Summer Film Festival 2026, Madurai

Summer Film Festival 2026, Madurai 

(yet to get the consent from the filmmakers)

2 May, Saturday; 10 am to 6 pm 

LENS Media Centre, Gnana Olivupuram

Curated by Amudhan RP

Jointly organised by MARUPAKKAM & LENS Media Centre

Schedule (subject to changes)

10.30 am Refreshment and Inauguration 

11 am

Analogue Natives

Dir: Bernd Lützeler; 25:33 min; Documentary; Germany, India

An expanded multi-genre documentary within the constraints of the so-called Masala Formula, popularly known from Indian cinema.

I want to come back

Dir: Sara Brun Moreno; 14:00 min; Short Fiction; Spain

Behind every adolescent suicide attempt lies a story of pain and disconnection. In adolescence, everything transforms: bodies, identities, and bonds shift without warning, and often no one truly understands. This short film forgoes explanations to focus on what remains: everyday objects, unanswered messages, rooms that fill with silence.

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.

2 pm 

Báaxpee: This Ground

Dir: Robin Starbuck; 29:42 min; Documentary; United States

Báaxpee: This Ground, is a lyrical and intimate documentary that traces the life and spiritual legacy of Ben Cloud, revered medicine chief of the Crow/Apsaalooke Nation and central figure in the sacred Sun Dance tradition. Far more than a portrait, the film becomes a living archive — a ceremonial act in itself — offering rare access to the inner world of the Apsáalooke as they carry ancient ritual into the twenty-first century. Merging personal memory with cultural transmission, Báaxpee: This Ground departs from conventional documentary form, embodying the quiet power and profound mystery of a spiritual practice rooted in land, lineage, and the unseen. Available with Spanish, German or Italian subtitles.

And the Fish Fly above Our Heads

Dir: Dima Adib El-Horr; 70 min; Documentary; Lebanon

Twenty years ago, I came to a public beach in Beirut to film, a woman observing a world of men. Among them was Réda, his body gleaming in the sun. I started filming him and others. Two decades later, I return to the same spot. To my astonishment, Réda is still there, as if time itself had not moved, only his face marked by wrinkles, his body by age. I begin filming him again, and his two friends, Qassem and Adel. By the sea, I film three men adrift, three aging and fatigued bodies, silent witnesses to a country collapsing under the weight of wars, social despair, and economic crisis.Expecting no miracle, they wait by the sea with the same quiet fatalism that shapes their lives. Their waiting becomes mine, in a space suspended between sleep and wakefulness, between dreams and reality, between past and present.

Dongar/Pani (Land/Water)

Dir: Sanjivani Kamble; 24:53 min; Short fiction; India

When Savi decides to leave behind the chaos of Bombay for a new job in Alibaug, her roommate Anu is left navigating the quiet storm of unspoken emotions. What begins as a simple farewell unfolds into a tender, introspective journey about love, and a friendship at the brink of change. It is a bittersweet coming-of-age story that explores the quiet ache of growing up, the choices we must make, and the bonds that shape us, even when they slip through our fingers.

4 pm 

The Battle Royale
Dir : Lalit Vachani; 87 min; Documentary; India

The Battle Royale tracks Mahua Moitra’s re-election campaign in the high stakes battleground constituency of Krishnanagar, West Bengal, as she fights for her political survival and for redemption and retribution. Pitted against her in a close three – cornered contest are the CPI(M)/INC candidate, S.M. Sadi, and the Rajmata (royal queen) of Krishnanagar, Amrita Roy, who is supported by the mighty BJP.

Note: We are waiting for the approval from the filmmakers