With 80 films from 32 countries, including some of the most talked about feature documentaries in the last two years, the 11th edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival is back on the ground with a stellar line-up after a pandemic-induced hiatus.
To be held at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) in McLeod Ganj, from November 3 to 6, the festival which has always been a much-loved platform for independent filmmakers assumes greater importance in light of the scrapping of Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival this year.
Highlights from the current edition include the India premieres of Cannes Jury Prize Winner and 2022 Oscar Nominee, Joyland (Pakistan, 2022) by Saim Sadiq; Once Upon A Time in Calcutta (India, 2022) by Aditya Vikram Sengupta; the Anurag Kashyap presented debut feature by Parth Saurabh, Pokhar Ke Dunu Paar [On Either Sides of the Pond] (India, 2022); 2022 Oscar Nominee, Writing with Fire (India, 2021) by Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Sen; and Fire in the Mountains (India 2021) by Ajitpal Singh. Other notable showcases include Adh Chanani Raat (Crescent Night) by Gurvinder Singh; Cannes Film Festival Golden Eye Award Winner, All That Breathes by Shaunak Sen; Manikbabur Megh (The Cloud and the Man) by Abhinandan Banerjee; Pedro by Natesh Hegde; Shankar’s Fairies by Irfana Majumdar; and A Night of Knowing Nothing by Payal Kapada, among others.
The Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) is an independent film festival founded by filmmakers and local residents Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam in 2012. It has been held annually in McLeod Ganj for the past ten years. Over the years DIFF has established itself as one of India’s top independent film festivals set amidst the surroundings of the Dhauladhar mountains.
"A lot of Indian feature films that made waves internationally were unable to have in-person screenings in India these past two years because of the pandemic. We were happy to be able to provide a platform for these films and filmmakers. We’ve also made a very eclectic and adventurous selection of international titles and we are looking forward to introducing these films to our audiences," says Tenzin Sonam to The Week on how the line-up came together this time.
DIFF 2022 is also bigger than previous editions in terms of programming and screening venues. "This year, we are showcasing more Indian films than ever before. Along with screening more Indian feature films, we had a huge number of Indian short film submissions, and these were generally of a very high standard. So we decided to expand the short film programme and give a platform for some of the most exciting new voices in Indian cinema. Also, for the first time, we will be having three fully equipped theatres to show films in," adds Sonam.
For audiences who cannot attend the physical edition of DIFF this year, a digital edition of DIFF 2022 will go online from November 7 to 13 with a truncated lineup.