Chandigarh to host its first International Film Festival in March 2024, announces the film lineup

Come March 27 to 31, days after Holi this year, Chandigarh will witness its very first international film festival, Cinevesture International Film Festival (CIFF), a celebration of diverse filmmaking, featuring an array of content across genres, cultures, and perspectives. It also seeks to provide a launchpad for upcoming talent.

The festival will have masterclasses, workshops, and an opportunity to work with the film industry as potential investors and collaborators with film professionals. The CIFF Market facilitates business through the creation of connections between investors, presentation of curated and other projects. There will be open-to-public ancillary events, including a film exhibition, production design installations, karaoke evenings, and late evening open air screenings.

Nina Lath, founder & CEO of Cinevesture.

Nina Lath, founder & CEO of Cinevesture says, “Cinevesture International Film Festival is envisaged as a platform for the two key stakeholders, namely audiences and producers. Its various verticals have been designed keeping the same in mind. We trust that in time, CIFF will serve as a reliable festival offering high-quality content for audiences and enhanced business opportunities for the film industry.” Nina Lath was the force behind NFDC Film Bazaar, having launched it in 2007, which is, perhaps, the best thing to happen to independent filmmaking in South Asia.

CIFF is being sponsored by Walkers & Co., manufacturer and seller of personal care products. The festival's advisory board includes Bahubali star and film producer Rana Daggubati, Jerome Paillard who served as head of the Cannes Film Market, Festival de Cannes from 1995 to 2022, Nicole Guillemet, former co-director of Sundance Film Festival, Indian filmmaker Ajitpal Singh (Fire in the Mountains and Tabbar), among others.

Bina Paul, Artistic Director of CIFF.

Veteran Malayalam film editor Bina Paul, and who has been the artistic director of International Film Festival of Kerala, is the artistic director of CIFF. Paul says, “This year at the launch of the Cinevesture film festival, the focus of programming is to bring a potpourri of cinema to the people of Chandigarh. There will be something for everyone. Festival favourite International & Indian films for film buffs and for students, and the latest trends in Korean, Japanese and French cinema will be on show. Children will get a chance to see films from many parts of the world, hearing stories they may otherwise not. Attending filmmakers, producers, and technicians will interact with audiences and share their experiences, thus enriching the viewing experience. A film festival opens up the world.”

The Opening film of the festival is Cannes Award-winning French film ‘The Taste of Things’ starring Juliette Binoche and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Anh Hung Tran, the historical romantic drama won the award for Best Director in the Cannes Film Festival, 2023.  The Closing film is South Korea’s highest grossing film of 2024 till date, the horror-mystery-thriller Exhuma (Pamyo), which premiered at 2024 Berlinale.

CIFF 2024 closing film, 'Exhuma', from Korea.

The festival will showcase 24 award-winning international features in the World Cinema section, 17 indie gems in the India Unveiled, 27 shorts in Brief Encounters, a curated section of children’s films and timeless Classics.

A still from 'Monster'.

The screenings will also include the 2024 Oscar winner Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest (Best International Feature Film & Best Sound), Palme d'Or Winner and Academy Nominee Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster, 2023 Academy Award-winner The Whale, starring Brendan Fraser, a gripping documentary which won at Berlinale, Seven Winters in Tehran, Singapore's Oscar entry, Breaking Ice and Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage's Roshan Mathew and Darshana Rajendran-starrer Paradise, winner of 2023 Kim Jiseok Award at Busan International Film Festival, Korea.

Adh Chanani Raat by Gurvinder Singh.

Other films include Marathi film Sthal, Karan Tejpal's Stolen, Rima Das’ Assamese film Tora’s Husband, Gurvinder Singh’s Punjabi feature Adh Chanani Raat, Harjit Singh’s documentary on the late Punjabi painter and writer Imroz, Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Malayalam film Malaikottai Vaaliban, Sreemoyee Singh’s documentary, And, Towards Happy Alleys, featuring Jafar Panahi, Varun Grover’s short film Kiss and the Riz Ahmed starrer short Dammi.

Riz Ahmed in Dammi.

A host of stars will be attending the festival like Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal, Roshan Mathew, Gulshan Devaiah, Varun Grover, Rasika Duggal,  Rashmeet Kaur (singer), Hansal Mehta, Shekhar Kapur, Sudhir Mishra, and Tahira Kashyap Khurrana.

CIFF director, VS Kundu says, “CIFF is the first global-scale cinema event to ever happen in Chandigarh with the support of Chandigarh Tourism, the Department of Culture and Chandigarh Administration. It is a truly International film festival designed to match the best international film festivals.” Kundu is a former director-general of now-defunct Films Division. FD was merged, along with other film bodies, under NFDC (National Film Development Corporation).

In addition to screening the best of the world and Indian films produced this year, the CIFF festival will feature an experiential cinema exhibition marking the birth centenaries of Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand, Kundu adds.

Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor Exhibition at CIFF 2024.

Classics like Jalsaghar (Satyajit’s Ray’s 1958 musical), Guru Dutt’s Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) and The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone (2020), will also be screened. Screenings of children’s films are open to all children from the ages of 10-17 at 9 am from March 27-31 at Cinepolis Jagat.

Cinevesture International Film Festival will be held at: Film screenings at Cinepolis, Jagat Mall, Sector 17; Film market and other events at Taj Chandigarh, Sector 17; and Exhibition at Underpass, Sector 17, Chandigarh.