17th Social Justice Film Festival 2023 : Screening Schedule (subject to changes)

Goethe-institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, Chennai 

and

MARUPAKKAM 

jointly present

17th Social Justice Film Festival 2023 

In association with

Department of Digital Journalism, 

DDU Kaushal Kendra, School of Media Studies 

- Loyola College 

Department of Visual Communication 

- Don Bosco Arts and Science College 

28-30 April / 11 am to 8 pm / Goethe-institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, Chennai 

Curated by Amudhan R.P.

Celebrating 132rd birthday of Dr Ambedkar

Screening Schedule (subject to changes) 

Day 1; 28 April 

11 am : Inauguration 

Chief Guests : 

Mr.Abdul Samad, MLA

Mr. Trotsky Maruthu 

11.30 am

Bonded 

Dir: Shobhit Jain; 56:19; India; Documentary

The film takes an ethnographic look into the life of a bonded labourer in a remote tribal village in central India. 

12.30 pm Panel Discussion 

Mr Neethi Rajan - journalist 

Mr. Arul Ezhilan - journalist

Mr Deveneyan - activist 

Mr. Prince Ennares Periyar - filmmaker

 Prof Rachel - Madras Christian College

2 pm 

Ripples Under the Skin

Dir : Farha Khatun; 29 min; India; Documentary 

‘Ripples of water’ tells the story of this man and this city – it tells the story of the Calcutta that lurks behind the glitz and glamour of today’s Calcutta, it tells the story of a community of migrant workers who had come to this city to make a living, a city that never invited them yet somehow they made home, a city that they built with their blood and sweat, yet ‘home’ remained elusive, a city that nourishes, waters itself through the toils of people like Nazim kaka, yet conveniently forgets, casts them away when it chooses to walk towards the future. 

In Search of Gold - a portrait of Kolar Gold Fields 

Dir : Basav Biradar; 34.43 min; India; Documentary

Set in the once thriving colonial gold mining township of Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), IN SEARCH OF GOLD attempts to understand the different lived and remembered histories of people who built this highly profitable enterprise. Aided by the grim imagery of now defunct mining operations, the film brings together narratives of collective socio-political struggles of the past, nostalgia for lost privilege, and the anxiety of an uncertain future, of a fragmented society. 

We Make Film

Dir : Shweta Ghosh; 80 min; India; Documentary 

At a time of ever increasing media access, anyone who wants to make a film should be able to make one. But what happens when you’re assumed as incapable or ‘difficult’ to work with, or need adjustments to make the creative process accessible? 

Set across three cities in India, We Make Film explores the creative journeys of d/Deaf and disabled filmmakers Debopriya, Mijo and Anuja. 

4.30 pm Panel Discussion 

Ms Malini Jeevarathnam - filmmaker 

Mr. Vijay Anand - media person

 Prof Azhagarasan - University of Madras

5 pm 

No Way Out

Dir : Sheikh Al Mamun; 61.12 min; Republic of Korea; Documentary 

18 years have passed since the implementation of the Employment Permit System, and through this system, many migrant workers have stepped on Korean land, with the goal of chasing their dreams. The protagonists of this film also came to Korea in search of a dream, but because there’s no freedom to change workplace in the Employment Permit System, their dreams are hitting the walls of reality.This is the story of 3 migrant workers living the harsh lives of laborers. 

Ecocide 

Dir : Andres Veiel; 90 min; Germany; Feature film / Docu-fiction / Mokumentary 

A court drama, as low-key as it is spectacular, about the climate catastrophe. It is 2034, and 31 nations have filed suit against the Federal Republic of Germany claiming damages for the consequences of climate change. Ecocide moves masterfully between the past, present and future, between docudrama and fictional documentary. 

7.30 pm Panel Discussion 

Mr. V Pakirisamy - media person

Ms Sara Abraham - advocate

Mr. R.R.Srinivasan - filmmaker

Day 2; 29 April 

11 am 

P for Pyaaz (Onion), P for Paisa (Money), P for Paani (Water) 

Dir: Laxminarayan Devda; 56:14; India; Documentary 

In the fragile hydrogeological region of Narmada valley, a sizable number of affluent farmers descend from the rich Malwa plateau to take land on lease from marginal farmers at an attractive price. They grow onion, a highly lucrative commercial crop, a trend that is soon followed by the local farmers as well. But Onion is a water-intensive crop - while the cash income is the target, what is the impact of the new practice on the depleting groundwater table? The filmmaker follows one season of farming and the market vulnerability of the perishable cash crop of onion against the fragile landscape. 

Koppa

Dir: Vivek Sangwan, Aishwarya Ravikumar; 15:44; India; Documentary 

This film was made in collaboration with the Kondh Adivasis of Odisha, to help sustain dialogues and reflections about the changing paradigm of agriculture. This film hopes to be a part of the continued effort to sustain dialogues with the community about the culture of debt-dependent chemical-intensive agriculture. 

12.15 pm Panel Discussion 

Ms Mubeen Sadhika - writer

Dr.M.Susithra - journalist 

Prof Sanjana Muralidharan - Don Bosco College of Arts and Science 

2 pm 

Awadagin Pratt: Black in America

Dir: Michelle Bauer Carpenter; 25:25; United States; Documentary

Awadagin Pratt: Black in America is a moving documentary that combines performance and interview footage to provide an intimate view of prejudice in America and the racial injustice faced by famous concert pianist Awadagin Pratt. 

