5th Urban Lens Film Festival to showcase 25 films from 10 countries

The second leg of the fifth edition of the Urban Lens Film Festival will be organised by the Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS) in association with Goethe Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan in New Delhi from 16 to 18 November.

“Urban Lens Film Festival hopes to excavate aspects of this symbiotic relationship especially in countries of the Global South. These films, dialogues and exchanges aim to highlight the politics and concerns around cities and generate a new meaning of the role cinema plays in shaping our understanding of urban issues,” read an official statement from the organisers.

The festival will showcase 25 films made in last 60 years from 10 countries, including India, China, Iran, Brazil, Mozambique and Ukraine. Films from various genres like fiction, non-fiction, animation and experimental will be screened.

Some of the films to look forward to at the festival include, Ek Inquilab Aur Aaya by historian and filmmaker Uma Chakravarti, Kalikshetra by Anirban Datta, Weaving by Yang Wang and As Time Goes By In Shanghai by Uli Gaulke, among others. There will also be screenings of award-winning student films like Jamnapaar by Abhinava Bhattacharyya and Bismaar Ghar by Shreyas Dasharathe.

“Like previous editions, the festival hopes to further diverse discourses around film practices intrinsic to the city. Post-screening discussions with the director open up an interaction space for the audience, bringing in a multiplicity of perspectives that make the experience of community viewing richer,” the statement informed.

The festival will also host public lectures by author Ranjani Mazumdar, titled 'The Cinematic Slum', and by photographer Ritesh Uttamchandani, titled 'City on the Water'.

Filmmaker and editor Sameera Jain will also conduct a session called 'On Practice' with the aim to create a space for reflection and discussion on film pedagogy and practice, beyond film practitioners and cinephiles.

The first leg of the fifth edition was held in Bengaluru from 20-23 September 2018.