Students Film Festival, Madurai : We welcome you!

Students Films Festival, Madurai 

26 July; 10 am to 5 pm

LENS Media Centre

Films made by students!

Curated by Amudhan RP

Jointly organised by 

MARUPAKKAM & LENS Media Centre

Schedule (yet to be finalised)

9.30 am : Registration and refreshments

10 am : Inauguration 

10.30 am to 11.30 am 

Ore Vaathiyam

Dir: Karthika P; 5:51 min; Animation films; India

Synopsis: A documentary which unveils the challenges faced by mridangam makers across generations, portraying a quiet evolution towards positive change within their craft's cultural legacy.”

Punal 

Dir: Arun Kumar; 17:59 min; Short fiction; India 

Synopsis: Tilaga, 30, works as a maid occasionally, but primarily in Shanthi's (40) home. She cleans Shanthi's house, doing tasks like sweeping and mopping. Tilaga and Shanthi appear to have a cordial relationship up until Tilaga feels the need to urinate.

Topsy-Turvy

Dir: Mashrukur Rahman Khan; 26:50 min; Documentary; Bangladesh

Synopsis: Cyclone Remal rages on the coast of Patuakhali, the villagers are pushed through the edge to survive the storm.

11.30 : Tea break

11.45 am to 12.45 pm 

Never Say Die

Dir: Diya Gambhir; 9:37 min; Documentary; India 

Synopsis: Never say die is the title I have chosen for my film. Since the work is inspired by the life of my aunt, I have titled it as she would like it to be. My aunt is the sister of my father. This project is an attempt to understand personal experiences and transform them into cinema. 

Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi- Vintage Cars in Indian Weddings 

Dir: Urvi Varshney; 15:31 min; Documentary; India 

Synopsis: A collector's dream, an owner's pride, a groom's delight, and a sight for sore eyes; vintage cars are far from being forgotten. This documentary delves into the timeless beauty and enduring charm of vintage cars, capturing the dynamic genres of action, drama, and the fast-paced love for these classic vehicles. With a mix-media touch, including animation and motion graphics, it brings a cinematic and filmi flair to the storytelling. From their meticulous manufacturing in workshops to the customizations tailored to individual needs, the film explores every facet of these automotive masterpieces. 

GALINA PETROVNA

Dir: Nikita Lovetsky; 16:59 min; Documentary; Kyrgyzstan

Synopsis: For several years now, Galina Petrovna has not left her house in Mayevka Village near Bishkek. There is a cozy blue house with fish garland in which a lonely grandma Galina tells us a story about her ghostly husband who died fifteen years ago. Every day she takes care of the house and even runs a small business. She sells chicken eggs and does laundry for some of her neighbors in her own washing machine. In a house full of pets, Galina Petrovna tells us about her alcoholic husband, pain and a new life after his death.

Birth of Men 

Dir: Dhanush J Sankaranarayanan; 8:11 min; Short fiction; India 

Synopsis: In the merciless grip of a ragging ritual, a med student's ambitions crumble, exposing the dark reality of drug addiction and the ragging culture festering within the Indian student community. 

Name: Another Her Beneath the Sea 

12.45 pm to 2 pm : Lunch break

2 pm to 3 pm 

Debtors

Dir: Andrzej Danis; 23:33 min; Documentary; Poland

Synopsis: As a gesture of solidarity with his mother, a grown-up son decides to stage a court drama in which they win the child support they were entitled to. While working on the scene, he meets people who also have been wronged by non-paying parents. 

Daisy

Dir: Aditi Dixit, Joffrey Atienza Zamora, Shecid Domínguez Aguilera; 4:47 min; Animation films; Spain

Synopsis: In the depths of darkness lies a music box which opens to reveal a young girl dressed in a petal dress. As the spotlight illuminates her, she discovers her ability to make music with her movements, which engages her to dance. 

Another Her Beneath the Sea

Dir: Steve Zhao; 8:31 min; Short fiction; China

Synopsis: A fisherman girl's life is broken by an old classmate from the city, and when she discovers the secret of her old classmate, their friendship is greatly shaken.

