The 13th edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) will open with All We Imagine as Light on Thursday. Directed by Payal Kapadia, the film made waves as the first Indian entry in 30 years to compete for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, winning the prestigious Grand Prix.
This year, DIFF 2024 has an extensive lineup that will feature over 80 films from more than 28 countries, presenting an array of narrative features, documentaries, shorts, and animated works. A significant highlight of this year’s festival is the substantial representation of women filmmakers. “I am incredibly proud to see such a strong representation of women in this year’s festival, with 24 out of 45 feature films being directed by women – 13 of them by Indian filmmakers – along with 19 short and mid-length films directed by women,” said Ritu Sarin, co-founder of DIFF.
The international roster includes standout features such as Separated by Errol Morris, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival, and The Room Next Door by Pedro Almodóvar, the Golden Lion winner. Other notable entries include MA – Cry of Silence by The Maw Naing, which triumphed at Busan, and Agent of Happiness by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó, crowned Best Film at Biografilm 2024.
On the Indian front, filmmakers such as Subhadra Mahajan, Shuchi Talati, and Rima Das bring compelling narratives with films like Second Chance, Girls Will Be Girls, and Village Rockstars 2, respectively. Talati’s film gained acclaim as the Audience Award winner at Sundance, while Village Rockstars 2 took home the Kim Jiseok Award at Busan.
DIFF 2024 will also host special events such as a masterclass by Dibakar Banerjee and a conversation with actress Shahana Goswami led by Bina Paul, DIFF’s programming director. “Our programme for the 13th edition of DIFF is a mix of films that directly explore difficult subjects like social inequalities and trauma, and those that allow audiences to briefly forget these realities and lose themselves in different worlds,” Paul remarked on this year’s selection.
The festival remains committed to its community outreach, hosting screenings and discussions in regional schools and institutions while continuing the DIFF On the Road initiative to bring select films to audiences across India.
The closing night will showcase Pooja, Sir by Deepak Rauniyar, following its premiere at Venice. The festival is set to take place from 7-10 November, 2024 in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh.
About Author
Leave a Reply