Freedom Film Festival 2022 : Schedule

Freedom Film Festival 2022
15-19 Aug, multiple venues, Chennai

Organised by MARUPAKKAM
in association with
Periyar Self Respect Media
Department of Visual Communication - Loyola College
DOT School of Design, Ambattur
Post Graduate Department of Communication, Post Graduate Department of English - Women's Christian College
Discovery Book Palace

SCREENING SCHEDULE

15 Aug; Periyar Thidal, Chennai

11 am Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar
Dir : Jabbar Patel; 74 min; English; India; Documentary

A biographical film about Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution of India. Dr. Ambedkar dedicated his life to the cause of the downtrodden.

1 pm The Sako Tapes
Dir: Machiel van den Heuvel; 73 mins; Dutch, Indonesian with English subtitles; 2019; Netherlands; Documentary

A film about Sako, an eccentric Indonesian man with Chinese roots. Sako is struggling with his past. He is traumatized because of the murder of his innocent father, who was one of the approximately half a million alleged communists that were killed in the transition period to the Suharto regime in Indonesia in 1965. Sadly, this brutal period is still taboo in Indonesia. To break the taboo and process his trauma, Sako went out with his camcorder and filmed people close to him and talked with them about their experiences related to this past.

2.30 pm Ailleurs Partout
Dir: Isabelle Ingold, Vivianne Perelmuter; 1 hr 3 min; English/French/Persian with English subtitles; 2020; Belgium; Documentary

Its the journey of Shahin, a 20-year-old Iranian boy who, fleeing his country alone, lands in Greece, then winds his way to England where he claims asylum.

3.15 Street Out
Dir: Sofia Rocha; 1 hr 40 min; Spanish with English subtitles; 2020; Argentina; Documentary

A choral account of women, who turned or have turned to prostitution, stands up to put to discussion abolitionism and legalization within the women’s movement and feminism, through their life stories, desires and convictions.

5 pm Boramey - Ghosts in the Factory
Dir: Tammaso Facchin, Ivan Franceschini; 60 min; Italy / Cambodia; Documentary

Sreyra, Ponler, and Sreyven are three young garment workers in Cambodia. Day after day, they produce clothes for the most important global brands, until something exceptional disrupts their routine: suddenly they pass out in the workplace, an event that is followed by their colleagues fainting en masse. Episodes of mass fainting like these are not uncommon in Cambodia, where labour conditions remain harsh.

6.15 Many Straws Make A Nest
Dir : Johanna Schellhagen; 50 min; Germany / India; Documentary

In the last 30 years, the Delhi region has turned into one of the world's major industrial hubs. The required workforce is recruited from India's poorer regions, where survival is being made more and more difficult for the rural populace. This is why 4.5 million industrial workers in Southern Delhi are willing to ruin their health for wages their families can hardly survive on.

But people are not powerless in this situation, they try to find effective ways to collectively resist.

16 Aug, Department of Visual Communication, Loyola College (only for students)

10 am to 1 pm

Atomkraftwerk Zwentendorf
Dir: Hope Tucker; 16:40; English; 2018; USA; Documentary/Experimental

Atomkraftwerk Zwentendorf is a monument to the power of public protest and the potential of a democratic vote.

Talilo and Wassla
Dir: Jon Meyer; 24:33 min; English; USA; 2020; Documentary

An inspiring story of two hip hop artists from an impoverished town who turned their lives around and now use music to help the youth not fall into the same pitfalls they had to endure like prison and homelessness.

From Durban to Tomorrow
Dir: Dylan Mohan Gray; 39:52 min; Multiple languages with English subtitles; 2020; South Africa; Documentary

Five frontline health advocates from different parts of the world work through victories and defeats forging a path toward a meaningful, universal human right to health.

The Broken Femur
Director- Luyckx Jonas; 28 minutes 44 seconds; French with English subtitles; 2020

Within my walls, scrutinising the world, I took my camera to talk about intimacy in the face of a global upheaval.