The Wall

Dir: Kevin Jerome; 9:32 min; Short fiction; India

Synopsis: In a town divided by a towering wall separating the rich from the poor, a father struggles to provide for his son due to systemic oppression, economic hardship and the barriers created by deeply ingrained social inequality.

Swachh Rashtra

Dir: Logesh S; 9:21 min; Short fiction; India

Synopsis: A content creation team's attempt to make a propaganda video for their clients clean nation campaign is jeopardized by the truth behind the flawed campaign.

One Day in the Afternoon

Dir: Nikhilesh Mishra; 12:18 min; Short fiction; India

Synopsis: On a summer afternoon in rural Odisha, a seven year old boy realizes that human beings are mortal and has a conversation with his ageing grandfather about this.

3 pm : Tea break

3.15 pm to 4.15 pm 

Walk in and screen; local student filmmakers can bring their films and showcase their work (conditions apply).

4.30 pm : Closing ceremony

Note : For delegate / audience registration : 9994770050

For filmmakers registration : 9940642044

Student Film Festival, Madurai

Student Film Festival, Madurai

26 July, Saturday; 10 am to 5 pm
Entries invited!
Ph: 9940642044 / WhatsApp : 9444025348

Organised by MARUPAKKAM & LENS MEDIA CENTRE

Curated by Amudhan RP

Rules and Regulations :

1) It is a non competitive film festival

2) Entry fee should be paid per entry (Rs.500 only) while submitting the film

3) Documentaries, short films, animation films, music videos. experimental films and mobile phone films are accepted

4) Maximum duration of each film is 20 min

5) Curator's decision is final

6) Only current students can apply; their identity card copy should be along with the entry

7) Last date to send entries : 20 July

8) Selection result will be informed on 21st July

9) Selected films will be provided a participatory certificate

10) We will not support your travel if you want to attend the film festival physically

11) We will not support your stay; you may have to organise your stay if you want to attend the event

12) A simple lunch will be paid to all the participating filmmakers

13) Interaction will be organised at the end of the each session

14) Films can be about any theme

15) Films should not propagate hate, prejudice, violence and irrationality

16) All the films should have English subtitles

17) Students studying in Schools, Colleges and Universities can participate

18) Entries without the fee will not be accepted

19) Below mentioned entry form should be sent to sjffindia@gmail.com

20) Entries can be withdrawn

Entry form

(copy and paste on a Word file and send it to sjffindia@gmail.com)

Student Film Festival, Madurai

Name of the film :

Name of the director :

Name of the producer :

Duration :

Language :

Year of production :

College / University :

Synopsis :

Film link (downloadable) :

Stills and posters should be attached

Entry fee : Rs.500 (Gpay to 9940642044)

Best wishes!

Amudhan RP

Curator

National Student Film Festival, Madurai

Gandhi Film Festival, Madurai

Gandhi Film Festival, Madurai 

20 October; 11 am to 5 pm 

MUTA Hall, Ka Ka Thoppu, Madurai 

Curated by Amudhan RP

Jointly organised by MUTA, Ta Mu Ye Ka Sa - Madurai City, PUCL - Madurai & MARUPAKKAM 

Schedule :

11 am 

Zameer (The voice of Conscience) - yet to get the approval

Dir : Uma Chakravarthy; 89 min; Documentary; India; 2024

The film Zameer (The Voice of Conscience) is built around the experiences of

women who were drawn into movements of resistance as they have unfolded in India since the new millennium and were jailed for their participation in movements defending lands, livelihoods and ways of living. 

Mulsotan - The Rooted 

Dir : Janatik Shukla; 27.36 min; Documentary

‘Mulsotan’ is a documentary on the non-violent struggle of the Vasava tribal community in south Gujarat and their non-violent struggle for their land and forest rights spanning three decades.

Yes Sir!

