"Lords of Lockdown", a documentary exploring the heroism that common people of India during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, has been chosen for the 2023 International Film Festival Rotterdam.
"Lords of Lockdown" is one of the six films that will be screened under the 'Focus: The Shape of Things to Come?', a segment that looks at the sociopolitical development of India over the past three decades.
Mihir Fadnavis has directed the documentary, which has Navin Shetty and Anurag Kashyap on board as producers.
Fadnavis, whose film previously played at the New York Indian Film Festival and Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, said he is humbled by the international recognition for the movie.
"'Lords of Lockdown' is a reflection of how the common man of India took the baton in his own hand and not only helped himself but others too.
"The pandemic taught us the eminence of helping each other selflessly which is also the essence of the film. I am elated over the recognition that 'Lords of Lockdown' has been receiving," the director said in a statement.
For Shetty, "Lords of Lockdown" will always be a special film.
"Our film is a tribute to all the frontline workers, all the policemen, all the common people who went out of their way, defied the odds and reinstated faith in humanity. I would like to congratulate the entire cast and crew for yet another selection in the international circuit," added the producer.
Other four films in this programme are: "All Was Good" by Teresa Braggs, Rakesh Sharma's "Final Solution, Jaideep Varma's "I Am Offended", "The Men in the Tree" directed by Lalit Vachani, and "Sameer" helmed by Dakxinkumar Bajrange.
While Braggs' "All Was Good" is set in the backdrop of the nationwide 2019-2020 student protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in India, 2004's "Final Solution" by Sharma is a documentary concerning the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The 2015 documentary "I Am Offended" explores the stand-up comedy scene in India and the larger context of contemporary Indian humour.
"The Men in the Tree" is the sequel to Vachani's 1993 doc "The Boy in the Branch". In the 2002 follow-up film, Vachani revisits the RSS -- the parent organisation of the BJP -- after a gap of eight years.
Starring Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, "Sameer" is a 2017 feature film follows the titular character who is picked up by the police from his hostel following a deadly bombing incident. He turns out to be innocent, but the cops blackmail him into infiltrating a terrorist ring headed by his college roommate Yasin.
According to the festival's official website, 'Focus: The Shape of Things to Come?' segment will have: "Both documentaries and fictional narratives that reflect on the socio-political development of the past 30 years and ask: Is the institutional success of right-wing Hindu-nationalist groups and the persecution of dissenting voices a sign for the shape of things to come and not only in India?" The International Film Festival Rotterdam will open on January 25 and conclude on February 5.
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