Rahul Jain's documentary Invisible Demons has been selected for the Cannes Film Festival's new section, Cinema For The Climate.
The official web page of the festival describes the section as an ephemeral selection of films on the environment. 'We will discover one scripted film and six documentaries; two journeys of activism for the youth, two tales of catastrophe, news from Africa and an expedition to the farthest reaches of the world to show the Earth’s beauty. In 2021, raising awareness and defending the planet will also take place on the silver screen,' it reads.
The other films that have been selected for this category are La Panthere Des Neiges (Marie Amiguet), Bigger Than Us (Flore Vasseur), I Am So Sorry (Zhao Liang), Animal (Cyril Dion), Marcher S'ur Leau (Aissa Maga), La Croissade (Louis Garrel).
Jain's last documentary, Machines (2017), was premiered at the MAMI Film Festival 2017 where it won the Silver Gateway Award. Speaking to Cinestaan, the filmmaker had said, "We only make films about the things that we have access to and I knew this world in some capacity."
The festival site describes Invisible Demons as a "shocking documentary about pollution in New Delhi, India, and the 'invisible demons' that are the fine particles. Rahul Jain’s camera tries to breathe as it makes its way through this ecological hell, giving us both something to see and something to think about."
Cannes 2021 will take place from 6 to 17 July.