32nd Social Justice Film Festival, Chennai
17-19 September, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan
Jointly organised by MARUPAKKAM & Goethe-Institut
Curated by Amudhan RP
Total Schedule :
17 Sep : 3 pm to 8 pm
18 Sep : 10 am to 8 pm
19 Sep : 10 am to 8 pm
Detailed Schedule (subject to changes)
17 September, Thursday
3 pm
Emergency
Dir : Olivier Laval; 78 min; Documentary; Belgium
In the fall of 2019, faced with increasingly insistent protests from healthcare workers, four comedians from the Belgian theater scene embarked on the creation of a documentary piece dedicated to the world of healthcare.
It was the beginning of a long and demanding artistic process to bring to the stage the voices of those who—every day—fight for our health.
4.30 pm : Tea break
5 pm : Inauguration
5.30 pm : German film
18 September, Friday
10 am to 1 pm
The Waves will Never Stop
Dir : Kartik Sreenivasan, Sai Krishna L V, Sanjana Reddy; 10 min; Documentary; India
Twenty years after the 2004 Tsunami’s devastation in Bommayapalayam, Narayanan, a fisherman, carries vivid memories of that fateful morning- raging waves that shattered lives and swept away hundreds of homes in the village where he grew up. He and his crew continue to fish in those same waters, while the haunting ruins scattered along the shore linger silently, stuck in time. Amidst Narayanan's ventures into the sea each morning and his wife awaiting for his return at the shore, lies a quiet testament to hope and resilience, unfolding the community's enduring spirit.
Loving Karma
Dir : Johnny Burke, Andrew Hinton; 80 min; Documentary; UK, USA, India
In the remote foothills of the Himalayas, former monk Lobsang Phuntsok has built Jhamtse Gatsal—“The Garden of Love and Compassion”—a community for children who have endured abandonment, neglect, and profound trauma. Once a spiritual teacher in the United States, Lobsang returned to India to create the kind of refuge he never had as a troubled orphan himself.
Unwritten Verses
Dir : Fathima Shanaz; 12 min; SF; Sri Lanka
Fathima, a 25 year old woman, seeks a divorce through the Quazi court. Her journey to obtain justice becomes challenging as she faces procedural delays, lack of support, and emotional hardship. The film follows her experiences within the system, highlighting the struggles many women encounter while trying to secure their rights. Fathima portrays one woman’s effort to find fairness and independence within the existing legal and social framework.
Bholi Aisi Bol
Dir : Dhananjay Bhawalekar; 22 min; Documentary; India
Voice of the Mountains (बोली ऐसी बोल) is a poetic documentary set in the Himalayan villages, where nature and human life are deeply intertwined. Through intimate conversations between farmers and families the film captures the growing crisis of climate change, vanishing traditions, and shifting aspirations.
Speaking of Our Rights
Dir : Iqbal Hussain; 23 min; Documentary; India
It is the story of village women who are continuously working to solve the basic problems of their village through participatory meetings. Phoolvanti Bai and Radha Bai are two brave women who break old mindsets and move forward to address village issues, while also bringing more women along in this journey.
2 pm to 5 pm
Thayakam (Mother Land)
Dir : Amita Arudpragasam; 76 min; Documentary; Sri Lanka
Thayakam (motherland) follows a disillusioned environmentalist as he journeys through Sri Lanka’s Northern and Northwestern provinces—regions primarily inhabited by the Tamil-speaking minority and still deeply scarred by 26 years of civil war. In an era of record-breaking global temperatures and soaring carbon emissions, Sri Lanka consistently ranks among the top ten most climate-vulnerable nations in the world.
A Women’s Court
Dir : Samiksha Kherde; 18 min; Documentary; India
The documentary follows women who gather in Nari Adalats in rural Bihar to address conflicts within their communities. Many once came here with their own disputes and now return to listen and help work things out.
The film stays with the Adalat as a space where women sit, listen, question, and mediate in sometimes brutal cases.
Dear Panther
Dir : Dhananjay Nirmalaxman Sable; 15 min; SF; India
India today stands at a crossroads of immense progress and glaring inequality. While the nation celebrates advancement such as launching Chandrayan 3, it simultaneously neglects a critical segment of its educated population. A PhD student wrestles with the local Municipal Corporation for his rightful house, symbolizing a broader fight against governmental injustice.
