THE NEW INDIAN INDIEWAVE
A Conversation with Ruchika Oberoi, Kanu Behl, Gurvinder Singh, Bhaskar Hazarika and Abhay Kumar
Moderated by Aseem Chhabra
Friday, Nov 6 Club House, 6:00 PM
In the four years since DIFF started, a new wave of Indian indie films has burst onto the global film scene, presenting a fresh, contemporary and radically different face of Indian cinema. These films have won critical acclaim at the most prestigious international film festivals and some have even found commercial success at home and abroad. Does this movement herald a revolution in Indian cinema or is it doomed to ebb away like the first Indian New Wave? Are Indian independent films simply the flavour du jour of World Cinema or do they actually have substance and staying power? Five of India’s most exciting new filmmakers discuss these and other questions pertaining to the New Indian Indiewave.
Panelists
Ruchika Oberoi is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India. Island City is her debut feature film. The script of Island City participated in the NFDC Screenwriters’ Lab 2012.
Kanu Behl studied at the Satyajit Ray Film and TV Institute, Kolkata, majoring in Film Direction. In 2010, he was a co-writer for Love, Sex Aur Dhokha with Dibakar Banerjee. Titli is his first feature as a director.
Gurvinder Singh has won National Awards for ‘Best Direction’ and ‘Best Cinematography’ for his films. He has also travelled extensively through Punjab documenting folk narratives. His films include Chauthi Koot, and Anhey Ghorhey Da Daan.
Producer and director, Bhaskar Hazarika has won acclaim for Live From Peepli and Nobody’s Perfect. His debut feature film, Kothanodi, has received the Asian Cinema Fund’s Post Production Award and premiered at Busan International Film Festival.
Abhay Kumar is a filmmaker from Chandigarh. His hybrid animation short just that sort of a day went on to win top awards at Busan, New York, Regensburg, besides winning a National Award in India. Placebo is his first feature documentary.
Moderator:
Aseem Chhabra is a freelance writer based in New York City. His work focuses on films, entertainment, social and political issues. He is also the director of the New York Indian Film Festival and the Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival.