From water’s role in religious rituals to queer stories: SPIFF is making space for diverse voices

This year the festival will bring 46 short films from 21 countries for the audience.

SPIFF, Pune film festival, film festival movie screenings

Some films like Flowers From The Other Patio (Flores del Otro Patio), Our Males and Females, are trying to bring queer stories to the forefront. (Photo credit: Special arrangement)

Across religions, water has been a part of rituals of various stages in a person’s life from birth to death. A young filmmaker, Sagar Minde from Pune travelled across 10 states and more than 37 locations to capture this in a non-narrative film. Minde’s film, ‘Water-dimensions of purity,’ will be screened at the 10th Smita Patil International Film Festival. It is set to be held at National Film Archives India (NFAI) on January 6 and 7. This year the festival will bring 46 short films from 21 countries for the audience.

After a course in photography and cinematography, Minde went to Kumbh mela to hone his skills for three to four days. “I didn’t go with the intention to create a film. But I ended up filming a lot. When I came back and saw the footage, something struck me while watching the visuals of the water,” said Minde. The 24-minute duration film captures Hindu rituals like varuna yajna, the Christian ritual of baptism and more.

Aneesh Prabhune, Head of South Asia film programming of the festival, seven among the Indian filmmakers are in their 20’s. The festival is trying to bring young and more inclusive voices to the forefront. “Some films, which have toured more than 60 festivals across the globe, will be screened for the first time in India,” said Prabhune.

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Another film to be screened at the festival is by Vedanti Londhe. A filmmaker from Mumbai in her mid-twenties has documented her personal experience as life transitioned from dagdi chawl to a big flat. A short film from Savitribai Phule Pune University’s Department of Communication Studies will also be screened. “Renowned actors like Mohan Agashe and Anjali Patil from the movie Newton have also starred in these films”, said Prabhune.

“On the international front, films like Intrusion (Fár), None of All This (Nada del Todo Esto), TITS which were part of the main competition of short films at Cannes Film Festival will also be screened. The film, I Promise You Paradise, winner at Cannes Critic Week, will be screened on the first day”, said Prabhune.

Some films like Flowers From The Other Patio (Flores del Otro Patio), Our Males and Females, are trying to bring queer stories to the forefront. Directed by Ahmad Alyaseer, Our Males and Females, from Jordan, deals with gender identity and grief in the Middle East.

Flowers from the Other Patio is a winner of South by Southwest Festival. Our Males and Females, too, has won multiple prizes in more than 20 festivals and has been screened at more than 100 festivals.

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