Lusophone Film Festival

O Voo do Crocodilo – O Timor de Ruy Cinatti (The Flight of The Crocodile) - (Timor-Leste)

(71 minutes;2024; Portuguese)

Director:  Fernando Vendrell

A documentary on Portuguese poet and anthropologist Ruy Cinatti, capturing his profound connection with Timor-Leste, its people, and traditions, through archival footage and writings that reflect a period of cultural and historical transition.

At 16:41

O Que Podem as Palavras (What Words Can Do) – (Portugal)

(76 minutes;2022; Portuguese)

Director:  Luísa Marinho and Luísa Sequeira

This documentary offers an intimate portrait of the “Three Marias”—Maria Isabel Barreno, Maria Teresa Horta, and Maria Velho da Costa—whose ground breaking 1972 work New Portuguese Letters challenged social norms and censorship under Portugal’s dictatorship. Through archival material and testimonies, the film reflects on the power of words as acts of resistance and transformation.

At 18:17

As Primeiras (The First Women) – (Brazil)

(78 minutes;2024; Portuguese)

Director:  Adriana Yañez

This documentary follows a group of women now in their sixties who share a remarkable past as pioneers of Brazil’s first women’s football team. Through their memories and experiences, the film reflects on resilience, friendship, and the challenges they faced in breaking gender barriers in sport.

At 19:35

Orlando Pantera (Orlando Pantera) – (Cape Verde)

(80 minutes;2025; Portuguese)

Director:  Catarina Alves Costa

This documentary revisits the life and legacy of Cape Verdean musician Orlando Pantera, whose promising career was cut short at the age of 33. Through archival material, music, and testimonies, the film reconstructs his artistic journey and celebrates his enduring influence on Cape Verde’s musical identity.

Celebrate World Portuguese Language Day with a curated screening of films from across the Portuguese-speaking world.

(Collaboration: Portuguese Embassy Cultural Centre)
 

Lusophone Film Festival

Opening Remarks followed by a Presentation of the Poetry book by Domingos Raul

At 18:50

Vou Mudar a Cozinha -The Kitchen- (Angola)

(30 minutes;2022; Portuguese)

Director:  Ondjaki

Set in the aftermath of the Angolan Civil War, the film reflects on the lingering impact of conflict through the life of a young widow. As the camera quietly moves through the rooms of her home, capturing everyday objects and moments, she recounts—through a poetic monologue—how the war came to inhabit her family’s life.

At 19:20

As Noites Ainda Cheiram a Pólvora - The Nights Still Smell of Gunpowder- (Mozambique)

(93 minutes; 2024; Portuguese)

Director:  Inadelso Cossa

Revisiting a childhood shaped by conflict, the film follows a man returning to his grandparents’ village in Mozambique, where he once lived during the civil war. Through memory and reflection, it traces how his grandmother shielded him from the violence, evoking a deeply personal account of resilience, loss, and the lingering echoes of war.

(Collaboration: Portuguese Embassy Cultural Centre)

Kamalini Samārādhanam
 

Smt. Kamalini Nagarajan Dutt, a pioneer in intangible heritage archiving, creating the Doordarshan Central Archives and also a reputed dancer, choreographer, guru, scholar, television producer and mentor to many. This programme is a tribute to her enduring legacy on the first anniversary of her passing.

Choreographies mentored by Kamalini Nagarajan Dutt and performed by Guru Sharon Lowen, Hemanta Kumar Kalita, Divya Goswami and Dr. S.Vasudevan of Manasa-Art Without Frontiers Dancers

(Collaboration: Manasa-Art Without Frontiers Dancers)
 

Manipuri Workshop: Yangshak Movement; In continuation

Facilitator: Surjit Nongmeikapam, choreographer and contemporary performing artist

Open to dancers of all classical styles

C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium

At 16:00

AI & Dance: Challenges and Opportunities
Curator; Dr Anita Ratnam, Artpreneur and SNA Awardee

