Habitat Film Festival 2023 showcases diverse selection of contemporary Indian cinema

The Habitat Film Festival 2023 is all set to bring a diverse selection of the best contemporary Indian cinema to the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi from May 5th to 14th. The festival will showcase about 60 features, documentaries, and short films in 17 languages, including Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Assamese, Maithili, Odia, Hindi, English, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Ladakhi, Meiteilon, and Kumaoni.

Several films will have their national and Delhi premieres at the festival, including Meghdoot/The Cloud Messenger, Meghbari, and Ghore Pherar Gaan/The Homecoming Song. The Habitat Film Festival 2023 will also feature Delhi premieres of Tora’s Husband, Gargi, and Arivu Mattu Guruvu/The Word and The Teacher.

Mrinal Sen retrospective

To honor the birth centenary of legendary filmmaker Mrinal Sen, the festival will hold a small retrospective of some of his seminal films, including Khandhar, Ek Din Pratidin, and Ek Din Achanak.

According to Mr. Sunit Tandon, Director of the India Habitat Centre, “Indian cinema is clearly going places nowadays, and the Habitat Film Festival 2023 provides an unmatched platform to sample and assess its most recent manifestations. There is something for each film enthusiast in this year’s lovingly curated festival.”

Memorial screenings

As part of the festival, there will be memorial screenings to pay tribute to the directors and actors we lost in the last few months. The festival will host a video tribute and reminiscences from industry colleagues to remember Satish Kaushik, followed by a screening of Dekh Tamasha Dekh. The Habitat Film Festival 2023 will also screen Parineeta to commemorate Pradeep Sarkar and Mrinal Sen’s Ek Din Achanak in memory of Uttara Baokar.

Festival Highlights: Award-winning films and documentaries

The Habitat Film Festival 2023 presents a lineup of award-winning stories that showcase generational differences, revolt, and acceptance. From innocent small-town dreams to spine-chilling thrillers, the films cover a range of themes. Some of the standout entries include:

• Family (2022): A Malayalam film
• Jaggi (2022): A Punjabi film
• Adieu Godard: An Odia film
• Maati Pehchaan (2022): The first-ever Bollywood-style Uttarakhandi (Kumaoni language) feature film
• Ariyippu (Declaration): A Malayalam film
• Chhelo Show/The Last Film Show: The Indian entry for Best International Feature Film at this year’s Oscars, directed by Pan Nalin in Gujarati.

The documentary segment features some of the most acclaimed filmmakers and their works. The lineup includes:

• All That Breathes: A complex, thoughtful, quietly beautiful film by Shaunak Sen about the ecosystem and human community. The filmmaker will be present for an interaction at the screening.
• Urf: Geetika Narang Abbasi’s documentary delves into the lives of three Bollywood celebrity lookalikes.
• Colours of Life: A Ladakhi documentary by Praveen Morchhale that revisits Himalayan mountain villages after five years and explores the lives, philosophies, and thoughts of the locals.
• The Show Must Go On: A documentary by Divya and Jall Cowasji that follows the return of Parsi Theatre’s old icons to the stage, putting their walking sticks aside for one final curtain call.
• Mask Art of Majuli: Utpal Borpujari’s documentary focuses on the only two families that are keeping the traditional mask-making practice alive in Majuli.

The Habitat Film Festival 2023 from its year of inception has evolved into an indispensable annual experience in the cultural calendar of Delhi.

Entry: Through registration, book your passes from 1^st May at www.habitatworld.com