One of India’s most alternative, off beat and eclectic film festivals held once a year in McLeod Ganj in Dharmshala, the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) was first started in 2012. Conceptualized by filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam of White Crane Films as a means of bringing quality contemporary, independent Indian and World Cinema to the culturally diverse location of Dharamshala. On 3rd and 4th October, we present a selection of the finest films presented at DIFF 2015

 

Kothanodi (The River of Fables; Assamese)

(115 min; 2015; dvd; English subtitles)

Directed by Bhaskar Hazarika who will introduce the film

 

Recipient of the Award for Best Feature Film in Assamese, National Film Awards, 2016

 

Kothadodi is an adaptation of four stories from the Assamese folktale compendium Buri Ai’r Xadhu (Grandma’s Tales). Set in pre-colonial India, the narrative concerns four mothers caught up in various acts of grisliness, irrationality and magic realism. Although anchored in the past, the film refers to present day crimes against women in Assam, including infanticide and witch hunting. Director Bhaskar Hazarika pushes the tales in dark, unorthodox directions, where magic is real, emotions are raw and horror is visceral