KOCHI: The International Documentary and Short Film Festival which came to a close on Tuesday, showcased some spectacular films which touched upon the realms of reality. From Leena Manimekalai Raghupathy’s Is it Too Much to Ask touching upon the discrimination transgenders face in our society to 10-minute film Waiting for Hassana by Nigerian filmmaker Funa Maduka, most of the film screened were glimpses of reality.
Competition films, documentaries and animation films in Indian and international categories also stole the show. Palestinian director Mai Masri continued to be one of the celebrated filmmakers in focus at the festival. Her 70-minute-long documentary 33 Days was a highlight at the screenings. Documenting the effect of war on civilians, it is a gutwrenching firsthand account of the 2006 Lebanon war and its aftermath. Again dwelling upon the political unrest and civil-war situation in Lebanon is Mary Jirmanus Saba’s 93-minute-long documentary ‘A feeling greater than love’. A social revolution cut short by a civil war, the film brings a picture of Lebanon’s grim reality. Waiting for Hassana, a brief film which apart from friendship, talks of the kidnapping of a girl by Boko Haram. Offering another glance at reality is director Richi Mehta’s India in a Day which takes one across the streets of India.
Her 86-minute-long documentary reveals what it is like to be alive in contemporary India, bringing an account of a single day. The work was screened under the category of International films. Of Love and Artistry by Suruchi Sharma and Quissbah: What’s not a Story by Dev Gupta and Medium by Vicky Barmecha were among other competitive short films and documentaries by Indian directors.
Colombi, a 20-minute-long short film by Italian filmmaker Luca Ferri and Money Puzzle by Micheal Chanan were also screened in the International category. An array of short yet interesting Latin American animation films were also screened. Guida, a 11-minute-long film by Brazilian director Rosana Urbes, the seven-minute-long film Bogota me Kafka by Columbian filmmaker Camilo Cogua, three-minute-long film Fluxos by Diego Akel, Black Doll and The Sad House by Sofia Carrillo and the 12-minute-long film Night by Chilean filmmaker Tomas Welss were in the category. Vipin Vijay’s one-minute-long Broken Glass, Torn Film and 58-minute-long Palace of the Winds were the last two films screened.