Dir: MUDIT SINGHAL; 20:00; India; Short Fiction

Ramnarayan Tiwari, a Brahmin (dominant caste in India) is a peon/attendant in a government office to a Dalit (lower caste community that has been oppressed and treated as 'untouchables' by upper castes for centuries) who has risen to become a big officer. Tiwari burns with resentment towards this officer’s hierarchical superiority because he considers himself superior as per the religiously ingrained caste system. 

Chirbhog

Dir : Nilesh Yashwant Ambedkar; 16 min; India; Short fiction

This is the story of Yashwant, a low-caste boy from a tribal family, whose father works as a sewer cleaner in the village, and the village believes that Yashwant will also do the same job in the future.

2 pm 

Moments with Mujica 

Dir: Ken McMullen; 47:00; United Kingdom; Documentary

A documentary interview with former president of Uruguay Jose & Mujica in which he discusses art, literature, philosophy and the global challenges that face humanity.

The illusion of abundance

Dir: Erika Gonzalez Ramirez, Matthieu Lietaert; 60:25; Belgium; Documentary

Despite a deeply unbalanced game, Maxima, Bertha and Carolina share a common goal: they are leading today';s environmental fight against modern corporate conquistadors. Whereas governments and corporations are trapped in a global race to get the cheapest raw materials, these three women tell us a story of tireless courage: how to keep fighting to protect nature when your life is at risk? When police repression, corporate harassment, injuries or even death threats are part of your daily routine? 

Kumva - which comes from silence

Dir: Sarah Mallegol; 108 min; Documentary; France / Rwanda

Kumva wanders through the memories of men and women who experienced the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda as young children. Their failing memory of a childhood lost collides with that of their parents, who have kept their silence for too long. 

Ecology and Social Justice Film Festival, Hyderabad

Film Festival on Ecology & Social Justice

2-4 September; 10 am to 5 pm

English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad

Curated by Amudhan RP

Schedule 

2 September

10 am to 1 pm 

10 am Inauguration 

10.30 am 

Colony in Conflict 

Dir: Rajani Mani; 73 min; India

“Colonies in Conflict” is a feature length documentary that examines the state of wild bees in a fast-developing Indian landscape. In a first ever, migratory honeybee species Apis dorsata (Rockbees, giant Asian honeybees) – native to south Asia – have been filmed extensively over various landscapes to find out how big a negative impact people have had on insect populations.

Other Kohinoors 

Dir: Uma Magal; 48 min; India 

A documentary love letter to the rocks of Hyderabad, celebrating their infusion in the areas cultural imagination, calling to retain the rocks that remain. The hope is growing with the outreach happening with this film, that showcasing the respect and affection with which the culture treats the environment & landscape will reignite that connection to the landscape today. 

2 pm 

Besetzt - Lobau Bleibt (not yet approved)

Dir : Gerald Baumann, Aron Ebner, Matteo Molina; 30 min; Austria 

The 30min cinema verite documentary is about climate activists that occupied several construction sites in Vienna, Austria for almost a year to stop the construction of two highways, crossing the nature reserve Lobau. 

The documentary gives an unfiltered view on how the daily life of an activist looks like and what few individuals can achieve in an extreme situation like an occupation.

The Illusion of Abundance 

Dir : Erika Gonzalez Ramirez, Matthieu Lietaert; 60 min; Colombia 

Despite a deeply unbalanced game, Maxima, Bertha and Carolina share a common goal: they are leading today's environmental fight against modern corporate conquistadors. Whereas governments and corporations are trapped in a global race to get the cheapest raw materials, these three women tell us a story of tireless courage: how to keep fighting to protect nature when your life is at risk? When police repression, corporate harassment, injuries or even death threats are part of your daily routine? (60’)

Mekong Apocalyse (55’)

Dir: Michael Buckley; 55 min; Canada / China / Cambodia / Vietnam

Mekong Apocalypse' explores the devastating downstream impact of China's megadams in Cambodia's Lake Tonle Sap and Vietnam's Mekong Delta. The filmmaker shot this on the run, getting undercover footage of megadams and illegal sand-dredging. Drawing inspiration from water puppetry theatre in Vietnam, this film features characters like a talking glacier in Tibet, waltzing fish in Laos, and a talking sunflower in Vietnam to get complex concepts across. With this slapstick approach, the film does tend to meander--like the Mekong herself. With its sly nod to Coppola's 'Apocalypse Now,' this is a documentary with strong elements of a mockumentary.

