A selection of thrilling, edgy, thought-provoking and downright funny films from India and the Indian diaspora are included on the programme of the 31st Durban International Film Festival, which runs from the 22 July to 1 August.
Produced by the legendary Indian actor Aamir Khan, the surprisingly hilarious Peepli Live zooms in on political accountability by exploring the realities of poverty-stricken farmers whose only way out is committing suicide so that their families may receive government compensation.
This year’s DIFF also brings a triumph for Marathi cinema with Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni’s The Well which is a tender look at the loss of the innocence of childhood. The film is produced by Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, and the director Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni will attend the festival.
Fans of the master Bengali filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta will thoroughly enjoy his latest work screening at the festival, The Window (Janala), a magical and remarkably frank commentary on modern Indian life.
Durban filmmaker Masood Boomgard’s Attack of the Indian Werewolf is a cheerfully irreverent spoof of the horror genre starring East Coast Radio deejay and stand-up comedian Neville Pillay.
At the other end of the spectrum, Jyoti Mistry comments on the commonalities of the human experience in various international urban spaces with her experimental feature, The Bull On The Roof (Le Beof Sur Le Toit).
Alongside these fine feature-length films, the festival also celebrates topical Indian cinema through the short film medium. Homecoming explores the challenge in balancing modernity and traditional Indian values while The Floating Position sees a young man facing a dilemma between his caste identity and his high economic status.
