Dharamshala International Film Festival is back after 2 years

NEW DELHI: After two years of being forced online by the pandemic, the 11th edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) is back with a physical edition that showcases the latest and finest indie films from India and around the world. A large contingent of filmmakers will attend DIFF to present their films, and the programme also includes masterclasses and workshops.

The festival will take place at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, from November 3 to 6.

Festival Director Ritu Sarin said: "As we come out of two years of Covid, we've had a bumper crop of amazing new films from across India and the world to select from. It's been a really difficult challenge for our selection team to sift through so many fine films and we've had many long discussions and debates before deciding on the final programme. We're looking forward to once again welcoming audiences and filmmakers to live, breathe, and talk cinema for a few days in the beautiful surroundings of McLeod Ganj!"

This year's line-up of Indian features includes: 'Adh Chanani Raat' (Crescent Night) by Gurvinder Singh; Cannes Film Festival Golden Eye Award Winner, 'All That Breathes' by Shaunak Sen; 'Dharti Latar Re Horo' (Tortoise Under the Earth) by Shishir Jha; 'Dhuin' by Achal Mishra; 'Dostojee' by Prasun Chatterjee; 'Jhini Bini Chadariya' (The Brittle Thread) by Ritesh Sharma; 'Manikbabur Megh' (The Cloud and the Man) by Abhinandan Banerjee; 'Pedro' by Natesh Hegde; 'Shankar's Fairies' by Irfana Majumdar; 'Taangh' (Longing) by Bani Singh); 'Urf' (a.k.a) by Geetika Narang Abbasi; and 'Watch Over Me' by Farida Pacha.

International highlights include: 'A New Old Play' (China, 2021) by Qiu Jiongjiong; 'Neighbours' (Switzerland, Iraq, Syria, 2021) by Mano Khalil; 'Rehana' (Bangladesh, Singapore, Qatar, 2021) by Abdullah Mohammed Saad; 'The Crossing' (France, Germany, Czech Republic, 2021) by Florence Miailhe; 'Dear Future Children' (Germany, UK, Austria, 2021) by Franz Bohm; 'Flee' (Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden, 2021) by Jonas Poher Rasmussen; 'The Silence of the Mole' (Guatemala, 2021) by Anais Taracena; and 'The Territory' (Brazil, Denmark, USA, 2022) by Alex Pritz.

DIFF's 2022 lineup also includes shorts, animation, and children's films. The shorts selection has been curated by filmmaker Umesh Kulkarni, who has been a DIFF participant and supporter from its very first edition. DIFF's Young Adults Programme is curated by Children's Media Specialist, Monica Wahi, who has been selecting films for DIFF for several years.