3 September

10 am 

Echelon Threads (not yet approved)

Dir : Achin Phulre’ 17 min; India 

Experience life on the rugged Changthang plateau, where each day is a symphony of tradition and survival. Witness as dawn unveils the delicate art of combing pashmina wool from goats, followed by men guiding herds to graze at 5400m. Women masterfully weave sheep wool into carpets and garments. Pashmina, sold to co-ops and buyers, carries dreams. Amidst breathtaking altitudes, resilience, and rich meals, this documentary paints a vivid portrait of a timeless community crafting its destiny.

The Leopard’s Tribe

Dir: Miriam Chandy Menacherry; 38 min; India 

Mumbai authorities axe thousands of trees to expand a mass transit system. Home to 10,000 indigenous tribals led by Prakash Bhoir a scuffle unfolds to protect forest and the leopard they worship. A battle to save the green lungs of India’s financial capital unfolds. He joins a hip-hop band, gets legal counsel but it is Pramila, his wife who is his biggest ally. She surprises everyone by stepping into the frontlines of a battle with high political stakes. This is the story of a marginalised couple, forced to be leaders through floods, fires and leopard attacks to claim their position as climate leaders in one of the fastest growing metropolis in the world.

Hailstorm 

Dir: Shobhit Jain; 60 min; India 

A freak hailstorm sets off a series of events in the life of farmers unfolding the vulnerability and precarious situation of those on the margin.

Coral Woman

Dir : Priya thuvassery; 53 min; India 

The Filmmaker's journey with Uma, a certified scuba diver, exploring the underwater world and the threat to the coral reefs of the Gulf of Mannar. Born in a traditional family, inspired by the beauty of the corals, Uma learnt how to swim, dive and paint in her 50s, and has since been trying to bring attention to this alarming environmental crisis through her paintings.

2 pm 

Unhusk (not yet approved)

Dir : Jue Wang; 57 min; China

A decade after her photos spotlighted China’s rice farming traditions, a photographer returns to document vanishing lifeways. As landscapes and villages empty, who will grow the rice now? This lyrical requiem explores how once-thriving cultural heritage erodes when communities disperse and young inheritors dwindle. 

The Custodians of the Andean Gold (32’)

Dir : Marcella Menozzi; 32 min; Italy / Peru / Bolivia

In the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes, more than 3 800 meters above sea level, live alpaca and vicunia breeders. Quechua and Aymara families protect their animals live off of the sale of the animals’ fiber. Gold mining is another activity that predates the Conquest and is widespread among families living in the border area between Peru and Bolivia. The difficult compatibility on the same territory of these two production activities increases the need for environmental protection and workers' rights. It has become indispensable to support producers so that this activity does not disappear with the migration of native peoples, abandoning traditions and animals.

Blue Crab (and a wooden camera) (not yet approved)

Dir : Daniel Martínz-Quintanilla Pérez; 22 min; Peru / Venezuela 

Daniel Martínez and the award-winning photojournalist Rodrigo Abd traveled in August of 2019 to Cabimas, on the shore of Maracaibo lake in Venezuela. The aim was to take a series of portraits with an old wooden camera. What they found was an apocalyptic situation: oil leaking from hundreds of oil towers abandoned by the PDVSA company, black dyeing the lake and the fishermen, and no one able to prevent it.

Mentawai - souls of the forest

Dir: Joo Peter; 75 min; Indonesia

The last indigenous people of Mentawai, a small archipelago south-west of Sumatra, are fighting with creative resistance to preserve their ancient culture and rainforest.

