FEMINICHI FATHIMA (FEMINIST FATHIMA)
(2024; 99 minutes; Malayalam with English subtitles)
Director: Fasil Muhammed

With Shamla Hamza, Kumar Sunil, Akhil Nazim, Hanana Parveen, Pushpa Rajan.

Recipient of Best Malayalam Film, 72nd National Film Awards; Second Best Film, Best Actress and Best Debutant Director, Kerala State Film Awards; FIPRESCI, NETPAC and Jury Awards, 29th International Film Festival of Kerala

In a conservative Muslim family in Kerala, Fathima's determination to replace a worn-out mattress sets in motion an unexpected journey of self-discovery. Through her experiences, the film offers a sensitive reflection on women's agency, dignity and the quiet acts of resilience that challenge deeply entrenched social norms.

GONDHAL 
(2025; 120 minutes; Marathi with English subtitles)
Director: Santosh Davakhar

With Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Suresh Vishwakarma, Nishad Bhoir

Recipient of Silver Peacock for Best Director, 56th International Film Festival of India; Official Selection – Golden Peacock Competition, 56th International Film Festival of India.

Set against the backdrop of a traditional overnight Gondhal ritual in rural Maharashtra, the film follows a young bride whose desperate bid for freedom sets in motion a tense and unsettling chain of events. Blending folklore, ritual and psychological suspense, Gondhal explores power, faith and desire, while offering a compelling portrait of the social realities that shape life in the region. Atmospheric and richly rooted in local tradition, the film transforms a culturally significant ritual into a gripping meditation on oppression, resistance and human resilience.

Outsider. Freud

(2025; 66 mins.; Hebrew, English, German & French with English subtitles)
Director: Yair Qedar

Recipient of the 2025 Gradiva Award for Best Documentary, Movie, or Play; Best Feature Documentary/Animation at the Jaipur International Film Festival (2025)

Blending documentary, animation and dream sequences, Outsider. Freud offers an intimate portrait of Sigmund Freud, exploring how his experiences as a Jewish outsider in Vienna shaped both his personal life and the development of psychoanalysis.

Two Poets and a River

(75 minutes; 2021; Wakhi,Tajik and Dari with English subtitles)
Director: Richard K. Wolf

Recipient of the ICTM Prize for Best Documentary Film or Video at the International Council for Traditional Music, Portugal (2022) and an Official Selection at the RAI Film Festival, Bristol, UK (2023).

Set along the Oxus River, which separates Tajikistan and Afghanistan, the film explores themes of love, loss and belonging through the lives and musical poetry of two renowned Wakhi poet-musicians, Qurbonsho and Daulatsho. Against the backdrop of a border shaped by history, the film reflects on shared cultural heritage, memory and identity through music.

Followed by a post screening discussion with film-maker, Prof. Richard K. Wolf, G. Gordon Watts Professor of Music and Professor of South Asian Studies, Harvard University. The session will be moderated by Shubha Chaudhuri, Associate Director General (Academic), Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology, AIIS, Gurugram.

(Collaboration: American Institute of Indian Studies, Center for Art and Archaeology)

Partners of the Heart

(57 minutes; 2003; English)

Director:  Bill Duke and Andrea Kalin

Introductory Remarks: Dr A Sampath Kumar, Emeritus professor, AIIMS, New Delhi

Against the backdrop of a racially segregated America, the documentary explores the inspiring partnership between visionary surgeon Alfred Blalock and exceptional African American medical researcher Vivien Thomas, whose pioneering innovations forever changed the course of cardiac surgery.
 

SAMHiTA-Bharat ki Soch Public Lecture Series

Traditional Yoga and Hatha Yoga: Bridging Ancient Wisdom with Modern Health Practices

Speaker: Dr Sunil Sharma, Assistant Professor of Yoga, Centre for Yoga, Wellness & Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Sciences and Technology, Jaipur., and has served as Consultant with the Ministry of AYUSH.

