23rd Social Justice Film Festival, Chennai
12-15 September 2024
Screening Schedule (subject to changes)
12 September; Dr Ambedkar Government Arts College, Vyasarpadi (open to all)
10 am to 1 pm
Pechi (28 min)
Dir: Abhilash Selvamani; 28 min; Short fiction; India
A film is about a shepherd and his mother’s funeral.
Eriyum Panickadu
Dir: Santhosh Basker; 17 min; Short fiction; India
An innocent boy is harassed and abused for wrong reasons by the law.
Saaya
Dir: Vidi; 12 min; Short fiction.; India
Saaya revolves around Sakshi, a newly married woman, who struggles to connect with her step daughter Maya, a 12-year-old girl grieving her mother’s death.
Angrezi Glass
Dir: Ariba Fatima; Sandeep Kauir; 14 min; Short fiction; India
‘Angreji Glass' is a short fiction film that revolves around Jeeta; a 12-year-old boy who comes from a middle class Punjabi family with strict parents. He has a sweet tooth and is accustomed to enjoy the simple pleasure of savouring sugarcane juice everyday after school with his best friend, Akram.
Chirbhog
Dir : Nilesh Yashwant Ambedkar; 16 min; Short fiction; India
This is the story of Yashwant, a low-caste boy from a tribal family, whose father works as a sewer cleaner in the village, and the village believes that Yashwant will also do the same job in the future.
Munghyar
Dir: Nilesh Yashwant Ambedkar; 30 min; Short fiction; India
The caste panchayat in his village decide to ostracise Shankar's family for not keeping his word about the marriage of his daughter.
Closer than they Appear
Dir: Aathis Che; 6 min; Short fiction; India
A film about caste based violence told sharply and shortly.
The Challengers
Dir : Rhonda Chan Soo; 21 min; Documentary; Trinidad and Tobago
“The Challengers”, a competitive underdog volleyball club, nurtures a community of Venezuelan refugees and asylum-seekers in Trinidad and Tobago.
13 September; Women’s Christian College, Nungambakkam (for students only)
12.30 to 4.30 pm
Pushpa ka Richshaw
Dir: Aajad Singh Khichi; 15 min; Documentary; India
In a remote village of Charbardi, in central India, Puspha Didi breaks the stereotype by driving the e-rickshaw, the first women driver in the entire tehsil, not marred by the people casting doubts on the capabilities of a woman as a driver.
Artists
Dir: Iqbal Hussain; 25 min; Documentary; India
Today, the Nayak Bhopa community finds itself in a new reality, facing new challenges as the fate of its cultural heritage hangs awaiting an uncertain future. As they survive this changing landscape with newly acquired skills, the question arises: how will their sacred art of singing hymns shape their existence?
Antardhristi
Dir: Aajad Singh Khichi; 25 min; Documentary; India
The area around Bhikangaon in West Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh is one of the most drought-affected areas. A marginalized farming family, whose land has recently seen the construction of a farm pond.
The Call for Kandhadhar
Dir: Tarun Kumar Mishra; 26 min; Documentary; India
Situated on the borders of Keonjhar and Sundergarh districts of Odisha, the Khandadhar hill range is known for its beautiful bio-diversities and rich mineral deposits.
Janam Aur Jeevan
Dir: Mohan Kumawat, Sania Hasmi; 19 min; Documentary; India
Janam Aur Jeevan is a film about the hardships of pregnancy in rural India and
women’s right to maternity benefits. A baby’s birth brings such joy and celebration but how
often do we think about every mother’s need for health and comfort?
Saaya
Dir: Vidi; 12 min; Short fiction.; India
Saaya revolves around Sakshi, a newly married woman, who struggles to connect with her step daughter Maya, a 12-year-old girl grieving her mother’s death.
Angrezi Glass
Dir: Ariba Fatima; Sandeep Kauir; 14 min; Short fiction; India
‘Angreji Glass' is a short fiction film that revolves around Jeeta; a 12-year-old boy who comes from a middle class Punjabi family with strict parents. He has a sweet tooth and is accustomed to enjoy the simple pleasure of savouring sugarcane juice everyday after school with his best friend, Akram.
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.
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.
14 September; Don Bosco Arts and Science College, Kilpakkam (open to all)
9 am to 1 pm
Eriyum Panickadu
Dir: Santhosh Basker; 17 min; Short fiction; India
An innocent boy is harassed and abused for wrong reasons by the law.
Pushpa ka Richshaw
Dir: Aajad Singh Khichi; 15 min; Documentary; India
In a remote village of Charbardi, in central India, Puspha Didi breaks the stereotype by driving the e-rickshaw, the first women driver in the entire tehsil, not marred by the people casting doubts on the capabilities of a woman as a driver.
Artists
Dir: Iqbal Hussain; 25 min; Documentary; India
Today, the Nayak Bhopa community finds itself in a new reality, facing new challenges as the fate of its cultural heritage hangs awaiting an uncertain future. As they survive this changing landscape with newly acquired skills, the question arises: how will their sacred art of singing hymns shape their existence?