LO QUE QUEDA EN EL CAMINO

Dir: Jakob Krese, Danilo Do Carmo; 01:33:00; Germany / Mexico; Documentary 

LO QUE QUEDA EN EL CAMINO tells the story of Lilian and her four children as they migrate in search for a better life. The family leaves Guatemala, joining a caravan of thousands of other people trying to reach the Mexico-US border. Being a single mother, this is Lilian’s best chance to make the dangerous journey. 

4 pm : Panel Discussion 

Prof Arulselvan - Pondicherry University

Ms.Samyuktha PC - media person

Mr. Yaazhan Aathi, poet

4.30 pm 

In A Dissent Manner 

Dir: Ehraz Zaman; 01:02:20; India; Documentary 

The campus of Aligarh Muslim University became a battleground on 15th December, 2019 when police and RAF forces entered the campus on the pretext of dispersing protestors, and inflicted what can only be described as one of the worst cases of police brutality, and violence on the students. 'In A Dissent Manner', through various footage, and accounts of students and professors, explores the events of that one single night and its horrific after-effects on many students. 

House Without Roof 

Dir: Soleen Yusef; 124 min; Germany; Feature film 

Three siblings born in the Kurdish part of Iraq who grew up in Germany – Liya, who performs as a singer in a night club; Jan, whose wife is expecting a child; and misfit Alan – return to their country of birth in order to fulfil their late mother’s last wishes. She wanted to be buried in her home village next to her husband, who was killed during the war against Saddam’s regime, but her relatives in Kurdistan are vehemently opposed to this. Wanting to fulfil their mother’s wish, the squabbling siblings make off with the coffin and, pursued by their furious relatives, embark on a strenuous journey through a land in which the Peschmerga are battling IS terrorists. 

7.30 pm panel discussion 

Ms. Archana Sekhar - activist 

Mr. Ajayan Bala - writer

Mr. Bharathi Krishnakumar - filmmaker, writer and orator 

Day 3; 30 April 

11 am 

Being the Other

Dir : Amudhan R.P.; 22 min; India; Documentary 

When your identity is questioned suddenly, where do you find solace? 

Siege in the Air

Dir : Muntaha Amin; 30 min; Documentary; India 

Women in Indian Administered Kashmir weave memory threads to piece together a narratorial picture of what it feels to live under perpetual uncertainty and unending cycles of lockdowns in Kashmir laying focus on the recent communication blockade of 2019, post the Article 370 abrogation. 

City Girls

Dir : Priya Thuvassery; 28.14 min; India; Documentary 

City Girls' is an intimate portrayal of two young girls from small towns of India now living in Delhi. The film attempts to deconstruct the image of ‘the city’ and what it means for a young woman brought up in an 'elsewhere' she's longed to escape from all her life. 

The Middle of the World

Dir : Erika Velenciana; 20 min; United States; Documentary

Three brave girls tell their harrowing stories through a combination of experimental camerawork and paper stop-motion animation to protect their identities, including animation created by survivors.

12.40 pm Panel Discussion 

Mr. Manushyaputhiran - poet

Ms. Sraiyanti - cinematographer

Ms.Uma Sakthi - poet

Mr. Jagannath Radhakrishan - filmmaker

2 pm 

Namaralli

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). 

                                                                Nasim

Dir: Arne Büttner, Ole Jacobs ; 102 min; Germany; Documentary

A documentary about refugees that addresses neither their journey to the country of refuge nor their integration. Instead, directors Arne Büttner and Ole Jacobs have made a film about stagnation: Nasim and her family are stranded on the island of Lesbos, at Moria refugee camp, which was still open in 2020. The directors observe the operation of the camp with a distant eye, concentrating on the everyday and inner life of the Afghan woman Nasim. Within the daily monotony, she develops an awareness of the opportunities that Europe will offer her – especially her rights as a woman. You can see the awakening of self-determination.

5 pm Panel Discussion 

Prof. Punitha Durairajan - Women's Christian College

Prof. Arul Aram - Anna University

Prof. Jaisakthivel -  University of Madras 

5.30 pm 

Cheepatakadumpa 

Dir: Devashish Makhija; 20:00; India; Short film 

‘CHEEPATAKADUMPA’ follows three women over less than a day as they awaken their naughty teenage alter egos when they meet again after years, unleashing mischief on each other, and in turn on the biased patriarchal belief systems of the India they were born into. In a masculine culture that is unduly serious about making the rules that women are expected to live by, can Teja, Santo and Tamanna find true and happy rebellion in the gasping throes of this mischief? 

Footprints 

Dir : Tathagata Ghosh; 23 min; India; Short film 

Pampa, a single mother and a lower caste slum dweller, works as domestic help for a dysfunctional middle class family. As her world comes crashing down at work one day, Pampa must stand up for herself by blurring the lines between the master and the maid. 

6.15 pm Panel Discussion 

Ms Poonguzhali - writer

Mr. Ravi Subramaniyan - filmmaker, poet

6.30 pm Closing Ceremony 

Chief guests :

Mr. Christhudoss Gandhi (Retd IAS officer)

Prof V Arasu