'All We Imagine As Light' to open 13th Dharamshala film fest

Payal Kapadia's Cannes Grand Prix-winning film All We Imagine As Light will kickstart the 13th edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival, which also boasts of a showcase comprising titles like Village Rockstars 2, Nocturnes, MA – Cry of Silence, and From Ground Zero.

The festival, which will run through 7-10 November in Dharamshala, will showcase more than 80 films from around the world, spanning narrative features, documentaries, and short films, alongside powerful stories from South Asia.  

Kapadia, who became the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival 2024, said she is looking forward to showing All We Imagine As Light at the upcoming event. The film, which follows the story of two Kerala nurses living in Mumbai, will release in Indian theatres days later on 22 November.

"DIFF is a beautiful festival that brings together independent cinema in India, and I’m so happy that DIFF will be screening All We Imagine As Light as their opening film," the director said in a statement.

Rima Das is bringing the sequel to her much loved Village Rockstars to the festival. "In a charming village, a teenage girl passionately pursues her musical dream. However, life’s harsh realities challenge her innocence. As she faces these trials, she embarks on a journey to rediscover the profound connection between music and life, seeking a new harmony in the symphony of her dreams," the official synopsis reads.

Nocturnes, directed by Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan, will take the audiences into the vibrant landscapes of India's forests where ecologist Mansi and her Bugun collaborator Bicki study moths, inviting audiences to reconsider humanity's relationship with the natural world.

The Maw Naing's MA — Cry of Silence, set in 2022 in Yangon, Myanmar, is in the midst of a civil war following the military coup on 1 February 2021.

From Ground Zero is a collection of 22 short films made in the war-ravaged Gaza. Launched by renowned Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, the film will have its South Asia premiere at DIFF.

Bina Paul, DIFF's director of programming, said this edition's line-up is a mix of films that directly explore difficult subjects ranging from political unrest to trauma.

"More and more young people are taking up the camera to tell their personal stories, providing a fresh eye on many pressing concerns. We had films from war zones, films of trauma and resistance, and films that delve into the quiet aspects of human existence," Paul said.

Receiving its India premiere is In the Land of Brothers, by Alireza Ghasemi and Raha Amirfazl. "Under the shadow of the US invasion of Afghanistan, an extended refugee family begins a new life in Iran, unaware of the ultimate price expected of them as outliers in an unwelcoming environment," read the synopsis.

"DIFF has always been about more than just watching films — it’s a space for filmmakers and audiences to engage deeply with cinema and the stories that shape our world," added festival co-founder Ritu Sarin.

State of Statelessness comes from Tenzin Tsetan Choklay, Sonam Tseten, Tsering Tashi Gyalthang, and DIFF co-founders Tenzing Sonam and Sarin. It is billed as "the first-ever Tibetan-language anthology feature film" consisting of four short segments exploring the experience of exile and statelessness and directed by Tibetan filmmakers living in exile in India, America, and Vietnam. This title will also receive its South Asia premiere at the gala.

When the Light Breaks, directed by Runar Runarsson, is another movie that is set to have its South Asia premiere. The film follows Una, a young art student in Iceland who encounters love, friendship, sorrow and beauty.

We Are Faheem & Karun by Onir and Cinema Pe Cinema: The Theatres. The movies. And us. by Vani Subramanian will have their world premieres at DIFF.

The official synopsis of We Are Faheem & Karun reads: "Karun, a young security officer from South India, is stationed in Gurez, a remote village in Kashmir. One day, a charming Kashmiri man named Faheem arrives at the check-post and a romance blossoms between him and Karun. But from the outset, their love is doomed — Faheem, bound by the societal taboos surrounding homosexuality in the context of his religion, cannot live openly, while Karun, due to the constraints of his profession, must also hide his true self."

Cinema Pe Cinema... meanders through "theatres in small towns and big cities across India and creates a memoryscape of women and men whose lives have been touched by single screen cinemas".

The festival will showcase No Other Land, described as a powerful documentary by a Palestinian-Israeli collective chronicles Basel Adra's fight to save his Palestinian community from forced expulsion.

A Fly On The Wall (Shonali Bose and Nilesh Maniyar), Madina (Aizhan Kassymbek), Agent of Happiness (Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbo), Viet and Nam (Truong Minh Quy), and Wisdom of Happiness (Barbara Miller, Philip Delaquis and Manuel Bauer) have also been announced as part of the DIFF programme.

A new highlight of this year’s edition is the partnership with Sydney Film Festival (SFF), funded by the Australian Government's Maitri Cultural Partnerships Grant. "We're excited to partner with DIFF, a festival that shares our passion for promoting independent cinema," said Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley

The partnership will commence at DIFF 2024 with the screening of two Australian films — Allan Clarke’s The Dark Emu Story, a documentary that revisits Bruce Pascoe’s controversial book, and the Julia Garner-starrer The Royal Hotel – in McLeodganj, and continue at Sydney Film Festival in June 2025, showcasing Indian films that resonate across borders and deepen cross-cultural exchange.