Himachal Day celebrations: Shimla film fest to showcase 34 films
As many as 34 films, documentaries, music videos and spots will be screened at the two-day Shimla Film Festival, beginning on April 12. These have been shortlisted from among 94 entries.
As many as 34 films, documentaries, music videos and spots will be screened at the two-day Shimla Film Festival, beginning on April 12. These have been shortlisted from among 94 entries.
Event director Ravinder Makhaik said finalising the films was a "daunting" task, considering the "overwhelming" response received by the organisers. A jury comprising filmmaker Vivek Mohan, journalist Rakesh Lohumi and photographer Sanjay Austa selected a mix of films by filmmakers from the state and other parts of the country, besides some by international filmmakers.
Of the 34 films to be screened at the festival, 18 have been made by Himachali filmmakers, while 16 were submitted under the open category.
Of the 18 in the local category, three are feature films, three short films, six documentaries, four music videos and two advertisement spots.
The open category includes eight short films, five documentaries, one music video and two public awareness spot films. "Earlier, we had announced that no spots had been entered in the open category, but the jury decided to treat the two films a little longer than 1 minute as spots," Makhaik said.
The films to be screened include 'Aas - every life has value', 'Waapsi', 'Dile Ch Vasya Koi' (an award-winning Dogri film by a Himachali filmmaker set in Dharamsala), 'But, Who Killed My Childhood' (a documentary set in Birsha Munda Jail, Ranchi), 'Budhha Pahad Ka' (a Kullavi comedy by a Himachali filmmaker), 'So Heddan' (a documentary), The Bench (a short film by a Himachali filmmaker), 'Ekal Nari' (about women empowerment), Run of the Rivers (a documentary) and 'Aakhiri Munadi' (a short film).
The Bread, a film by an international filmmaker, shows how a small-town grocer beats supermarket influences with his business acumen.
'Yeh Kya Jagah Hai Dosto', a music video by a Himachali filmmaker, captures the beauty of a desolate Spiti landscape.