2 pm to 5 pm

Rat Trap
Dir : Rupesh Kr Sahu; 35 min; Hindi with English subtitles; India; Documentary

It is a film about the rat-hole coal miners who risk their lives to earn a livelihood. While doing this activity, many mishaps go unreported, which we cannot see from the outside. Their lives are devastating enough that they are called thieves in their own house, and during a case of mine collapse, they cannot even shed a tear or claim their loved ones’body. This film narrates their daily life.

Being the Other
Dir : Amudhan R.P.; 22 min; Hindi & English with English subtitles; 2022; India, Documentary

What is it to be the Other in this world? What makes you the other? Who defines it? What stops you from losing that identity? Is it a permanent stamp? Or is it flexible?

Fireflies
Dir: Johnson Rajkumar; 6 min; English subtitles; India; Documentary

In 1980s, when Manipur was inflicted with insurgency and armed violence, a group of women came out to the streets to uphold peace in the valley. Meira Paibis are loosely structured groups of women from each locality who volunteered to vigil through the night as a peace-building effort.

India’s Struggle for Freedom : Do or Die
Dir : R. Krishna Mohan; 21 min; English; India; Documentary

This film presents the passing of the Quit India resolution, the arrest of leaders, the rebellion of the leaderless people all over the country. It also presents the role of the INA and Subhash Chandra Bose India's freedom struggle.

Democracy
Dir : Aditya Agnihotri; 12 min; English; India; Short film

Sonu and Chintu have been waiting for this summer holiday trip. They are seeking new adventure this time. The night before the trip, Their father decides to plan each and everything in a democratic manner.

17 Aug, DOT School of Design, Ambattur

10 am to 1 pm

The Custodians of the Andean Gold
Dir: Marcella Menozzi; 32:25 mins; Spanish with English subtitles; 2019-2021; Italy; documentary;

In the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes, more than 3800 meters above sea level, live alpaca and vicunia breeders. Quechua and Aymara families who protect their animals earn livelihood from the sale of the animals’ fiber. Gold mining is another activity that is widespread among families living in the border area between Peru and Bolivia. The intensity of these 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, and abandonment of traditions and animals.

The Hook You Will Not Bite
Dir: José David Apel; 29:50 mins; Spanish with English subtitles; 2021; Argentina; doc

In the banks of the Victoria River, a fish merchant buys the product of the humble fishermen who inhabit the islands of the province of Entre Ríos (Argentina). In exchange for their fishing, he offers them a small amount of food in return.

Into Dust
Dir : Orlando von Einsiedel; 40 min; United Kingdom / Pakistan

When Perween Rahman is murdered, her sister Aquila returns to Karachi, Pakistan to investigate. Finding herself caught up in powerful forces stealing the city’s water, her sister exposed the impact of corruption. Based on a true story of one activist who worked tirelessly to protect the rights of Pakistan’s poor.

How Do Animals and Plants Live?
Dir : Sherry Millner, Ernest Larsen; 26.56 min; United States / Greece

Is it true that translation creates the basis for a new commons? If so, how?

The video essay How Do Animals and Plants Live? is an inquiry into the forcible eviction and immediate demolition of the self-organized anarchist-supported migrant squat Orfanotrofeio in Thessaloniki, Greece, in July 2016.

Light in Stones (approved)
Dir : Iqbal Barkat; 6.20 min; Australia / India

The imagined contemplations of a Muslim pilgrim in contemporary India. This cine-poem follows their steps and sees their thoughts through verse on-screen. Using travel footage of everyday scenes in India, Light In Stones, traverses the fears, joys, trepidations and hopes of the pilgrim.

2 pm to 5 pm

Rat Trap
Dir : Rupesh Kr Sahu; 35 min; Hindi with English subtitles; India; Documentary

It is a film about the rat-hole coal miners who risk their lives to earn a livelihood. While doing this activity, many mishaps go unreported, which we cannot see from the outside. Their lives are devastating enough that they are called thieves in their own house, and during a case of mine collapse, they cannot even shed a tear or claim their loved ones’body. This film narrates their daily life.

