The second edition of South Asia's first borderless digital film festival, Indus Valley International Film Festival (IVIFF), will be held from 2-10 October.
R Balki’s Pad Man (2018) will open the festival, and the filmmaker will present his film as well. While Rajat Kapoor’s film Kadakh (2020) will also be screened at the event, the complete line-up of films is yet to be unveiled. Besides screening films, the festival will include workshops, masterclasses, interaction with celebrities, a music concert and an award ceremony for the winners.
Speaking about the festival, R Balki said, “I am really happy to be associated with the Indus Valley International Film Festival that is connecting filmmakers and creative professionals. It is a great platform indeed to collaborate, come together and enrich our craft and storytelling. I am glad to know that my film Pad Man will be the inaugural film on 2 October, I will be making opening remarks on the same day. There will be some fantastic films from all across South Asia there. I feel there is no better way to be connected to the world except through such amazing films in these very difficult times of isolation.”
Filmmaker Harsh Narayan, who is the founder and creative director of the festival, said his underlying idea was to focus on "creativity for International relations and social change, fostering the idea of putting cinema as a form of dialogue".
He added that it was an investigation into whether or not cinema and exchange of creative ideas could help build communication links in the sub-conscious of common people. "I believe, at the darkest of times, its the propagation of creative arts that can bring solace in the lives of people. Art can help heal the wounds, connect people on emotional space, and help them mitigate all challenges in the pursuits of creating a peaceful, mutual respectful and humane society,” said Narayan.