Keynote Speaker: Madhu Nataraj, Director, STEM Dance Kampni, Bangalore

At 18:30 Young Dancers Festival

Odissi Recital

By Vrinda Chadha, New Delhi

At 19:45
Kuchipudi recital

By Avijit Das, Bengaluru

 

WORLD DANCE DAY

Manipuri Workshop: Yangshak Movement; 25th and 26th April 2026
Facilitator: Surjit Nongmeikapam, choreographer and contemporary performing artist

Open to dancers of all classical styles

Yangshak Movement is an exploration into ‘Lairen Mathek’ — a philosophy that has evolved from the movements and stories of the Manipuri martial art form, Thang-Ta (Khuthek Lal Thek) and dance, Jagoi.  The workshop on choreographing Yangshak, focused on an in-depth understanding of the body with the help of Yangshak movements.

C.D Deshmukh Auditorium
At 16:00 
PRAVAAHITA (Marathi and Hindi Repertoire)
Illustrated Lecture/Performance by Dr. Sucheta Bhide Chapekar (Pune), accompanied by Arundhati Patwardhan and Sagarika Patwardhan

At 18:30 Young Dancers Festival
Bharatanatyam Recital
By Karuna Sagari (Chennai) Followed by Kathak RecitalBy Ameera Patankar, Pune
 

Basant Sandhya
 

By Mukul Kulkarni, Hindustani music-vocalist specialising in Khayal, tappa and tarana. Disciple of Guru Pt Sharad Sathe (Gwalior Gharana) and Pt Arun Kashalkar (Agra Gwalior and Jaipur Gharana)

Accompanists: Vedang Kshirsagar on Tabla and Rishit Honnavarker on Harmonium
 

ANTARĀTMA — A Bharatanatyam Dance Production 
Exploring Navarasa Through Tagore

Antarātma is a Bharatanatyam dance production that journeys through the Navarasa – the nine fundamental emotions that shape the full spectrum of human experience, as laid out in the Natyashastra by Bharata Muni. 
Drawing inspiration from Rabindranath Tagore’s vast and diverse body of work, the production highlights how Tagore’s poetry and songs effortlessly traverse love, longing, courage, devotion, wonder, peace, and the darker shades of fear, anger, and despair. His artistic universe becomes the canvas upon which the Navarasa come alive. Antarātma becomes both an inner voyage and a collective experience – a celebration of the human spirit in all its colours.

Followed by another performance:

Basanta Eshe Gechhe

Spring appears as a radiant, elusive prince whose presence awakens the world—softening winds, stirring dormant hearts, and setting life in motion. Through evocative choreography, the production explores renewal as both beauty and force, leaving behind a lingering sense of longing for its return.

(Collaboration: Impresario India)
 

Kuchipudi Recital
By Amrita Lahiri from Delhi
Accompanists: Satish Venkatesh (Vocal), Manohar Balatchandirane (Mridangam), Varun Rajasekharan(Nattuvangam) & G Raghavendra Prasath(Violin)

At 19:00
Bharatanatyam Duet Recital
By Yogesh Kumar & Sneha Narayan from Bengaluru, disciple of Guru Sri. Sathyanarayana Raju and Guru Smt. B Bhanumati.
 

Carnatic Vocal Recital
By Uttara Swaminathan from Bengaluru, disciple of Vidushi Ranjani and Gayatri

At 19:00
Hindustani Classical Recital
By Chinmayee Athale Oak from Delhi, disciple of Vidushi Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Smt. Rachna Bodas and Vidushi Shashwati Mandal

Accompanists: Ishan Sharma (Tabla) & Mausam (Harmonium)
 

Chaiti Gaayan: Melodies of Longing and Renewal
By Mamta Sharma from Varanasi

Accompanists: Aarohi Sharma and Rajesh Sharma on Vocals; Sangeet Kumar on Tabla,Ankit on Organ; Brijesh on Octopad and Sunil Kumar on Shehnai.

The performance presents Chaiti singing, a traditional folk form from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, rendered during the month of Chait to welcome the advent of spring.
Rich in emotion, these songs evoke themes of love, longing, and separation, deeply rooted in the rhythms and sensibilities of rural life.

(Collaboration: NCZCC, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India)