Chair:  Prof. Alka Tyagi, Dyal Singh (Eve) College, DU

Traditional Yoga emphasizes self-discipline, meditation, and spiritual growth, while Haṭhayoga focuses on āsana, prāṇāyāma, and purification practices. Together, they offer timeless wisdom that supports physical health, mental well-being, and balanced living in modern society. Marking the International Day of Yoga 2026, this lecture will highlight the enduring relevance of Traditional Yoga and Haṭhayoga in fostering holistic health and well-being.

Fourth lecture of the series on “Health, Wellness and Nutrition”, organised by IIC- International Research Division and Bharat ki Soch Foundation

Tashi and the Monk
(52 minutes; 2014; English)
Director: Andrew Hinton and Johnny Burke

Recipient of the 2016 Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Documentary; Recipient of multiple international awards including the IDA Best Short Award and Pare Lorentz Award (2014)

The documentary that follows Buddhist monk Lobsang Phuntsok and the children of Jhamtse Gatsal, a Himalayan community built on love and compassion. Through the story of young Tashi, the film offers a deeply moving portrait of healing, belonging, and the transformative power of care.

(Collaboration: Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness The Dalai Lama)
 

Punishing the Professor

(28 minutes;2025; Tamil with English subtitles)

Director: Aayna, documentary filmmaker at People’s Archive of Rural India.

Special mention at Panchajianyam International Film festival (Kerala)

Dr.P. Senrayaperumal a Dalit folk artist was forced to drop out of school to play his part in the ancestral caste-bound genre of Raja Rani Attam folk performance. He and his brothers spent their childhood playing female roles — enduring slurs, sexual harassment, and bearing the burden of tradition. After 12 years at age 23, he made a desperate gamble to reclaim education all by himself, even while dancing through nights to survive. But his education, the very tool meant for liberation, became the reason for his punishment. Today, he is being questioned: Why did you even get educated?

Bollywood calling Lal Singh

(19 minutes;2026; Hindi with English Subtitles)

Director:  Aayna, documentary filmmaker at People’s Archive of Rural India

Pechanan (Identity)" traces Lal Singh's ongoing struggle to claim his identity. Hailing from a small agricultural labour family, he works as a cook in Mumbai to survive while over a decade tirelessly pursuing a dream that is questionable not for his lack of hard work and talent but for the space that he wishes to be a part of. This documentary follows Lal’s persistent journey through this intimidating and inspiring city space, where he navigates a capitalistic world to arrive at his individuality by claiming his aspirations.

The film screenings will be followed by a Q&A with P Sainath, Founder, Pari Network and the Director, Aayna

(Collaboration: People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI Network)
 

The Thinking Game
(84 minutes; 2024; English)
Director: Greg Kohs

Witness the thrilling highs and crushing lows of scientific discovery in The Thinking Game, a documentary that delves into the brilliant minds at DeepMind. Follow Demis Hassabis and his team as they pursue the quest to unlock the secrets of artificial general intelligence (AGI).

(Collaboration: Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama)

SAMHITA-BHARAT KI SOCH PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES 
Health, Wellness and Nutrition: An Ayurveda Perspective

Speaker: Prof. G. G. Gangadharan, Ayurveda expert and practitioner

Chair: Dr. Manoj Nesari, Advisor-Ayurveda, Ministry of AYUSH

Rooted in the timeless wisdom of Ayurveda, this lecture explores the connection between health, wellness, and nutrition through a holistic lens. It highlights how balanced living and natural practices can support overall well-being.

Prof. G. Gangadharan is an Ayurveda researcher and practitioner, with a PhD from Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune. He has worked extensively on the preservation and promotion of Ayurvedic practices, including medicinal plant conservation, local health traditions and standardization of clinical protocols, to ensure Ayurveda’s relevance and efficacy in the modern world.

Third lecture of the series on “Health, Wellness and Nutrition”, organised by IIC- International Research Division and Bharat ki Soch Foundation