A Death In the Gunj, Ralang Road, Machines to head to the Dharamshala film festival

As festival season heats up, the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) is the next on the list of film lovers across the country. The festival, set to begin on 2 November, has an impressive line-up of films.

Karma Takapa's Ralang Road is one of the more popular films included in the feature film line-up. Takapa's film has already gained fame as the only Indian film to be screened at the 2017 Karlovy Vary festival, and will also be screened at the upcoming MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival 2017.

Ralang Road will be joined by Nepal's official entry for the Oscars, White Sun, directed by Deepak Rauniyar. Konkona Sensharma's acclaimed directorial debut, A Death In The Gunj, will also be screened at the festival, in the presence of the director.

Among the many premieres at the festival are Amar Kanwar's Such A Morning, which tells the story of the mysterious disappearance of a mathematics professor. The film was premiered at the Documenta 14 Greek Film Festival earlier this year.

Another frontrunner is Rahul Jain's Machines (2016). Jain's film, which also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Excellence in Cinematography, is a docu-feature about the lives of migrant textile workers in Gujarat.

Apart from these films, the festival will also see international films from Malaysia, Japan, Switzerland and Bhutan. Organised by White Crane Arts and Media, founded by filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam.

In a statement, Sarin said, "Over the past six years, DIFF has carved out a special niche in the landscape of Indian film festivals. It is loved by filmmakers and film buffs alike and we want to ensure that DIFF 2017 continues to build on the qualities for which the festival has come to be known-its intimacy, warmth, unpretentiousness and single-minded focus on highlighting good indie cinema, all within beautiful mountain surroundings."

The schedule for the Dharamshala International Film Festival is to be announced soon.