Festival on Issue-Based cinema selects 68 films from 21 cities for screening

In its endeavour to promote issue-based cinema in the country, 68 documentaries and short films from 21 cities have been selected for screening in the 3rd edition of Woodpecker International Film Festival (WFF), to be organised from September 17-20 at Siri Fort Auditorium in
New Delhi.

These films focus on critical social, ecological and development issues like environment and wildlife, health and sanitation, livelihoods, gender, children etc. In addition, films on religion and spirituality & art and culture are also a part of the festival this year.

While announcing this year’s Official Selections in the Competition Segment Founder Director of the festival Narender Yadav said, “The objective of the festival is to Promote Issue-Based Cinema, primarily focusing on contemporary development issues like environmental degradation, destruction of forest and wildlife, diminishing livelihood opportunities in rural India, and gender related challenges. It’s quite encouraging to see that every year we get wonderful stories of change and hope in the form of hundreds of documentaries and short films. Our festival’s vision is to showcase films that promote discussions, expand expectations, challenge attitudes and change lives. We are constantly experimenting to promote issue-based cinema globally and explore the power of storytelling through films to create a better world.”



68 films from 21 cities spread over 15 states
Selected films for this year’s festival include 25 films form Delhi, 12 from Maharashtra, 4 from Tamil Nadu and Assam, 3 from Karnataka, Kerala and West Bengal, 2 from Rajasthan, UP, Haryana and Gujarat and 1 each from Odisha, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
The selection has been made by a 16-member committee formed by the Festival Organisers, and consisted of senior representatives from the fields of films,  mass media, academics, development sector and CSR. 

Prominent filmmakers whose films have got selected include Krishnendu Bose, Praveen Singh, Akanksha Sood Singh, Gurmeet Sappal, Ishani K Dutta, Rita Benerji, Snehashish das and Sourav Sarangi. A special segment of the festival has also been kept for student filmmakers.
Every year the festival receives a large number of student entries from prominent institutes and universities like Films and Television Institute of India (FTII), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), National Institute of Design (NID), Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Amity University etc.

Award JuryThe Festival Jury for this year’s edition is headed by acclaimed actor and theatre director Mr. Avijit Dutt. The Jury also has Nigerian writer and filmmaker Mr Onyeka Newuele. Other esteemed members of the Jury include Oscar Nominated director-producer, writer and actor Ms. Ajita Suchitra Veera, journalist Mr. Mihir Shrivastav and Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Member Mr. Ashieem Kaisthaa.

Woodpecker Awards

The Woodpecker Awards are aimed to inspire creativity and recognise the talent of Indian filmmakers who are focusing on alternative ways of filmmaking and experimenting with new ideas and issues. Best Award in each category will be presented. 

In the ‘Student Film’ category two awards have been constituted, which includes a trophy, citation along with a cash honorarium of INR 10,000. Woodpecker awards will be presented in a gala Award Ceremony on the last day of the festival.

About the Organiser

The film festival is part of the ‘Cinema for Change’ initiative launched by CMSR foundation, a not-for-profit Trust, based in New Delhi, to promote issue-based cinema in the country. The foundation has been established to harness the power of information, education and communications to achieve desired social change. Communication for Social development, education, public health, rural development, environment and media constitute the broad operational areas of CMSR foundation. (www.cmsrfoundation.org)

OFFICIAL SELECTION- 2015
ASSAM

1 Lotkon | Jivitesh Mazumdar | 00: 10: 29 | Films on North East
2 A River Island Tale | Porag Jyoti Gogoi | 00:05:34 | Films on North East
3 The Devil Inside Me | Raja Narzary | 00:10:57 | Films on North East
4 Sita | Kangkan Deka | 00:14:58 | Films on North East

DELHI

1 3 Characters in Search of a Forest|Krishnendu Bose|0:43:00|Environment
2 Toxins in My Veins|Ashish Dutta|0:26:06|Environment
3 The Vanguards of Angul|Ahona Datta Gupta|0:26:17|Forest & Wildlife
4 Bol Ke Lab Aazad Hain Terey|Sania Hashmi & Mohan Kumawat|0:15:08|Gender
5 Changing Climate, Moving People|Saransh Sugandh|0:36:06|Environment
6 Let's build the future we want|Gurmeet Sapal|0:07:31|Environment
7 Baranaja: Twelve Seeds of Sustainability|Ritu Bhardwaj|0:06:34|Environment
8 The Forgotten Tigers|Krishnendu Bose|0:53:00|Forest & Wildlife
9 No Problem! Six Months With The Barefoot Grandmamas|Yasmin Kidwai|0:56:00Livelihoods
10 Qissa-e-Parsi (The Parsi Story)|Divya Cowasji & Shilpi Gulati|0:30:00|Art and Culture
11 Pichadte Hastshilpo Ka Utthan|Dr. Avdesh Sharma|0:26:00|Art and Culture
12 Black Pepper, White Pepper|Ishani K Dutta & Ashish Dutta|0:51:24|Art and Culture
13 To Give or Not To Give|K. Subramaniyan & Malgorzata Skiba|0:52:00|Health and Sanitation
14 Die Why Die|Talha Sultan Chaudhry|0:07:17|Health and Sanitation
15 Swachh Jal Behtar Kal|Rambha Tripathy|0:04:09|Health and Sanitation
16 Lets build Homes|Saransh Sugandh|0:01:29|PSAs
17 New Beginnings|Rima Mondal|0:07:49|CSR
18 The Thin Red Ribbon|Ishani K Dutta|0:30:07|Films on North East
19 Turtle Diaries -The Olive Ridley Turtle, Green Turtle, Leatherback Turle|Rita Banerji| 0:35:06|Children Films
20 Exploring School Readiness|CECED, Ambedkar University|0:13:21|Children Films
21 Marriage Bazzar|Vijay Kumar|0:12:07|Student Films
22 An Unlikely Match|Akshita Nagpal, Hasina Khatun, Bisma Ali Tenzu, Neha Negi &
Daoud|0:38:04|Student Films
23 Koi Dekhne Wala Hai? (Is Anyone Watching)|Shilpi Saluja|0:19:00|Student Films
24 Blurring Lines|Ramsha Alam|0:38:00|Student Films
25 Varanasi Junction|Siddhant Joshi|0:15:00|Student Films

