Kazhcha Indie Film Festival announces lineup with 13 indies

The Kazhcha Indie Film Fest (KIFF), run by members of the Kazhcha Film Forum and Niv Art Movies, has added films Karie, Thoopu, Haanduk, Juze, Kothanodi and Ralang Road to its lineup. The inaugural festival was set up as a creative protest against the neglect of Indian independent filmmakers by the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy which runs the International Film Festival of Kerala. 

KIFF stated that "it became vital to create a platform for indie films in India and that is why Kazhcha came forward to organize KIFF this year". Therefore it has selected 12 indie films intending “to ignite a constructive dialogue between the industry and the indie sectors as well as to provide some guidance to indie filmmakers about the global market and potentials.”

The film festival will also screen documentaries An Insignificant Man (2017), Machines (2017), and the upcoming Lijin Jose Malayalam documentary, 8½ Intercuts: Life And Films Of KG George. Additionally, Anand Gandhi's Memesys Cultural Lab will conducting a session on the future of virtual reality (VR) in India with a demonstration of ElseVR, a mixed reality channel. 

The inaugural festival will be held from 8-11 December in Trivandrum.

Here are the 13 indie films that will be shown at the festival:

Karie (2015)

The Malayalam social satire Karie (Black) follows two men who organize a ritual for their NRI colleague. The film comments on the equation of power in Kerala’s caste system.

Liar's Dice (2013)

Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Geetanjali Thapa, Liar’s Dice is filmmaker Geethu Mohandas’s directorial debut. Thapa, who won the National award for Best Actress, plays a mother with a young child out to find her missing husband. 

Ralang Road (2017)

Karma Tapaka’s comedy depicts the darker, foggier side of the beautiful Himalayan state of Sikkim. Ralang Road follows four characters on an ordinary day that eventually coincides and leads to some unusual experiences. 

Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani? (2017)

Another dark and dreary look at the inner lives of Mumbai’s citizens, Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani? focuses on Prashant Jadhav (Sanal Aman), a taxi driver accused of rape and murder. Told from his point of view, director Jiju Anthony’s Marathi film lays bare Jadhav’s life by exploring his inner motivations. 

Juze (2017)

Miransha Naik's debut feature explores the plight of migrant workers in Goa who are locked in an unescapable relationship with their ruthless employers. The film's protagonist Santosh aims to escape his harsh life with his thirst for knowledge and his desire for education. 

Aswatthama (2017)

Pushpendra Singh's film Ashwatthama is told from the perspective of a little boy Ishvaku who has recently lost his mother. Living with his relatives, the nine-year-old uses his imagination to cope with the newcomers and deal with his surroundings. 

Turup (2017)

A product of community filmmaking, Turup is set in the Chakki Chauraha neighbourhood of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and tries to capture the simmering communal tension as the local elections are due to take place. Most members, old and young, are bound by their love for chess which culminates in a major neighbourhood tournament. 

Vith (2017)

In Don Palathara's second Malayalam film, a father and son who are poles apart are forced to live together again when the son returns home after leaving his work. Vith takes apart the two generations and their different viewpoints. 

A Billion Colour Story (2016)

Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy's feature zeroes in on young Hari Aziz, the son of a Hindu woman, Parvati, and a Muslim father Imran, as the family embarks on making their film and tackling the vast religious divide of India head-on. 

Sonar Baran Pakhi (2016)

Sonar Baran Pakhi (The Golden Wing) is a biopic on folk singer Pratima Baruah Pandey, who was born in royalty. Bobby Sarma Baruah's beautifully shot second film is the first feature in the Rajbangshi language. 

Haanduk (2016)

Based on true incidents, Jaicheng Jai Dohutia’s film in Assamese and Moran, Haanduk, is set in northeast India. An elderly mother, Hermoni, is told that the mutilated body of an extremist is her son while another former member of the same group as Hermoni’s son tries to return to his former life.

Kothanodi (2015)

An adaptation of four well-known Assamese fables, Bhaskar Hazarika's debut film Kothanodi won the National award for Best Feature Film in Assamese. The imaginative film spotlights the stories of four mothers in a finely told narrative. 

Thooppu (2017)

The first film by Sandeep Adhikari follows the titular character, Thooppu, a mentally challenged Dalit boy who is employed by a priest to become a janitor in a church. Thooppu’s appointment faces many objections and challenges and brings to light the oft-neglected issue of child abuse.