4 September

10 am 

Things will be different

Dir: Lucie McMahon; 65 min; Australia 

Things Will Be Different documents two neighbours’ experiences of displacement as they are forced to relocate from the Walker Street public housing estate in Northcote, Melbourne when it is sold for private redevelopment. The film explores the impact of losing one’s home and the important role public housing plays in our communities. The film is made by local filmmakers Celeste De Clario Davis and Lucie McMahon.

Africa, the cradle of mankind (not yet approved)

Dir: Benita Jacques; 108 min; Canada / Senegal

For a long time, Benita Jacques has always had questions about her origins to which she never got any answers from her parents. Today, the young mother from Montreal wants to bring answers to her children who ask her the same questions that she herself could not have. So, she decided to leave for Africa, in search of her origins

2 pm

Jamnapaar (not yet approved)

Dir: Abhinava Bhattacharya; 24 min; India 

The film lurks on the river’s edge seeking to explore how the inhabitants of the Yamuna relate to its degraded presence, the fragile nostalgia of its unknowable past and the horror of its unthinkable future.

Tribal Scoop

Dir: Beeswaranjan; 52 min; India 

A small town of Sundergarh lying in the interiors of the state of Odisha has never been touched by modern civilization, but is paying for it with the blood of the tribal people who still depend on forests for survival. And even those forests are fast being uprooted to make way for urban life. In the midst of this cockpit of destruction there's one hope that they are desperately clinging on to- Hockey. The game that was once the only form of entertainment for a people cut off from the rest of the world has now become a weapon with which Sundergarh is trying to claim it's place in a world that never recognized it.

If She Built a Country (not yet approved)

Dir: Maheen Mirza; 60 min; India 

Rural, Adivasi women from the villages of Chhattisgarh critique the grand plan of development of the country. As mines and power plants appear and grow in monstrous proportions around them, many of them have been cheated of their land and compensation. As they grapple with all this, they seek justice for themselves and their communities and share their thoughts about how the development of a country should be. 

4.30 pm : Feedback and closing remarks.

Freedom Film Festival, Hyderabad

Freedom Film Festival, Hyderabad 

Lamakaan, 29-31 August; 3-7pm

Curated by Amudhan RP
Jointly organised by MARUPAKKAM & LAMAKAAN

Entry free! We welcome you! 

Schedule 29 August

3 pm
Bonded
Dir: Shobhit Jain; 56:19 min 

The film takes an ethnographic look into the life of a bonded labourer in a remote tribal village in central India.

4 pm

Land of My Dreams
Dir : Nausheen Khan; 74 min

Protests rage against the Indian Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA).The director listens to the voices of the protesters and observes her own identity as a Muslim woman.

5.20 pm
Chardi Kala - an ode to resilience Dir: Prateek Sekhar; 95 min

In September 2020, the Indian government passed three agricultural laws aimed at liberalising the farm economy. Soon after, farmers from across the country gathered at the borders of India’s national capital, New Delhi, for one of the biggest non-violent protests in modern history.

30 August

3 pm

Zameer (The voice of Conscience) Dir : Uma Chakravarthy; 89 min

The film Zameer (The Voice of Conscience) is built around the experiences of women who were drawn into movements of resistance as they have unfolded in India since the new millennium and were jailed for their participation in movements defending lands, livelihoods and ways of living.

4.45 pm

Beyond hatred and power, we keep singing Dir: Ramdas Kadavallur; 1:55:44

In the times of authoritarian interventions that stifle democratic voices and constitutional rights, by hate mongering and spreading animosity among the people, the documentary chronicles the resistance of people through songs and lyrics. As tellingly enunciated by Maya Angelou, these are ballads for creation of a new world order, by raising their voices against those who unabashedly trample upon the democratic rights. it germinated out of the firm conviction, rooted in and expressed by Bertolt Brecht, that “Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.”

31 August 3 pm

Dr BR Ambedkar : Now and Then Dir: Jyothi Nisha; 111 min

Through the discerning lens of a Bahujan feminist filmmaker operating within the upper-caste Indian film industry, the film delves deep into critical themes of liberty, equality, fraternity, social justice, exclusion, and marginalised representation. Bridging the realms of Ambedkarite politics with the visual language of cinema, it offers a poignant representation of the culture, history, and politics of marginalised communities within popular cinema and media.

