Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Science Film Festival, Madurai

Science Film Festival, Madurai
28 Sep, LENS Media Centre
10 am to 5 pm

Curated by Amudhan RP
Jointly organised by LENS Media Centre & MARUPAKKAM





Schedule

10 am to 1 pm

Hanna
Dir: Vinu Janardanan; 17:07 min; Documentary; India
Synopsis: Amid her work away from home, Hanna, a lactating working mother and staff member of
Ernakulam General Hospital, Kerala, India discovers solace in alleviating her pain by donating her
breast milk. This is the story of her transformation from considering sharing her baby's milk to
wholeheartedly embracing it. With unwavering support from her family and the hospital staff, who
makes the journey easier. Hanna's little one also becomes a symbol of sharing through her mother's
act. In a scenario like an infant loses its life every minute, and early breastfeeding stands as a
crucial preventive measure against infant mortality, Hanna's story transcends her personal
journey, becoming a narrative larger than herself.

I'm Afraid it's Not Good to Say
Dir: ZHU YUAN KUN; 13:00 min; Documentary; China
Synopsis: In a cacophony of lively phone messages and news clippings, a 15-year-old boy juggles
academic pressures and new romance, while celebrating low expectations and homemade film.The
dialogues in the film were all taken from an old cell phone that the director had forgotten about for
12 years. I plugged in my phone and turned it on. Welcome aboard the Time Travel Machine and
step into the middle school era of the generation born in 1995 of mainland China.

My Dad is a Lightning Researcher
Dir: Iryna Shostak; 18:00 min; Documentary; Ukraine
Synopsis: My Dad is a Lightning Researcher is a documentary film reflection. A daughter attempts
to decipher and memorize the "universe of her dad", a lightning researcher, whom, as it turned out
after his death, she never fully got to know. Neither him nor his lasting legacy. This is her attempt
to think about how long our memory lasts about the people who meant something to us, who did
something and created something next to us. The film attempts to fix the fleeing clues of memory
in time to keep it longer. And, of course, it is her attempt to remember everythingor at least
something he was for her.

Under The Scorching Sun
Dir: Prathap Ramamurthy, Jagannath Radhakrishnan; 17:08 min; Documentary; United States
Synopsis: A short documentary that shows the toil of everyday workers in Chennai, India, under
extreme heat.

Dream to Cure Water
Dir: Ciril Jazbec; 21:54 min; Documentary; Slovenia
Synopsis: Two remote mountain communities in Peru that depend on the water try to fight back
against the effects of climate change through innovative adaptation, combining ancestral tradition
with state-of-the-art science.

I Told You So
Dir: Malak AlSayyad; 26:21 min; Documentary; Egypt
Synopsis: After years of debilitating period pain and unexplained symptoms, Malak finally gets a
diagnosis: she has endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease that affects 1 in every 10 women
and people who menstruate worldwide. Despite being so prevalent, the disease has no known
cause, no cure, and is not taken seriously, even by her own mother.

2 pm to 6 pm

Meteorite Hunter
Dir: Natalia Anisimova; 01:01:00; Russian Federation; Documentary; Non Competition
Meteorites are the oldest unchanging substance, that a person living on Earth can hold in
his hands. Almost all meteorites are the same age as the Solar System. They are about 4,6 billion
years old. More ancient particles, pre-solar matter, can often be found in some meteorites.
However, there are also younger meteorites, primarily dislodged from Mars, where the processes of
rock formation ended not so long ago by astronomical standards.

Seed Stories
Dir: Chitrangada Choudhury; 42:00; India; Documentary; Competition
In a village in the Niyamgiri mountains of the Eastern Ghats in Odisha, eastern India, a heroic
effort is underway: barefoot ecologist Dr. Debal Deb and his 3 member-team are conserving over
one thousand endangered heirloom varieties of rice, the world’s largest project of its kind.
Odisha’s Eastern Ghats region is one of the world’s surviving biodiversity hotspots, with farmers
and shifting cultivators, particularly from Adivasi (Indigenous) communities like the Kondhs
possessing the knowledge of growing multiple crops with their own heirloom seeds, evolved over
centuries. At the same time, the village and the wider region is irreversibly changing with the
coming of genetically modified Bt and herbicide-tolerant cotton seeds and associated
agrochemicals.

‘Seed Stories’ takes a worm’s eye view of how the swift expansion of a chemical-intensive cotton
monoculture is reshaping a geography and a people steeped in agro-ecological knowledge, and
altering their attitudes towards farming, food and ecology. It invites audiences to reflect on the
question, ‘What is sustainability?

My Radio My Life
Dir: Bidit Roy, Makarand Waikar; 01:08:00; India; Documentary; Competition
Set in the 21st century, the film revisits the golden era of radio in India, when it was the dominant,
popular, and only source of entertainment, news, and knowledge. Being a medium that is heard
across national borders, the radio has been instrumental in expanding horizons and enriching the
lives of generations. Besides giving companionship to individuals, the radio brought families
together and inspired people to make life choices.

God Vulture and Human - A hero's dichotomy
Dir: Rishiraj Agarwal; 49:27; India; Documentary; Competition
The film explores the subject of organ donation through the lens of transplant coordinators,
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.

For more details. : 9444025348

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Tuesday, August 19, 2025

International Folklore Film Festival, Madurai

International Folklore Film Festival, Madurai 

24 August; 11 am to 6 pm 

LENS Media Centre

Curated by Amudhan RP


Entry free! All are welcome!




Schedule (yet to be finalised)


11 am


Yuban

Dir : Yaasib Vázquez Colmenares; 30 min; Mexico


Bird Trapper / Beggar

Dir : Vinod Raja; 80 min; India



2 pm 


The Ebb Tide

Dir : Renu Sawant; 60 min; India


Brave

Dir : Vimarc Val; 30 min; France / Haiti


NAMARALI

Dir: Tim Mummery; 52:11; Australia


4.30 pm 

Her Story  -Tracing the Kannagi-Pattini Cult of Sri Lanka

Dir: Someetharan; 58 min; India / Sri Lanka 



Monday, July 14, 2025

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

Sunday, July 6, 2025

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