse as the diversity of our nation with films from as many as 22 states. Among the vast array of films from Maharashtra to Assam to Kerala to Tripura, also stands delectable and much-lauded Malayalam film Manjummel Boys, an engaging survival thriller.

The region finds a place of prominence with Indu Shekhar’s Luv Ka Love from Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Madhusudanan’s Random Beats from Haryana and Kaina by Aaryaveer Singh, who happens to be from Chandigarh. And how can makers from the home state of the festival lag behind? From Himachal Pradesh, there is Dhroov Ki Ghaas by Preety Sharma, Ek Ajeeb Dastaan by Anuroop Chatterjee Pal, and Beyond Purpose, a documentary by Garun Dhiman.

The main aim of the festival is to provide a platform to filmmakers and also to inculcate love for world cinema at a young age. For this purpose, a separate section, Bachpan, with a focus on films for children has been initiated. And for those already bitten by the cinema bug, master classes with renowned filmmakers will deepen their understanding of cinema.

Cinema is as much a reflection of the current times as a record of times gone by. Big B’s baritone voice resounds in Borders Create Widows, a documentary about the life of martyrs’ families, directed by Maya Chandra. Usha Despande’s Discovering Devika, a documentary on the first lady of Indian cinema Devika Rani, is yet another highpoint. In the digital era, Manohar Singh Bisht’s In Search of Fading Canvas, explores the dying art of painting billboards. Apart from being supported by the NFDC and Films Division of India, Bitchitra Collective: Indian Women in Documentary, a growing organisation of 400 plus filmmakers of Indian origin too makes a distinctive contribution to the festival. Nundrisha Wakhloo and Daksh Punj’s Brair Kani is one such film from the collective that explores an ancestral home in Kashmir through an attic!

Subjects that are being explored in the films at the festival cover an entire gamut. From existential ones to concerns like transgender issues, patriarchy and loneliness of the elderly…as Steve Martin said, “All of life’s riddles are answered in the movies.”