Film Festival on Education, Madurai

Film Festival on Education

9 Aug; 10 am to 6 pm 

LENS Media Centre, Madurai 

Curated by Amudhan RP

Organised by

MARUPAKKAM & LENS Media Centre

Schedule (yet to get the approval from the filmmakers)

10 am to 1 pm 

Entrance Exam

Dir : Aditya Verma; 60 min; Documentary; India

In a remote village in central India, school teachers put their heart and soul to prepare a group of children for an entrance exam for admission in a Government-run School of Excellence (Utkrisht School). Public-funded, these schools take care of the complete expenses for the students and hence the admission for these children would ensure their continued studies as most of them are first-generation school-goers from underprivileged families. 'Entrance Exam' unfolds many layers of struggle in this intense journey as much as many pleasant surprises.

Dindigul Diaries 

Dir : Annette Danto; 62 min; Documentary; India 

Shot over a twenty-three year period, Dindigul Diaries is a 52 minute documentary telling the stories of four women living in the Dindigul region of Southern India.

Dindigul Diaries is about the dignity of labor and the resilience of working women. It addresses human rights topics of girls education, dowry, and cultural restrictions and expectations of females around the world.

Happiness Class

Dir : Samina Mishra; 52 min; Documentary; India

Happiness Class is a journey through the unique and fascinating world of children: their preoccupations, their worries, and most importantly, their idea of happiness. Set in the context of an experimental happiness curriculum inspired by the ideas of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and included as part of formal pedagogy in the schools run by the Delhi government, Happiness Class explores this landscape in schools and diverse neighbourhoods, with resident and refugee families, across the metropolis of New Delhi.

2 pm to 5 pm 

Messi, Maradona, Tremenheere 

Dir : Logesh; 22 min; Documentary; India

In Vadakarai village of Tamil Nadu, Tremenheere Sports Academy, a budding football academy strives to set a stage for school going children to break the endless cycle of bonded agricultural labour.

Are you going to school today?

Dir : Anupama Srinivasan; 59 min; Documentary; India

The film takes us to rural schools in the predominantly tribal district of Dungarpur in southern Rajasthan. Children come from difficult contexts with very limited material resources, absentee fathers and younger siblings to attend to. How do teachers respond to this situation? How do they bring children to school and create an environment in which they are motivated to learn? 

A Pain in the Neck

Dir : Fernando Romero-Forsthuber; 65 min; Documentary; Mexico / Austria

“La piedra en el zapato” is a feature documentary about the struggle and efforts of Mexican students and teachers to form children into critical thinking citizens, despite facing the -sometimes deadly - hostility of the Mexican State.

When the Dust Clears

Dir : Leo Kang; 40 min; Documentary; China

War is like the dust raised by the wheels that crush the pavement. As the dust settles, the pavement reveals its indelible scars. The children born in the cracks in the pavement are growing up with the dangers of war, but they are still trying to grow up in their own way, and it seems that more people need to help them in this effort.

5.15 pm 

Recasting Selves

Dir : Lalit Vachani; 80 min; Documentary; India 

Set at CREST (the Centre for Research and Education for Social Transformation) in Kozhikode, Kerala – the film documents the ‘soft skills’ training of Dalit and Adivasi post-graduate students in a sensitive and nurturing campus environment as preparation for their employment in the new Indian economy.

Note : Yet to get the approval from the filmmakers!

Film Festival on Education, Coimbatore

Film Festival on Education, Coimbatore

26 July; 10 am to 1 pm 

Clusters Media College, Hopes Peelamedu

Organised by Tamilnadu Kalai Ilaykkiya Perumandram - Kovai, Periyar Ambedkar Marx Sinthanai Kalam & Marupakkam 

Curated by Amudhan RP

Schedule (yet to get the approval from the filmmakers)

21

Dir : Hitesh K Liya; 20 min; Documentary; India 

Images and sounds from a film institute during the lockdown period.

A Candid Conversation

Dir : Nisam Asaf; 8 min; Documentary; India

Formal education is not the only way you can learn.

Angreji Glass

Produced by Chitkara Design School; 8 min; Short Fiction; India

Two friends try to learn foreign culture. 

Autumn Flowers

Dir : Nikhilesh Mishra; 7 min; Short Fiction; India

Societal unrest shouldn’t curtail aspirations of young children.

Barsa

Dir: Akhilesh KA; 20 min; Short Fiction; India 

Women from conservative families face many hurdles while pursuing education.

Chirbhog

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

Children from underprivileged families encounter discrimination in schools too. 

The Discipline 

Produced by KR Narayanan Film School; 23 min; Short Fiction; India 

Strict rules not only instil discipline, they also break the confidence of the children.

Koyta

Dir: Shaksham Vyas; 9 min; Short Fiction; India

Children from migrant families need special interventions to ensure continuous education.

Our Odyssey is Red

Produced by Hers is Ours; 39 min; Documentary; India 

Their mothers toil to give them a good life. The daughters explore the world confidently. 