Being the Other
Dir : Amudhan R.P.; 22 min; Hindi & English with English subtitles; 2022; India, Documentary

What is it to be the Other in this world? What makes you the other? Who defines it? What stops you from losing that identity? Is it a permanent stamp? Or is it flexible?

Fireflies
Dir: Johnson Rajkumar; 6 min; English subtitles; India; Documentary

In 1980s, when Manipur was inflicted with insurgency and armed violence, a group of women came out to the streets to uphold peace in the valley. Meira Paibis are loosely structured groups of women from each locality who volunteered to vigil through the night as a peace-building effort.

India’s Struggle for Freedom : Do or Die
Dir : R. Krishna Mohan; 21 min; English; India; Documentary

This film presents the passing of the Quit India resolution, the arrest of leaders, the rebellion of the leaderless people all over the country. It also presents the role of the INA and Subhash Chandra Bose India's freedom struggle.

Democracy
Dir : Aditya Agnihotri; 12 min; English; India; Short film

Sonu and Chintu have been waiting for this summer holiday trip. They are seeking new adventure this time. The night before the trip, Their father decides to plan each and everything in a democratic manner.

18 Aug; Women's Christian College (only for students)

1 - 5 pm

Imaginary Homes
Dir: Priya Naresh; 18 min; Punjabi with English subtitles; 2021; India; Short Fiction

An old woman with her incoherent past and a young maid build an imaginary home together.

Sita
Dir: Abhinav Singh; 18:58 min; Hindi with English subtitles; 2021; India; Short Fiction

Sita is a story of a young 11 year old Dalit boy who finds a dead newborn baby girl in the streets. All he wishes to do now is give her a respectful cremation.

Visitors
Dir: Navnita Sen; 13:10 min; Hindi/English with English subtitles; 2020; India; Short Fiction

A 10-year-old boy wakes up to find himself alone in his house, during the Pandemic of 2020. His mother, who had left for work early morning, is unable to return, due to a curfew-like lockdown in the city. An encounter with some unusual visitors, who drop by unexpectedly, change the course of his day.

Since Forever
Dir: Nisam Asaf; 14:22 mins; Malayalam with English subtitles; 2021; India; SF 

Unavailability of pregnancy care during the nationwide Covid-19 lock-down in India forces a young woman to seek dangerous illegal methods to terminate her unwanted pregnancy.

The Threshold
Dir: Mithun Gomes; 11:41 mins; Hindi with English subtitles; 2021; India; SF 

20-year-old Seema is nervous about a new business deal for her company, but just as she reaches her workplace, she learns that Naveen has invited his parents over for a lunch. Today, they will decide if Seema is a suitable match for their son. In order to impress them, she must present them with a delectable meal. Unfortunately, her trusted cook, Malati, is unavailable. Seema has never cooked before, and now, for Naveen's sake, she must sacrifice the business opportunity and find a way into the hearts of Naveen's parents.

The Fox of the Palmgrove
Dir: Divakar SK; 08:56 mins; German, Tamil with English subtitles; 2019; India; animation 

A random television visual triggers the memories of an old man in which we go through a sequence of random events that summarises his entire life.

13.04.1919
Dir : P Ellappan, Amrit Pal Singh; 12 min; India

The Film is about Jaliyanwalabagh massacre in 13.04.1919

19 Aug, Discovery Book Palace, KK Nagar

11 am to 1 pm

The Custodians of the Andean Gold
Dir: Marcella Menozzi; 32:25 mins; Spanish with English subtitles; 2019-2021; Italy; documentary

In the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes, more than 3800 meters above sea level, live alpaca and vicunia breeders. Quechua and Aymara families who protect their animals earn livelihood from the sale of the animals’ fiber. Gold mining is another activity that is widespread among families living in the border area between Peru and Bolivia. The intensity of these 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, and abandonment of traditions and animals.

