The fourth edition of the Nitte International Film Festival (NIFF), presented by Nitte (Deemed to be University), will be held from June 8 to June 11 at Bharath Cinemas, Bharath Mall in Bejai.
All film screenings and discussions are free and open to public on a first-come, first-serve basis. The festival aims to showcase critically acclaimed cinema from across India and the world while providing a dialogue platform for filmmakers and viewers.
Federation of Film Societies of India vice-president Premendra Mazumdar will inaugurate the festival at 10 a.m. on June 8 with the Kannada film Hadinelentu by Prithvi Konnanur being the opening film.
The line-up includes Kantara (Kannada), Family (Malayalam), Koramma (Tulu), Ek Jagah Apni (Hindi), Valvi (Marathi), Anunad (Assamese). Gandhi & Co (Gujarati), Dhuin (Mythili), and Tortoise Under the Earth (Santhali). The closing film is Tora’s Husband (Assamese) by Rima Das. The schedule is available on Instagram at nittefilmfest, said a release.
Germany being the country in focus, the NIFF in collaboration with the Goethe Institute and the German Embassy, Bengaluru, will screen 13 German films, including Generation Incompatible, Zuhur’s Daughters, Exil, New Building, and Dear Future Children. NIFF is also screening films from West Asia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Singapore, France, and Senegal.
A retrospective of Osmane Sembene, Senegalese filmmaker and author, will be held to mark his 100th birth anniversary. Restored versions of Sembene’s Black Girl (1963) and Mandabi (1962) and a documentary on Sembene by Samba Gadjago will be screened.
Photo exhibition — Snapshots from Sandalwood’s History — as seen by photojournalist Ashwath Narayana of rare and unpublished photographs cataloguing 60 years of Kannada cinema will be there.
Film personalities, including Raj B. Shetty, Manish Saini, Shivadwaj, Shishir Jha, Rahul P.K, Mansore, Jeo Baby, Champa Shetty, Bharat Mirle, Saurabh Kanti Dutta, Amartya Bhattacharya, Umesh Badiger, and others will interact with viewers.
Five free masterclasses, The Art of Film Reviewing by Namrata Joshi, The art and craft of Art Direction by Shashidhar Adappa, The Art of Storytelling by Jayanth Kaikini, Film Direction by Mikhil Musale, and Short Film making by Ganesh B. Shetty are part of the festival.
