24th Social Justice Film Festival 2024, Bengaluru

24th Social Justice Film Festival 

3,4 October 2024; St Joseph’s University, Bengaluru  

Curated by Amudhan RP

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

Screening Schedule:

3 October; 9 am to 12 pm  

Beyond Ratings 
Dir: Aparajita Gupta; 37 min; Documentary; India 

Three women share their experience of navigating the app-world in the metro city. The sharings reveal gendered battles as platform workers and the tiresome reality of gig-workers' identities against the absent bosses, masked behind their apps. 

In between us (Humare Beech Mein) 
Dir : Rajkumar Prajapati, Ruchika Negi; 35 min; Documentary; India 

In Between Us is a conversation between two women about making a film on caste. 

Last Summer 
Dir : Ihar Chyschenia; 40.47 min; Documentary; Poland / Belarus 

The film tells the story of teenage skaters from Minsk who are enjoying the summer of 2020, probably the most difficult summer in the history of Belarus. They will never forget that summer: they fall in love, argue, reconcile, disappoint, laugh, go to clubs, prepare for exams, sing songs, but most of all they skateboard. 

On Mothers and Daughters in Times of Injustice 
Dir : Talia Jawitz; 28.48 min; Documentary; South Africa 

Through old letters, Merle revisits her past as an anti-Apartheid activist, which fractured her relationship with her mother forever. At the same time, she faces her privilege in today's South Africa and her relationship with her own daughter. 

4 October; 9 am to 5 pm  

9 am to 12 pm  

Prisoner No. 626710 is Present 
Dir : Lalit Vachani; 60 min; Documentary; India  

Prisoner No. 626710 waits interminably for a bail hearing in court. 
Meanwhile, two friends who await his release, reminisce and discuss the events and the 
circumstances that led to his arrest… 

Colors of Kollywood : A Melanin Deficiency 
Dir: Paro Salil; 25 min; Documentary; India  

Through this documentary, the trend of Colour Discrimination (a.k.a Colourism) in Tamil Cinema, especially pertaining to Actresses, is examined through the lens of Industry Professionals, Artists as well as Social Activists and the common people. 

The Road Back Home 
Dir: Shobhit Jain; 47 min; Documentary; India  

The film brings into focus the poverty situation in Kalahandi, Bolangir, Koraput – known as the KBK districts in Odisha. These are some of the most backward and deprived regions in India in spite of their rich resources, the hot-spots of distress migration and rising left-wing extremism. 

On the Right Track 
Dir : Devashish Shukla, Sam Venkat, Isha Tomar, Niv, Ritu Raj; 40 min; Documentary; India  

“On the Right Track” delves deep into the beating heart of Mumbai's bustling railway system, juxtaposing its scenic beauty with the realities of change. 

1 pm to 4 pm  

A Letter To Lanka 
Dir: Ilakkiya Mariya Simon; 28:00; Norway; Documentry 

A Letter To Lanka moves between memories of the civil war to the present political turmoil. Told through a poetic and personal journey of the filmmaker`s reconnection to land, soil and people, it invites the audiences into existential questions of belonging in a chaotic world. What does it mean to be at home in the world? What binds people together, and what can break them apart? 

Drifting  (Not yet approved) 
Dir: Somnur Vardar; 01:07:00; Turkey; Documentary 

Covered in dust, a city by the sea loses its identity and memories while drifting apart from sea and sky. The notable daytime “silhouettes” on construction sites become real characters at night with their longing for home, anxieties for unclear future and their young burned-out bodies. While watching the dramatic changes in urban texture, we meet two young Kurdish cousins working in constructions, just like their fathers and grandfathers did for decades. Ferhat is a teacher, waiting to be assigned while working in constructions. His cousin Emrah plans going to university also to become a teacher. They both dream of a different life, wanting to break the vicious cycle of construction work. 

1948, what we knew 
Dir: Jill Daniels; 14 min; United Kingdom; Documentary 

An autobiographical documentary filmed on a smartphone in London at the start of the Israeli state's murderous attack on Gaza, three Jewish women of European heritage - Ruth, Gail and me, all born in 1948, the same year as the Israeli state - discuss the (fairy) stories of empty deserts and false dreams of Jewish salvation we heard about Israel growing up. 

Things Will Be Different 
Dir: Lucie McMahon; 50:00; Australia; Documentary 

Things Will Be Different documents two neighbours’ experiences of displacement as they are forced to relocate from the Walker Street public housing estate in Northcote, Melbourne when it is sold for private redevelopment. The film explores the impact of losing one’s home and the important role public housing plays in our communities. The film is made by local filmmakers Celeste De Clario Davis and Lucie McMahon. 

We welcome you all!