International Folklore Film Festival, Chennai
17,18 October 2025
DakshinaChitra, Chennai
Organised by DakshinaChitra
Curated by Amudhan RP
Schedule (yet to get approval from filmmakers)
11 am Inauguration
11.30 am to 1 pm
In the Forest hangs a Bridge
Dir: Sanjay Kak; 39 min; Documentary; 1999
In The Forest Hangs A Bridge is a documentary film that follows the good folk of Damro village which is situated in Siang valley of Arunachal Pradesh. A dense, forest region, it is hard for people from Damro village to travel from one part of the jungle to another, especially when there is an obstacle such as a river. This documentary sees the people of Damro village coming together in order to build a 1000 foot-long suspension bridge using only bamboo and a small steel blade.
In the footsteps of the Andalusi clay
Dir: Dany Ruz; 28:00 min; Documentary; Spain
Traditional pottery is a production method and way of life on the verge of extinction. In the province of AlmerÃa, this ancient craft is still alive. Through interviews with potters and their work on the wheel, painting, decanting clay, lead glazing, placing ceramics inside the kiln or firing in an old kiln, we have recreated this ancient tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation, surviving and transforming itself
The Legacy from Beyond
Dir: Harsh Raj Gond; 26:21; India; Documentary
The Legacy from Beyond is a documentary provides an insightful exploration of Gond art and depicts the lives and struggles of Gond artists who are passionately keeping the Gond art form alive even today. Residing in Patangarh village, they carry forward this art legacy left by the legendary Gond tribal artist Late Shri Jangarh Singh Shyam.
2 pm to 5 pm
Herd Walk
Dir: Ankit Pogula; 01:02:53 min; Documentary; India
After 70 years of herding, Neelkanth Mama's walk is coming to a cruel halt. Meanwhile, Vajir’s attempt to keep walking his sheep is getting thwarted within his home. ‘No girl wants to marry a shepherd’, says his youngest son. Set on the Deccan plateau, Bhed Chal follows the gritty journey of the two Kurba shepherds as they negotiate through new aspirations, barricaded commons and a changing climate. All this to preserve what they call is the last connection between the civil and the wild.
Echelon Threads
Dir : Achin Phulre; 17.40 min; Documentary; 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.
They are not meant to tell this story
Dir : Deepanwita Goswami ; 13.21 min; Documentary; India; Student film
It is one of the regular days in the life of one Santhal family where 3kg of rice yields up to 9 litres of handia approximately. It is mostly the womenfolk who participate in the making of this drink. The film addresses further points of the conflict in the intersection of culture and economics.
In Memories
Dir : Jayshankar Ramu; 23.41 min; Documentary; India
An exploration of memory, utilizing a hybrid of digital video and 35mm black-and-white film photographs, through the contrast in the old and new spaces and faces of Pune city. While relating to, and visualizing the people’s memories of the space, time, art, sound and objects around them in relation to the changing city.
NAMARALI
Dir: Tim Mummery; 52:11; Australia; Documentary
NAMARALI is a documentary on the charting artist Donny (Yorna) Woolagoodja's quest to rekindle deep connections with his traditional ancestral culture. Yorna's spiritual beliefs revolve around the wandjina - creator beings whose images adorn the caves and rock ledges throughout the Kimberley in Western Australia. Refreshed with new ochre each year by his ancestors the wandjinas are now fading away with the absence of Yorna's people.
NAMARALI was created over 20 years by Tim Mummery and senior knowledge keeper Yorna Woolagoodja (2021 Red Ochre lifetime achievement award).
18 October
11 am to. 1pm
Thirai Virutham
Dir: Sugumar Shanmugam; 56:15; India; Documentary
All constituent components of Therukkoothu, the folk performing art that exists in Southern India, particularly in North Tamilnadu, has enormous scope to speculate and research.
In this documentary, Sugumar Shanmugam, a research scholar of Performing Arts Department, who comes from a Therukkoothu family background, using his experiences and explorations, compares Western Acting Theories and Acting Strategies in Therukkoothu.
Where the Mask Speaks the Mind
Dir : Malay Das Gupta; 66 min; Documentary; India
A tribute to the master mask-maker, Kanhaiyalal Maharana, this is an exploration of the meaning and structure of the mask that despite it being frozen comes to life as soon as the performer dances. His body magically seems to imbue the mask with a thousand expressions.
2 pm to 5 pm
Taanaa-baanaa
Dir : Shubhangi Bansai; 19.25 min; Documentary; India
Set in one of the last surviving weavers’ colonies of Delhi, the film follows the journey of a thread while intricately weaving the rhythms of the space with the conversations of the people who inhabit it.
My Radio My Life
Dir : Bidit Roy, Makarand Waikar; 68 min; Documentary; India
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.
Bird Trapper or Beggar (79min); Director: Vinod Raja)
The Hakki Pikkis are a free spirited nomadic tribe who began their wandering many generations ago in the North Western part of the Indian subcontinent. Over time they travelled through and settled in different states of the country. As they moved, they survived through trapping birds and hunting small game in the forests and selling them in cities and towns along with lucky charms and trinkets.
If the trap failed, begging was the next best bet! Exiled from the forest, reviled by the city, their traditional ways of life outlawed the Hakki Pikkis share their stories of wit and survival in the film that emerged through a series of community conversations held when we travelled with friends from a settlement in Bannerghatta, Bangalore to other settlements across Karnataka.
