28th Social Justice Film Festival  

17-21 September 2025, Chennai 

Organised by MARUPAKKAM

Curated by Amudhan RP

Screening Schedule :

17 Sep : TN Govt MGR FTI, Tharamani; 11 am to 5 pm

18 Sep : Dr Ambedkar Govt Arts College, Vyasarpadi; 10 am to 1 pm 

19 Sep : Chennai Institute of Journalism, Kotturpuram; 11 am to 5 pm 

20 Sep : Agaram Foundation, T Nagar; 11 am to 5 pm 

21 Sep : Periyar Thidal, Veppery, 11 am to 5 pm 

Detailed Schedule (subject to changes)

17 September; TN Govt MGR FTI, Tharamani, Chennai; 11 am to 5 pm 

11 am to 1 pm 

Daddu Zindabad (Long Live Grandpa)

Dir : Samar Jain; 21 min; SF; India 

Log Kya Kahenge

Dir : Rafina Khatun; 40 min; Doc; India

A Woman Resurrected from the Sea

Dir : Nadeem Noushad; 26 min; Doc; India

When She Stares

Dir : Shimna; 11 min; SF; India 

Untitled - a Poetic Resistance

Dir : Syed Ahmad Rufai; 17 min; Doc; India 

2 pm to 5 pm 

Amma's Pride

Dir : Shiva Krish; 21 min; Doc; India

Dalit Subbaiah

Dir : Gridharan MKP; 85 min; Doc; India 

Cuando llegue la neblina 

Dir: Laurentia Genske; 23:23 min; Documentary; Germany

The Taste of Honey 

Dir: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan, Fabeha Monir; 15:00 min; Documentary; Bangladesh

GIRLS: WOMEN TOO EARLY

Dir: Paolo Patruno; 13:29 min; Documentary; Cameroon

18 September; Dr Ambedkar Govt Arts College, Vyasarpadi; 10 am to 

1 pm 

Oh Butterly

Dir :Prathap Bhaskardas; 8 min; SF; India

The Corpse Taker

Dir : Rithin Ravindran, Shemin Saidu; 26 min; Doc; India 

Kunjan

Dir : Anil Parakad; 15 min; SF; India 

Salavai

Dir : Kiruba Sagar; 23 min; SF; India 

Punishing the Professor

Dir : Aayna; 28 min; Doc; India

Ore Vaathiyam

Dir: Karthika P; 5:51 min; Animation films; India

Seaside

Dir : Iniya Vasanthan; 18.50 min; Documentary; India

Messi, Maradona & Tremenheere

Dir: Logesh S; 20:33 min; Documentary; India

19 September; Chennai Institute of Journalism, Kotturpuram; 10 am to 4 pm 

10 am to 1 pm 

Thiruvarangar 

Dir : Shaji A John; 40 min; Doc; India

Salavai

Dir : Kiruba Sagar; 23 min; SF; India 

Punishing the Professor

Dir : Aayna; 28 min; Doc; India

The Unjust and Beyond

Dir : Ratheesh Mon Panampatta; 22.43 min; Documentary; India 

2 pm to 5 pm 

White Slam - a documentary and Carrom

Dir Satish Ganapathy; 31.35 min; India;

Only if the Baby Cries...

Dir: Shadab Farooq; 14:58 min; Documentary; India

Under The Scorching Sun

Dir: Prathap Ramamurthy, Jagannath Radhakrishnan; 17:08 min; Documentary; USA; 2023

Dalit Subbaiah

Dir : Gridharan MKP; 85 min; Doc; India 

Amma's Pride

Dir : Shiva Krish; 21 min; Doc; India

20 September; Agaram Foundation, T Nagar; 11 am to 5 pm 

11 am to 1 pm 

Ricard Dance

Dir : Shihab Ongallur; 55 min; Doc; India 

Garment Kelsa 

Produced by Cividep India; 45 min; Doc; India 

2 pm to 5 pm 

Untitled - a Poetic Resistance

Dir : Syed Ahmad Rufai; 17 min; Doc; India 

The Story of Yuvraj and Shajahan

Dir : Santhosh Ram; 25 min; SF; India 

Daddu Zindabad (Long Live Grandpa)

Dir : Samar Jain; 21 min; SF; India 

Log Kya Kahenge

Dir : Rafina Khatun; 40 min; Doc; India

A Woman Resurrected from the Sea

Dir : Nadeem Noushad; 26 min; Doc; India

Thiruvarangar 

Dir : Shaji A John; 40 min; Doc; India

21 September; Periyar Thidal, Veppery ; 11 am to 5 pm 

11 am to 1 pm 

A Good Wife

Dir : Anuradha Bansal ; 90 min; Doc; India

When She Stares

Dir : Shimna; 11 min; SF; India 

Untitled - a Poetic Resistance

Dir : Syed Ahmad Rufai; 17 min; Doc; India 

2 pm 

The Story of Yuvraj and Shajahan

Dir : Santhosh Ram; 25 min; SF; India 

Formless Form

Dir : Debaranjan; 60 min; Doc; India 

Sathyapullu (The Magical Grass)

Dir : Ramdas Kadavallur; 67 min; Doc; India 

4.30 pm : Closing ceremony

27th Social Justice Film Festival, Bengaluru

27th Social Justice Film Festival, Bengaluru 

St Joseph's University, Bengaluru

Curated by Amudhan RP

Organised by Department of English, St Joseph's University, Bengaluru

9.30 am to 4.30 pm 

9.30 am : Inauguration 

10 am to 12.30 pm 

Messi, Maradona & Tremenheere

Dir: Logesh S; 20:33 min; Documentary; India

Synopsis: 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.