5.30 pm
From the Shadows
Dir: Miriam Chandy Menacherry; 01:16:09

From the Shadows uses the imagery of public art to delve into missing narratives. Paint cans and stencils in hand, Leena Kejriwal relentlessly sprays splattered walls with a girl’s shadow #missing #everyeightminutes, a haunting reminder that girls disappear at a staggering pace.The narrative starts from her terrace overlooking Asia’s largest red-light district and into the world’s largest delta, quick sands of missing cases.

World Population Day Film Festival, Chennai

World’s Population Day Film Festival, Chennai 

12 July, Stella Maris College; 10 am to 4 pm 

Jointly organised by Department of Social Work and MARUPAKKAM 

Curated by Amudhan RP

10 am  Inauguration 

10.30 am 

God Vulture and Human - A hero’s dichotomy 

Dir : Rishiraj Agarwal; 49.27 min; Documentary; India 

The film explores the subject of organ donation through the lens of transplant coordinators working, highlighting their role in the process of organ donation, retrieval and transplantation. Through the lives of 4 transplant coordinators, the film deals with the intensities of life and death, and an attempt to humanise the coordinators. 

2 Chaak 435 Divas 

Dir: Ganesh Rajkumar Dhotre; 30 min; Documentary; India 

This film is a documentary about a girl who travels all over Maharashtra on a bicycle without money without any support ti spread awareness about conserving the environment, avoiding pollution and women empowerment. She journeyed a total of 17000 kilometers in 435 days.

My Dream is… 

Dir: Riya Hayaran; 16.30 min; Documentary; India; Student film 

This is a short documentary about the power of education, the accessibility of safe nurturing environments to little girls and how these spaces and opportunities shape their dreams in a society where many drop out by the 10th grade. 

Aaha Nanna Maduve Ante!

Dir : Preeti Saga; 28 min; Short fiction; India

Sinchana, a 20-something in Bangalore, does not have life figured out. Her father is mean, getting permission to step out of the house is a chore, her love life is weird, and her best friend is always pushing her to be… better.With her father continuing to push marriage down her throat, Sinchana heads out in the city one day  and finds out that there really are only two options. One, do something. Two, have life do something to you. Which one will she choose?

12.45 pm Interaction 

1 pm : Lunch break

2 pm 

Seaside 

Dir : Iniya Vasanthan; 18.50 min; Documentary; India; Student film 

Kasimedu fish market is one of the major fish markets in Chennai. It is a very lively place all day. From boats bringing fish to people buying it fresh directly from there, everything is quite interesting to observe. Kadaloram(seaside) is a short documentary film made on that place and the people.

Our Odyssey is Red 

Dir : Neha Chaturvedi, Ayushi Shriramwar, Tahir Ahmed Qureshi, Naomi Fleur Jahan; 37.47 min; Documentary; India 

20 diverse young women choose to stay together in a home run by the NGO Kranti in Mumbai, India. What brings them together? Their past, they are all daughters of sex workers, and a very un-common goal to heal themselves and to live a life on their own terms. These women identify as Krantikaris/revolutionaries. 

Death Hotel 

Dir : Gustav Hugo Olsson; 20 min; Documentary; Sweden / India 

In "Death Hotel," we follow 107-year-old Gulchu Bai's final days in the holy city Varanasi, where her family has checked her into one of the city´s revered death hotels to get salvation upon death. 

The film is exploring the complexities of this ancient tradition and its interplay with culture, spirituality, and mortality. A unique reflection on the circle of life, where death is not mourned but rather celebrated. 

When Women Unite 

Dir : Amudhan R.P.; 13 min; India; Documentary

Women farmers and sex workers in Andhra Pradesh organise themselves to assert their rights and freedom to live dignified and respectful lives.

3.45 pm Interaction and closing remarks