Dharamshala festival launches year-round programme with six films from the Oscar season

The Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) has launched its year-round programme for 2021 with a presentation of six films which are official entries to the 2021 Oscars. Some of these films have been shortlisted and nominated for the awards.

The DIFF Virtual Viewing Room: Films from the Oscar Season will be held for one week from 2 to 8 April 2021. The line-up includes Greece’s official Oscar entry in the Best International Feature category, Apples (directed by Christos Nikou); Ukraine’s official Oscar entry in the same category, Atlantis (Valentyn Vasyanovich); The Dissident (Bryan Fogel | USA), which was shortlisted for the Best Feature Documentary; Night Of The Kings (Lacôte | Ivory Coast), the official Oscar entry from the Ivory Coast; Quo Vadis, Aida? (Jasmila Žbanic | Bosnia), winner of the Audience award at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam; and France’s official Oscar entry, Two Of Us (Filippo Meneghetti).

Curated by Anu Rangachar, the virtual programme is being held in collaboration with Gratitude Films Inc.

Along with the screenings, the programme features a series of Q&A sessions, including a conversation between journalist and The Washington Post opinion columnist Rana Ayyub and Oscar-winning director Bryan Fogel and another between writer and film critic Aseem Chhabra and Greek filmmaker Christos Nikou.

Speaking about the first screening package for the DIFF Virtual Viewing Room, festival director Ritu Sarin said, “As the pandemic continues to rage across the world, DIFF is programming a series of online film packages throughout the year so that our audiences can continue to have the opportunity to watch a wide range of films from the comfort of their homes. We are really excited to be collaborating with Gratitude Films Inc, and long-term DIFF friend and supporter, veteran film programmer Anu Rangachar, who has curated the initial offering of six outstanding films from the Oscar season.”

Audiences can buy a pass or rent an individual film of their choice. This selection of films is only available to audiences in India.