Rima Das’s Bulbul Can Sing, Tibetan film Kyoyang Ngarmo added to Toronto Film Festival

Two more Indian films have been added to the 2018 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) lineup after Manmarziyaan (2018), Manto (2018) and Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota (2018).

Rima Das’s second film, the charming Village Rockstars (2017), had its world premiere at TIFF last year. It travelled the world, screened at around 70 film festivals enchanting audiences and winning accolades with over 44 awards, which finally culminated in the National Award for Best Film back in India.

The filmmaker’s next, Bulbul Can Sing, is slated to have its world premiere at the festival. The Assamese film will screen in the Contemporary World Cinema category. Called a ‘visceral coming-of-age drama’ by the festival, the story follows a teenage girl as she falls in love and experiences the tumults of life.

Das stated it was an honour and a homecoming for her, returning to TIFF.

Tibetan film Kyoyang Ngarmo (The Sweet Requiem), by husband and wife filmmaker duo, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, will also screen in the Contemporary World Cinema category. The film is a follow-up to their 2005 film Dreaming Lhasa which also premiered at Toronto.

Kyoyang Ngarmo is the story of 26-year-old Dolkar, a Tibetan in exile living in refuge in Delhi, India. But memories of her past and a traumatic incident threaten to resurface making the young woman confront them once and for all.

The festival’s schedule will be announced on 21 August; it will be held from 6 to 16 September.