The Hook You Will Not Bite
Dir: José David Apel; 29:50 mins; Spanish with English subtitles; 2021; Argentina; doc

In the banks of the Victoria River, a fish merchant buys the product of the humble fishermen who inhabit the islands of the province of Entre Ríos (Argentina). In exchange for their fishing, he offers them a small amount of food in return.

Into Dust
Dir : Orlando von Einsiedel; 40 min; United Kingdom / Pakistan

When Perween Rahman is murdered, her sister Aquila returns to Karachi, Pakistan to investigate. Finding herself caught up in powerful forces stealing the city’s water, her sister exposed the impact of corruption. Based on a true story of one activist who worked tirelessly to protect the rights of Pakistan’s poor.

How Do Animals and Plants Live?
Dir : Sherry Millner, Ernest Larsen; 26.56 min; United States / Greece

Is it true that translation creates the basis for a new commons? If so, how?

The video essay How Do Animals and Plants Live? is an inquiry into the forcible eviction and immediate demolition of the self-organized anarchist-supported migrant squat Orfanotrofeio in Thessaloniki, Greece, in July 2016.

Light in Stones (approved)
Dir : Iqbal Barkat; 6.20 min; Australia / India

The imagined contemplations of a Muslim pilgrim in contemporary India. This cine-poem follows their steps and sees their thoughts through verse on-screen. Using travel footage of everyday scenes in India, Light In Stones, traverses the fears, joys, trepidations and hopes of the pilgrim.

2 pm to 4 pm

Atomkraftwerk Zwentendorf
Dir: Hope Tucker; 16:40; English; 2018; USA; Documentary/Experimental

Atomkraftwerk Zwentendorf is a monument to the power of public protest and the potential of a democratic vote.

Talilo and Wassla
Dir: Jon Meyer; 24:33 min; English; USA; 2020; Documentary

An inspiring story of two hip hop artists from an impoverished town who turned their lives around and now use music to help the youth not fall into the same pitfalls they had to endure like prison and homelessness.

From Durban to Tomorrow
Dir: Dylan Mohan Gray; 39:52 min; Multiple languages with English subtitles; 2020; South Africa; Documentary

Five frontline health advocates from different parts of the world work through victories and defeats forging a path toward a meaningful, universal human right to health.

The Broken Femur
Director- Luyckx Jonas; 28 minutes 44 seconds; French with English subtitles; 2020

Within my walls, scrutinising the world, I took my camera to talk about intimacy in the face of a global upheaval.

4.30 pm Ultraviolence
Dir : Ken Fero; 75 min; United Kingdom

The silence over the police killings of Black people is now broken. Since 1969, over two thousand people have died at the hands of the police in the UK. Shootings, chokeholds, batons, gassing, suffocation, restraint and brutal beatings are some of the methods used. The numbers of deaths is escalating. Inevitably police officers involved are not convicted for these killings.

5.45 pm Resisters
Dir : Jill Daniels; 60 min; United Kingdom / Germany 

Framed through a letter to the Marxist revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg Resisters celebrates 100 years of resistance to fascism. Taking a two-fold journey through Berlin, a geographical one and a psychic one to bring the past into the present, Daniels reflects on Berlin's turbulent history and the present growth of the nationalist AfD who became the main opposition party in Germany in 2017.

6.45 Profiled
Dir : Kathleen Foster; 53 min; United States


Some of the victims—Eric Garner, Michael Brown—are now familiar the world over. Others, like Shantel Davis and Kimani Gray, are remembered mostly by family and friends in their New York neighborhoods. Profiled knits the stories of mothers of black and Latin youth murdered by the NYPD into a powerful indictment of racial profiling and police brutality, and places them within a historical context of the roots of racism in the U.S.

Curated by Amudhan R.P.

amudhan.rp@gmail.com