Antardhristi
Dir: Aajad Singh Khichi; 25 min; Documentary; India
The area around Bhikangaon in West Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh is one of the most drought-affected areas. A marginalized farming family, whose land has recently seen the construction of a farm pond.
The Call for Kandhadhar
Dir: Tarun Kumar Mishra; 26 min; Documentary; India
Situated on the borders of Keonjhar and Sundergarh districts of Odisha, the Khandadhar hill range is known for its beautiful bio-diversities and rich mineral deposits.
Janam Aur Jeevan
Dir: Mohan Kumawat, Sania Hasmi; 19 min; Documentary; India
Janam Aur Jeevan is a film about the hardships of pregnancy in rural India and
women’s right to maternity benefits. A baby’s birth brings such joy and celebration but how
often do we think about every mother’s need for health and comfort?
Closer than they Appear
Dir: Aathis Che; 6 min; Short fiction; India
A film about caste based violence told sharply and shortly.
Munghyar
Dir: Nilesh Yashwant Ambedkar; 30 min; Short fiction; India
The caste panchayat in his village decide to ostracise Shankar's family for not keeping his word about the marriage of his daughter.
Pechi (28 min)
Dir: Abhilash Selvamani; 28 min; Tamil; Short fiction
A film is about a shepherd and his mother’s funeral.
Chirbhog
Dir : Nilesh Yashwant Ambedkar; 16 min; Short fiction; India
This is the story of Yashwant, a low-caste boy from a tribal family, whose father works as a sewer cleaner in the village, and the village believes that Yashwant will also do the same job in the future.
13 September; Annai Maniammayar Hall - Periyar Thidal, Veppery (Open to all)
5.30 pm to 8.30 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…
1948, what we knew
Dir: Jill Daniels; 14 min; Documentary; United Kingdom
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.
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.
Artists
Dir: Iqbal Hussain; 25 min; Documentary; India
Today, the Nayak Bhopa community finds itself in a new reality, facing new challenges as the fate of its cultural heritage hangs awaiting an uncertain future. As they survive this changing landscape with newly acquired skills, the question arises: how will their sacred art of singing hymns shape their existence?
14 September; Annai Maniammayar Hall - Periyar Thidal, Veppery (Open to all)
11 am
Grow Vasu
Dir: Arshak; 60 min; Documentary; India
Grow Vasu is a biographical documentary on the life of comrade Ayinoor Vasu aka Grow Vasu, a leader of the working class, as well as a champion of Muslim, Dalit, and marginalized communities and human rights movements.
Profiled
Dir: Kathleen Foster; 53 min; Documentary; USA
Profiled knits the stories of mothers of black and Latin youth murdered by the NYPD into a powerful indictment of racial profiling and police brutality, and places them within a historical context of the roots of racism in the U.S.
2 pm to 6 pm
The Challengers
Dir : Rhonda Chan Soo; 21 min; Documentary; Trinidad and Tobago
“The Challengers”, a competitive underdog volleyball club, nurtures a community of Venezuelan refugees and asylum-seekers in Trinidad and Tobago.
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.
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.
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.
Afghan Women : A History of Struggle
Dir: Kathleen Foster; 70 min; Documentary; USA
AFGHAN WOMEN:A HISTORY OF STRUGGLE, captures the resilience and courage of a group of remarkable women who risk their lives to tell the hidden stories of their fight against oppressive fundamentalist forces, and the role of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R in this compelling history of struggle.
15 September, Annai Maniammayar Hall - Periyar Thidal, Veppery
(Open to all)
11 am
Herd Walk (62 min)
Dir: Ankit Pogula; 62 min; Documentary; India
Set on the Deccan plateau, Herd Walk follows the gritty journey of the two Kurba shepherds as they negotiate through new aspirations, barricaded commons and a changing climate.
Namaralli
Tim Mummery; 52 min; Documentary; Australia
NAMARALI is a 50min documentary 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.
2 pm to 6 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…
The Call for Kandhadhar
Dir: Tarun Kumar Mishra; 26 min; Documentary; India
Situated on the borders of Keonjhar and Sundergarh districts of Odisha, the Khandadhar hill range is known for its beautiful bio-diversities and rich mineral deposits.
Kumva - which comes from silence
Dir: Sarah Mallegol; 108 min; Documentary; France / Rwanda
Kumva wanders through the memories of men and women who experienced the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda as young children. Their failing memory of a childhood lost collides with that of their parents, who have kept their silence for too long.
Jointly organised by
Department of Visual Communication - Dr Ambedkar Government Arts College
PG Department of Communication - Women’s Christian College
Department of Visual Communication - Don Bosco Arts and Science College
Periyar Self Respect Media & MARUPAKKAM
Curated by Amudhan RP
9940642044 / 9444025348
sjff@gmail.com
www.socialjusticefilmfestivals.blogspot.com
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