Only if the Baby Cries...

Dir: Shadab Farooq; 14:58 min; Documentary; India

Synopsis: In the world's only deaf-mute village where silence reigns, tension mounts as Misra Khatoon approaches childbirth. The villagers surround her home and beat drums seeking a response from the newborn.

Lyari Notes

Dir : Miriam Chandy Menacherry, Maheen Zia; 70 min; India / Pakistan

In Pakistan a rock star teaches a group of girls to express themselves through music in Karachi’s most volatile district. Hamza Jafri travels in an armed vehicle. He is a musician famous for his hard hitting political lyrics since the 1990s. Since then religious fundamentalism has been on the rise with shops selling music torched, concerts bombed and musicians threatened with death. Seeing the shrinking space for music and artists Hamza opens a music school. Captured over 3 years Lyari Notes is the narrative of four young girls who attend Hamza’s music school and learn what it takes to express oneself despite the cycles of violence.

12.30 pm Lunch break

1.30 pm to 4.30 pm 

Dreams Awaken (Jaagte Khwaab)

Dir: Aprajita Gupta; 18:54 min; Documentary; India

Synopsis: If dreams had eyes of their own, would they see reality for what it is? A queer desire transcends from a night's dream to the day's reality when the filmmaker starts filming her everyday. The camera becomes the 'I' and travels through spaces to seek an understanding of its puzzled sense of being. The film is a jumbled self-expression.

Her Name was Sita

Dir: Heshani H Sothiraj Eddleston; 24:00 min; Documentary; United Kingdom

Synopsis: Her Name Was Sita is a short documentary exploring the concept of a virtuous woman and how shame and honour can lead to self-harm and suicide in Nepal.

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.”

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.

The Taste of Honey
Dir: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan, Fabeha Monir; 15:00 min; Documentary; Bangladesh
Synopsis: A resilient tiger widow from the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans (Bangladesh), Shorbanu Khatun, grapples with the relentless impacts of climate change, struggling to provide for her children while preserving the endangered traditions of honey and Gol leaf collecting amidst a world of increasing storms, salinity, and societal ostracism.

Longing

Dir : Bani Singh; 75 min; India 

Against the backdrop of Partition, newly independent India’s first hockey team defeats England, their erstwhile coloniser, to win the Gold at the 1948 London Olympics. Six decades later, when Nandy Singh, a member of this iconic team suffers a stroke at the age of 84, his tenacious will to recover inspires his daughter to go on a journey to discover the champion he was before she was born.

Amudhan RP

9940642044 / 9444025348

28th Social Justice Film Festival, Chennai : Selected Contemporary Indian Films List

 28th Social Justice Film Festival 2025

17-21 September, multiple venues, Chennai 

Selected Contemporary Indian Films :

1) Daddu Zindabad (Long Live Grandpa)

Dir : Samar Jain; 21 min; SF; India 

2) OH BUTTERFLY 

Dir :Prathap Bhaskardas; 8 min; SF; India

3) A Good Wife

Di : Anuradha Bansal ; 90 min; Doc; India

4) The Corpse Taker

Dir : Rithin Ravindran, Shemin Saidu; 26 min; Doc; India 

5) Log Kya Kahenge

Dir : Rafina Khatun; 40 min; Doc; India

6) Ricard Dance

Dir : Shihab Ongallur; 55 min; Doc; India 

7) A Woman Resurrected from the Sea

Dir : Nadeem Noushad; 26 min; Doc; India

8) Thiruvarangar 

Dir : Shaji A John; 40 min; Doc; India

9) When She Stares

Dir : Shimna; 11 min; SF; India 

10)  Untitled - a Poetic Resistance

Dir : Syed Ahmad Rufai; 17 min; Doc; India 

11) Salavai

Dir : Kiruba Sagar; 23 min; SF; India 

12) Kunjan

Dir : Anil Parakad; 15 min; SF; India 

13) Punishing the Professor

Dir : Aayna; 28 min; Doc; India

14) Sathyapullu (The Magical Grass)

Dir : Ramdas Kadavallur; 67 min; Doc; India 

15) Formless Form

Dir : Debaranjan; 60 min; Doc; India 

16) Garment Kelsa 

Produced by Cividep India; 45 min; Doc; India

17) Dalit Subbaiah

Dir : Gridharan MKP; 85 min; Doc; India 

18) The Story of Yuvraj and Shajahan

Dir : Santhosh Ram; 25 min; SF; India 

19) Amma's Pride

Dir : Shiva Krish; Produced by Chithra Jeyaram, D'Lo, Shiva Krish; 21 min; Doc; India

Amudhan RP

Curator

28th SJFF 2025