Community Outreach
DIFF’s commitment to community engagement remains a cornerstone of its mission. For over a decade, DIFF has run impactful outreach programmes to bring the magic of cinema to local communities across the Himalayan region.Â
Our Community Outreach Programme focused on enhancing film appreciation among students in and around Dharamshala. Through pre- and post-screening activities, the programme has worked to incorporate inquiry-based learning methods and artistic explorations to help deepen students’ understanding of cinema. Our programme included film screenings at schools and colleges, including Gamru Village School, Mewoen Tsuglag Petoen Tibetan School and the Central University of Himachal Pradesh, as well as the Dharamshala District Jail. For DIFF 2024, our community outreach to middle school children was also supported by Sphere Arts Education, who conducted storytelling and performative workshops with students after the screenings. Â
DIFF’s Community Outreach programme has engaged more than 3,500 individuals over the years, fostering a culture of film appreciation in a region with limited access to independent cinema. DIFF also partners with local NGO Jagori Rural Charitable Trust to organise film screenings in villages and to women groups around Dharamshala with over 2000 people having attended these screenings.
As we continue on reaching wider communities with our commitment to independent cinema, we are grateful to DIFF’s alumni filmmakers who have given us permission to show their films as part of the community outreach initiative.
DIFF Film Fellows Programme The DIFF Film Fellows Initiative, launched in 2014, nurtures emerging filmmaking talent from the Himalayan regions of India. Each year, a call for applications is announced, and a jury of filmmakers and industry professionals selects five fellows to attend DIFF, where they engage in festival events and receive one-on-one mentorship from established filmmakers. By focusing on applicants from the Indian Himalayan region, the programme provides crucial opportunities for budding filmmakers who may otherwise lack access to these resources. This exchange fosters growth for both fellows and mentors, building lasting relationships between new and seasoned artists.
Many DIFF Film Fellows have embarked on filmmaking careers, with several now working on or completing their first features. Notably, DIFF Film Fellow Rahat Mahajan’s Meghdoot was selected for the prestigious Tiger Competition at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam. Past mentors include acclaimed filmmakers such as Hansal Mehta, Gurvinder Singh, Anupama Srinivasan, Umesh Kulkarni, and Kesang Tseten.
Filmlab South Asia In 2022, DIFF, in partnership with Produire au Sud (PAS), an initiative of the Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes, launched Filmlab South Asia—a workshop designed to support emerging producer-director teams. Continuing in 2023, DIFF proudly hosted this workshop from October 31 to November 4, furthering its commitment to nurturing regional independent filmmaking.
This collaboration with PAS, renowned for its extensive experience in global training workshops, provided invaluable professional support, resources, and networking opportunities for South Asian filmmakers. The workshop aimed to empower participants by equipping them with the skills necessary to navigate the challenges of the film industry.
The selected projects for 2023 included:
Suraiya | Bangladesh
Directed by Robiul Alam Robi, Produced by Fazle Hasan Shishir & Shibabrata Barman
Last Time on Earth | India
Directed by Paromita Dhar, Produced by Anjali Panjabi
Storm Bird | India
Directed by Jenifer Areng Datta, Produced by Vinay Mishra
Terminal 3 | India
Directed by Anshul Tiwari & Debasmita Dasgupta, Produced by Debasmita Dasgupta
Son of a Honey Hunter | Nepal
Directed by Prabhat Gurung, Produced by Hit Kumari Gurung
The 2023 mentors brought a wealth of expertise to the workshop:
Vincent Wang (Producer) Marianne Dumoulin (Producer) Stefano Tealdi (Pitch Expert) Laure Desmazières (Scriptwriter & Director) Naël Marandin (Scriptwriter & Director)
Coordinator: Lucas Taillefer Through Filmlab South Asia, DIFF and PAS successfully fostered essential training and international exposure for independent filmmakers across South Asia, paving the way for the next generation of cinematic voices.
Screenwriting Workshops In collaboration with Film Independent’s Global Media Makers, DIFF conducted a Virtual Short Film Screenwriting Workshop for South Asian filmmakers from the Himalayan region in 2021. This workshop reflects DIFF’s commitment to providing filmmakers from the region with access to industry professionals and skill-building opportunities.Â
DIFF also partnered with the European Union Film Festival in India in 2021 to host an intensive scriptwriting workshop – A Journey to Europe – for Indian screenwriters, where three selected participants received a year-long mentorship and a chance to pitch their projects in Europe.
Dharamshala PJLF Editing Workshop 2018 Supported by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), this workshop was launched in 2018 to support career editors in India’s independent cinema sector. Three Director-Editor teams were selected to participate, and the workshop was led by internationally renowned editor Jacques Comets, with mentorship from Olivia Stewart and Bina Paul. One standout project, Chola, directed and edited by Sanal Sasidharan, later premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