Study

Dir : Abhilash Sunkesula; 17 min; Documentary; India

Young students spend sleepless nights preparing for entrance exams.

The Long Road

Dir : Baylon Fonseca; 22 min; Documentary; India

Children with learning disabilities need special care both from within and outside their families.

We welcome you! Entry free!

For more details : 9843323153/ 6380043633 / 9442178974 / 9003392939

Ecology Film Festival, Madurai

Ecology Film Festival, Madurai 

5 July 2026; 10 am to 6 pm 

LENS Media Centre, Loyola ITI Campus

Gnana Olivupuram

Curated by Amudhan RP

Organised by 

MARUPAKKAM & LENS Media Centre

Schedule (yet to get the approval from the filmmakers)

10 am to 1 pm 

The Waves Will Never Stop

Dir: Kartik Sreenivasan, Sai Krishna L V, Sanjana Reddy; 10:00 min; Documentary; India

Twenty years after the 2004 Tsunami’s devastation in Bommayapalayam, Narayanan, a fisherman, carries vivid memories of that fateful morning- raging waves that shattered lives and swept away hundreds of homes in the village where he grew up. He and his crew continue to fish in those same waters, while the haunting ruins scattered along the shore linger silently, stuck in time. Amidst Narayanan's ventures into the sea each morning and his wife awaiting for his return at the shore, lies a quiet testament to hope and resilience, unfolding the community's enduring spirit.

The Well

Dir: Balaji Maheshwar; 1:02:07 min; Documentary; India

In a remote tribal village, a community unearths an age-old well, reviving not just their water source but their deep-rooted cultural and spiritual ties to nature. Bhaavi is an observational portrait of resilience, indigenous knowledge, and the fragile balance between humanity and ecology.

Located at the convergence of Eastern and Western Ghat mountain ranges, near the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border, lies the beautiful and pensive Solaganai tribal village. The Solagars are indigenous tribes who call the forests their home. But this home is without a dependable source of drinking water for most parts of the year, especially during the summer months. To bring one pot of drinking water, the people of Solaganai had to walk many miles, up and down hilly areas and down into the valley. For a scenic mountain hamlet, supposedly where springs and streams originate, this fate seemed ironic. This leads us to question our actions that disrupt ecological balance.

The Gold Panner from Lannavaara

Dir: Mattias Löw; 95 min; Documentary; Ghana, Namibia, Sweden

From his frozen birthplace above the Arctic Circle, Hans “Hasse” Söderström emerges as a man possessed by an impossible vision: to prove that ethical gold mining can survive—and thrive—in one of the world’s most corrupt industries.

This is the story of a man who bets everything—his fortune, his family, his sanity—on an idea. Whether Söderström emerges as a visionary who transforms an industry, or as another broken dreamer buried in African soil, remains the question that haunts every frame of his extraordinary, tragic, and relentlessly compelling journey.

2 pm to 4.15 pm 

Kelad

Dir: Shruti Jagdale; 22:43 min; Documentary; India

The documentary explores Kelad, a serene village in the Vellha region, capturing its people’s daily struggles and deep rooted connection to rice farming. Surrounded by lush greenery and thick clouds, the village thrives in harmony with nature. Through resilience and simplicity, the film unveils Kelad’s essence, showcasing how the interplay of soil, water, air, fire, and sky shapes its unique spirit.

Karma Gaabo Re.

Dir: Shubham Neware; 47:00 min; Documentary; India

Spread across Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh, the Baiga Tribe has seen its population decline over time. Displaced from their ancestral lands in the 1960s, they have struggled to preserve their traditions in a rapidly evolving world. Yet, deep in the villages of Lagma and Bandhatola, Madhya Pradesh. The echoes of their past still live on, woven into their songs, dances, and unwavering bond with nature.

Karma Gaabo Re, the documentary film offers a rare, intimate glimpse into the Baiga’s way of life, capturing their beliefs, rituals, and the deeper meaning behind their music and dance. More than just performances, these art forms are their way of storytelling, expressing joy, sorrow, and their connection to the land they revere. Film follows a raw, observational approach, unfolding the story naturally, coming from the Baiga itself, in their own rhythm.

“Karma Gaabo Re” means “Let’s sing karma” in English. Karma is a song sung by baiga tribe.

Bajau Laut - the Sea is our Home

Dir: Joo Peter; 1:10:00 min; Documentary; Malaysia

Their stilt houses are burnt down, their boats destroyed: indigenous people like the sea nomads in Malaysia are denied citizenship and passports as they are disenfranchised as stateless people. But centuries of history and the graves of their ancestors on the Malaysian islands are proof of their roots.

4.30 pm 

LUPI NOSTRI (Our Wolves)

Dir: Samer Angelone; 1:22:00 min; Documentary; Italy

Professor Luca Rossi dedicates what remains of his university career to study wolves, but his findings conflict with his emotions as he navigates the contentious divide between wolf defenders and opponents. As Luca tries to be as close as possible to the wolves to understand them, he finds himself facing the sentiments of those who fear and love them.