Blood on the Crown (Malta)
(102 min;2021; English/Maltese)
Director: David Ferrario

Recipient of the Award for Best Director, Malta Film Award

Screening will be preceded by a brief discussion with H.E. Mr. Reuben Gauci, High Commissioner of Malta; Shri V.S. Sahney, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha); and Lady Kishwar Desai, Founder and Chairperson, The Partition Museum Delhi and Amritsar on the two parallel events in the histories of Malta and India, the June 7 Uprising in Malta; and the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

Set in the turbulent aftermath of World War I in 1919, the film explores the Maltese people’s uprising for independence from British rule. As tensions boil over, the citizens of Malta rose against their colonial oppressors which was crushed by the British army leading to violent and bloody clashes. The film examines the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of those who dared to challenge power, setting the stage for Malta’s eventual path to independence.
 

Presented by Karina Khovalyg (soprano); and  Mikhail Loginov (baritone)

Accompanied by Stanislav Chermukhin on the piano

All three artists are distinguished soloists from the Moscow State Conservatory and laureates of international competitions

(Collaboration: Embassy of Russia)

Ek Aur Vivek Ki Khoj (India)
(57 min; Hindi)
Director: Devi Prasad Mishra

A film on the eminent Hindi writer and critic, the late Devishankar Awasthi

(Collaboration: The Raza Foundation)

A solo theatrical performance by Keshav Roy
Concept, Script & Direction: Renu Roy

AN entertaining and thought-provoking production based on Twain’s most memorable commentaries on life, love, relationships and satirical takes on human frailties: subjects that occupied his thoughts over fifty years of writing and remain socially relevant today, as they were when he first penned them

(Organised with the support of KCT Group; and The Lalit Delhi)

Odissi Recital
By Sarita Mishra from Bangalore, disciple of Guru Bichitrananda Swain and Guru Aruna Mohanty.

At 19:00
Kathak Recital
By Varsha Dasgupta from Delhi, disciple of Guru Abhimanyu Lal

Sitar Recital
By Pt. Partha Pratim Roy from Kolkata ,disciple of Prof Debi Prasad Chatterjee and Pt. Ajoy Singha Roy
Accompanist :Pandit Subhas Kanti Das(Tabla)

At 19:00
Hindustani Vocal Recital
By Arati Thakur Kundalkar from Pune, disciple of Smt  Dr. Prabha Atre & Dr. Sanjeev Shende

Curator: Rajiv Mehrotra

Nanak Shah Fakir (India)
(146 min; 2015; Hindi/Punjabi with English subtitles)
Director: Sartaj Singh Pannu

With Puneet Sikka, Arif Zakaria, Adil Hussain

A biographical film on the life and teachings of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev.

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

Play: Shunchhe Shey Shongeeter Moto
 

Presented by Rabi Parampara, Kolkata

A gripping account of facets of the unsung heroes of our freedom struggle with narration and songs

(Collaboration: Impresario India)

Two short plays

Sandhikhon
Written by Soumitra Basu
Director: Ayan Banerjee
Presented by Theatrewala, Delhi

Followed by
Uttara
Written by Sisir Kumar Das
Director: Rabishankar Kar
Presented by Prarambh, Delhi

(Collaboration: Impresario India)
 

Body Transference (Chile)
(45 min; Spanish with English subtitles)
Director: Catalina Bize del Campo

Film that talks about old age as a liminal experience between life and death

Our Tales (Mexico)
(4 min; Spanish with English subtitles)
Director L Flavia Hevia

A short film designed to capture the vital memories held by immigrant women from their homelands and recreate them in Stop Motion Animation

Chiaroscuro (Canada)
(9 min; non-verbal)
Director: Elias Djemil-Matassov

Chiaroscuro…between the light and the dark that life operates in contrasts. Between the puppeteer and the puppet. Between shadow and light

The Room of Forgotten Voices (Ireland)
(19 min; English)
Directors: Emma Fisher-Owen, Ivan Fisher-Owen

A day in the life of Hugh’s brain on a very normal day, but inside his head he encounters hundreds of versions of himself…

Persephone (Canada)
15 min; non-verbal)
Director: Emilie Racine

Created as a palimpsest blending mythical references and personal mythology, the film traces the trajectory of an identity quest through a feminine lens, addressing mother-daughter transmission

AT 16:00
Iniskim-Return of the Buffalo (Canada)
(39 min; 2024; English)
Directors: Leanne Allison, Pete Balkwill, Amethyst First Rider

An intercultural artistic response to the return of the buffalo, as wild animals, to North America. The film is an opportunity to learn about Indigenous ways of knowing as a group of puppeteers are transformed by their experience of ‘being buffalo’ at night under the stars, guided by the stories of the Blackfoot Elders.

AT 18:30: PERFORMANCE
Shadow Puppet Theatre
Presented by UNIMA Puppeteers Trust-India