The One Who Plays
Dir : Shobhita Thakur; 27 min; SF; India
Sapna, a 12-year-old girl from the denotified Banchhada caste of Madhya Pradesh (India), dreams of becoming a doctor, inspired by the confidence of a lady doctor who works at the village primary healthcare clinic.
Caste, Constitution, Justice
Dir: Amal Raj;. 34.49 min; Documentary; India
This documentary attempts to trace the constitutional struggle undertaken and spearheaded by (late) Mr P S Krishnan, IAS (of 1956 batch). He along with like-minded IAS officials, dreamt an impossible dream, i.e., to dismantle the caste system and reclaim the dignity, rights and justice on behalf of the SC, ST and OBCs and other marginalised communities of India.
5 pm : Tea break
5.30 pm
Gail & Bharat
Dir : Somnath Waghmare; 80 min; Marathi, Hindi; Documentary; India
Gail & Bharat traces the extraordinary life and partnership of sociologist Gail Omvedt and activist Bharat Patankar, weaving together love, scholarship, and decades of grassroots struggle within India’s anti-caste movements. Blending personal memory with political history, the film preserves a vital legacy of resistance, thought, and transformative social action.
7 pm
Bali
Dir: Amoli Birewar; 25:45 min; Documentary; India
In a small village in Maharashtra, Sujata, a young girl from the Banjara tribe, is at that fleeting age when anything feels possible. She dreams of becoming a kabaddi player, inspired by the movies she loves. But as her school years come to an end, she is pushed toward a forced marriage, like generations of women before her. A district-level tournament becomes her last chance to change her future. As she steps onto the Kabaddi court, Sujata slips into a Bollywood-tinted dream, momentarily becoming the hero of her own story.
19 September, Saturday
10 am
Sangeeta Manisha
Dir: Shobhit Jain; 71 min; Documentary; Nimadi, Hindi; India
Set against the rugged backdrop of the Narmada valley in Central India, "Sangeeta, Manisha" offers a sobering glimpse into the lives of two families from a remote tribal village. As their young daughters are admitted to the Nutrition Rehabilitation Center (NRC) for treatment of severe malnutrition, the documentary unfolds with a quiet intensity.
Dare to Dream
Dir: Ranu Ghosh; 83 min; Hindi, Rebari; Documentary; India
The film explores the life and tribulations of Ganeshi, a frail looking girl of 16 years belonging to the Rabari community in Southern Rajasthan, India. Ganeshi’s destiny was decided by her parents and community elders when married off at the age of 4 years. The film follows Ganeshi for 5 critical years of her life, when she must negotiate and fight within her community to pursue her dreams.
2 pm
Social Swami
Dir : Dr. Abhilash Babu; 91 min; Documentary; India
Social Swami is a 2026 Malayalam documentary which examines the relation between sanyasa and caste oppression in India. It has been observed that people belonging to oppressed communities espouse sanyasa as a means to dignity and social status though the goals can't be achieved completely in the Indian context due to the influence caste hierarchy has in India.
The Balance Sheet: World Bank & its 80-year legacy
Dir: Joe Athialy; 70 min; Documentary; India
For 80 years, the World Bank and IMF have fuelled displacement, inequality, fossil dependence, and authoritarian regimes—while claiming to fight poverty. The Balance Sheet exposes their legacy and sinister designs, and celebrates global resistance by indigenous people, women, and marginalised communities who dared to challenge their exploitative development model.
5 pm
The Third
Dir: Niladri Sekhar Dassarma; 61 min; Documentary; India
TRITIYA – the third, is a documentary on the fierce journey of a transgender poetess and social activist Rani Mazumdar. It showcases Rani’s fight against the social and political challenges and her desires of being a transperson.
Chokkammal
Dir : Amudhan RP; 75 min; Documentary; India
Tamil Nadu has the highest number of working women in India. These women workers contribute financially to support their families and the country. Chokkammal is one of them, toiling endlessly and carrying the burden of being the primary breadwinner as her family learns to adapt to new developments.
7.30 pm : Closing ceremony
