A film festival can be stressful. You’ll have to make really tough decisions, and with a programme this good, you’re going to be torn trying to choose between films. Don’t fret though, because we’re here to make soothe those frayed nerves. Here’s our pick of 5 documentaries you can’t miss at DIFF 2015!
1) A DIFF team favourite, Placebo is definitely on this list. Abhay Kumar spent two years living in a dormitory at one of the toughest educational institutions in the world, documenting patterns of student violence and the result is a film that will knock your socks off. Get ready for a powerful portrayal of the unravelling Great Indian Dream. P.S. Abhay, we promise we’ll be more hospitable than those dormitories.
Don’t Miss: if you’re looking for proof that the education system in India is affecting students in increasingly destructive ways.
2) Farid Eslam is another director who’s on-the-ground documenting has uncovered links that would have otherwise been lost. Yallah! Underground follows musicians before, during, and after the Arab Spring. The film covers a wide geographical area, however all the artists on the underground scene were connected by a sense of empowerment and freedom which they express through their music. Farid says, ‘I was completely blown away by the amount of amazing musicians, creating a vast variety of different styles, some of which I had never heard before. The deeper I started digging the more amazing artists I found. People who not only were incredibly talented but also deeply inspiring.’
Don’t Miss: if you enjoy the confluence of art and politics.
3) Joshua Oppenheimer’s award winning work is well known, and The Look of Silence is no different. The chilling documentary explores the trickle down effects of the Indonesian genocide of 1965, paying attention to one family in particular. Adi, an optometrist, finds his brother’s murderers (men who still wield power in the country), and confronts them about what they have done. Oppenheimer has managed to document something almost unimaginable- a victim confronting his perpetrator, in a country where oppression is the law of the land.
Don’t Miss: if you’re interested in the cultural impact of genocide and the importance of truth and reconciliation measures.
4) Short, but packing a punch is how we could describe both Tashi and the Monk, and its bite-sized protagonist. You’re sure to fall in love with her (despite her tantrums) and with the beautiful school in the foothills of the Himalayas. Lobsang Phuntsok, a former monk, takes in orphaned children, and Tashi is the newest arrival. Be sure to stay back after the screening for a Q & A session with Lobsang la, who we’re honoured to have attend the festival this year.
Don’t Miss: if you want to have your faith in humanity restored
5) It’s difficult to talk about a film that’s so incomparable to anything that’s come before it. So we’re going to let the critics talk for The Wolfpack…
‘One of the most incredible docs I’ve seen anywhere.’ – Toronto Star
‘An out-of-nowhere wallop’ – The Village Voice
‘Once you’ve met these kids, you won’t forget them.’ – The Rolling Stone
Don’t Miss: if you love stories that are gritty, weird, and fascinating. Or because if you do miss this one, you’ll most certainly regret it.
For more indie movies, check out the rest of our programme (equally as great, pinky promise) and register for the festival today!