GUJARAT

1 Jagdishbhai: A Life in Progress|Shashi Ghosh Gupta|0:22:30|Livelihoods
2 Kansa|Nidhi Kamath & Keya Vaswani|0:06:14|Art and Culture

HARYANA

1 Shrinking Shores|Ashish Rao|0:33:00|Environment
2 When The Peacocks Sing: A Prequel to the Monsoons|Shaz Syed|0:13:00|Student Films

KARNATAKA

1 Kutch - Fragile Frontier|Shanthi Chandola|0:26:00|Forest & Wildlife
2 Road Safety|N Ravindran|0:01:54|PSAs
3 Have A Safe Children's Day|Siddarth Selvaraj|0:01:35|PSAs
4 In To The Jungle|Nithin Lal|0:06:00|Student Films

KERALA 1 Nenmanikyam (Golden Grain)|M. Venukumar|0:28:00|Environment
2 The Great Indian HornBill's Symphony of Life|Biju Pankaj|0:22:00|Forest & Wildlife
3 Souvenirs of Thanjavur|Vishnu Haridas|0:12:56|Student Films

MADHYA PRADESH 1 Turning The Clock Back: The Bandhavgarh Gaur|Anil Yadav|0:49:00|Forest & Wildlife

MAHARASHTRA 1 The Ritual|Sasmit Vasant Gadkar|0:02:40|Environment
2 Cafe Irani Chai|Dr. Mansoor Showghi Yezdi|0:28:00|Art and Culture
3 Santhara (A Challenge To Indian Secularism?)|Shekhar Hattangadi|0:25:00|Religion and Spirituality
4 Haathipoan Mukt Bharat|Bauddhayan Mukherji|0:02:07|PSAs
5 Keechadpanti|Anant. V. Keni|0:08:00|Animation
6 Hawa Ke Pankh (Wings of Air)|Mithun R Shaw|0:15:00|Children Films
7 Tak|Minhaj Shaikh|0:02:12|Student Films
8 Imaging Bombay|Aditi Maddali, Ashwin Nag, Faebitha Rahiman, Keduokhrietuo Sachu
and Reetika Revathy Subramanian|0:26:35|Student Films
9 Natraj Bhojpuria: Saste me masta|Atul Anand, Disha K.R, Firdaus Soni & Shuaib Shafi
0:21:42|Student Films
10 A Bohemian Musician|Rochak Sahu|0:13:17|Student Films
11 Itni Si Khushi (Just A Little Happiness)|Sanket Gomase & Vivart Rangari|0:07:28|Student Films
12 The Idols of Kinnal|Jagrit Seth|0:10:49|Student Films

MEGHALAYA 1 Khoh ki Bo (Grandmother's Baskets)|Gautam Syiem|0:41:23|Films on North East

ODISHA 1 A For Apple|Snehasis Das|0:01:00|PSAs

RAJASTHAN 1 Jal Prabandhan Ki Kahani -Jal Sa Ki Jubani|Kanupriya Harish|0:18:50|Animation
2 Aaje Wagh Nahi Aave (The tiger won't come today)|Suruchi Sharma|0:17:00|Student Films

TAMIL NADU 1 I Exist|Radhika Prasidhha & Vivek Raju|0:15:13|Gender
2 Devil in The Black Stone|Ananya Kasaravalli|0:20:50|Student Films
3 Maava Vinthi|Vishnu|0:29:30|Student Films
4 Madras Cock|Arjun Bhasin|0:18:00|Student Films

TELANGANA 1 Columbus|Krishna Naroju|0:24:00|Livelihoods

UTTAR PRADESH 1 India's Wandering Lions|Praveen Singh and Martin Dohrn|0:47:00|Forest & Wildlife
2 Nagaland is Changing. But…|Gurmeet Sapal|0:28:00|Films on North East

WEST BENGAL 1 Moddhikhane Char (CHAR... the No-Man's Island)|Sourav Sarangi|0:52:00|Livelihoods
2 Sound of Joy|Sukankan Roy|0:52:00|Animation
3 Sin’door -the shadow of red|Shubham Basak|0:07:50|Student Films

OTHER 1 Cast in India|Natasha Raheja|0:26:00|Student Films | New York, USA

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