Popular for its vibrant culture and artistic flair, Chandigarh, the City Beautiful is preparing to host its inaugural international film festival, marking a historic moment among the city’s movie lovers. From March 27th to March 31st, the city will be hosting the Cinevesture International Film Festival (CIFF), this 5-day extravaganza promises the film enthusiasts an unforgettable experience with a diverse selection of movies from India as well as the Global Cinema.
To make the event a success the National Film Archives (NFDC) has collaborated with the students of Chandigarh College of Architecture, featuring 24 award-winning international features in the “World-Cinema” sections as well as showcasing 17 of the indie gems in their spotlight in the “India Unveiled” category section. This unique playlist pays homage to the cinematic legacies of iconic Indian actors Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand. Short film lovers can also delve into the “Brief Encounters” to enthrall aspiring storytellers which will feature 27 breathtaking shorts. To ensure that even the younger generation also gets a taste of the cinematic world a dedication section for children also will be played.
Cinevesture is the brainchild of Nina Lath, who is also its founder and CEO and envisions CIFF as a bridge uniting audiences and filmmakers, cultivating scope for discovery and connections. With its diverse range of movie collections, the festival caters to cinema explorers of all ages and tastes.
VS Kundu who has served as a civil servant and also as former head of the National Films Division of India brought his expertise as the festival director, while industry veteran Bina Paul has been on-boarded as the artistic director of CIFF lending her artistic vision.
Adding to the touch of nostalgia an experimental cinema exhibition will also to be set up in the Rose Garden Underpass, celebrating the contribution of legendary actors Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand to Indian Cinema enthralling their legacy
To encapsulate film lovers of all ages, CIFF has planned a special screening at Cinepolis Jagat for children, aged 10-17 years, every morning at 9 Am throughout the festival of 5 days. The festival’s cinematic journey commences with the screening of the French film “The Taste of Things” which is a Cannes Award winner, starring Juliette Binoche. As the festival draws closer to its end, audiences will be treated to South Korea’s highest-grossing suspenseful Horror-Mystery-Thriller film of 2024, ‘Exhuma (Pamyo)’, which had its world premiere at the 2024 Berlinale Film Festival.
Beyond the opening and closing films, the CIFF festival promises a cinematic feast boasting an impressive lineup with internationally acclaimed titles like “The Zone of Interest”, “Monster” by Hirokazu Kore-eda, and the 2023 Academy Award-winner “The Whale” is enough to attract the audience with international taste but the lineup also includes Marathi sensation ‘Sthal’,’ Rima Das’s Assamese film “Tora’s Husband”, and Deepa Mehta’s TIFF film “I am Sirat”, along with a Venice Film Festival entry “Stolen” to represent the Indian cinema that will surely captivate the audience and keep the festival boasted. The program also includes “Adh Chanani Raat” from auteur filmmaker Gurvinder Singh and documentaries like Harjit Singh’s exploration of the late Punjabi painter and writer Imroz (“A Walk Down the Memory Lane”) and Sreemoyee Singh’s “And, Towards Happy Alleys”
