With the pandemic easing out and events returning to normal, the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) is hosting its 11th edition in hybrid mode amidst the backdrop of mountains and spectacular views. The four-day film festival will take place at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), McLeod Ganj, from November 3, 2022, to November 6, 2022.
The festival, which held its first edition in 2012, is a major tourist attraction in the (exile) home of the Dalai Lama, aka McLeod Ganj. The aim is to promote the recognition of alternative cinema among the local community. The film festival has also won accolades on international platforms, with artists submitting their documentaries, short films, and features from across the globe to showcase their craft.
Since the inception of the festival, the founders, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, have continued to closely knit the community of cinema enthusiasts not just in Himachal Pradesh but also on a global scale. With this spirit, DIFF became the only major film festival that went online in the year 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This year, keeping in mind the COVID implications, the festival will be held in a hybrid manner with a lineup of creative and multifarious films along with Q&A sessions and masterclasses with directors and filmmakers. Short films and animation films are also a part of the festival to cater to a diverse audience. To keep the spirit of love for cinema alive among the audience, filmmakers, and artists, the festival is one-of-a-kind and has no films competing for titles and awards.
Taking this edition a notch higher, two Oscar-nominated films titled "Writing With Fire" by Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Sen and "Joyland" by Saim Sadiq will be screened. Another interesting line-up is a session on screenwriting with Varun Grover, who is best known for his writing in Masaan (2015). Anurag Kashyap, known for his movies like Dev D (2009), Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), and Sacred Games (2018&ndash19), will be talking about the cinema business at the film festival.
So pack your bags and get set to experience the beauty of raw cinema, the valleys of cedar forests, and monasteries. The combination of DIFF and the capital of the Tibetan Diaspora, with its aesthetic cafes, classic bookstores, and exquisite restaurants serving authentic Tibetan cuisines, will definitely leave you spellbound.