Mumbai, July 27: The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) is all set to enthrall cinephiles once again with its 2023 edition, celebrating the vibrant world of Tamil cinema. Renowned for its commitment to promoting South Asian cinema, IFFM is proud to announce a carefully curated selection of Tamil films that will captivate audiences both in cinema halls and the digital realm.
This year, IFFM proudly presents the following handpicked Tamil films:
Directed by Vignesh Kumulai, Karparaa weaves a heartwarming tale of love, loss, and redemption. Karparaa narrates the tale of an elderly bedridden couple living apart under the care of different families. Their daily needs are attended to by begrudging children and grandchildren, who would rather be busy with their smartphones on lazy summer afternoons. Days pass, seasons come and go, and the couple bides its time. The cast includes Sundhrathammal, Aarumugam.
Directed by Sumathy Sivamohan, Amid the Villus documents the return of a displaced Muslim community to their village in the former war zone in the north of Sri Lanka. In return, they found themselves locked in battle with the state, its bureaucracies and environmental lobbies. It is about place, work and survival. It is about memory and about history, a people’s history.
Desert Dreaming (Short Film) – Online
Desert Dreaming, directed by Abdul Halik Azeez, tracing labor migration to the Middle East and the micro impacts of large shifts such as the neoliberalization of the Sri Lankan economy in the 70s, the film challenges monolithic narratives of personal history and middle class Muslim upbringing through popular culture and anecdotal, intimate recollections. The cast of the film includes Mohamed Feroze Azeez, Fareena Hamid, Mohideen Azeez, Imran Mohideen, Manikkam aka MGR.
Kida (Goat) (Feature Film) – Online
Goat directed by Ra. Venkat is a story that revolves around three characters: a grandfather, his grandson and his pet goat and a butcher, intertwined in a cute love story. They are forced to take hard decisions to fulfill their dreams by the dawn of Diwali. The cast includes Poo Ramu, Paandiyamma, Kaali Venkat, Vijaya, Deepan.
Canvas (Short Film) – Online
Canvas, a beautifully crafted short film by Sanjai Chandrasekaran. A Therukoothu “Terukkuttu” artist named Alagappan puts on traditional makeup and talks about Elango, his son, whose dream it was to wear canvas shoes. He manages to buy the canvas shoes but things don’t go according to plan. The character artist in the next room reveals a small diary. Who does it belong to, and will Elango ever wear canvas shoes?
The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2023 will be held from August 11th to 20th and will feature an array of captivating films, engaging masterclasses, and thought-provoking panel discussions. IFFM is one of the largest Indian film festivals outside India, celebrating the vibrant world of Indian cinema and promoting cultural diversity through film. The festival showcases a diverse selection of Indian films and provides a platform for emerging filmmakers to showcase their talent.
