The HIFF44 programming team is very excited to present four stellar films from India that represent a truly banner year for one of the largest film industries in the world. Best known for Bollywood—bombastic song and dance extravaganzas about star-crossed, yet chaste, lovers-to-be—this year’s crop of Indian films present a more dramatic, elegiac tone that brought Indian cinema to the world stage and fête at major festivals like Sundance, Cannes, and Toronto. 3 of the 4 feature films that comprise HIFF’s SPOTLIGHT ON INDIA have female protagonists; 2 are from female directors, and 3 of these films are directorial debuts.
The HIFF programming team is proud to present the Hawai‘I premieres of these Indian films, because of their universal accolades, powerful performances, and varied storytelling temperament, genre and scope that goes beyond the Bollywood veneer into the humanistic to the fantastical. Bottom-line: Do not miss out by bypassing these films at HIFF44. They are all highly, highly recommended!
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
Director: Payal Kapadia
The winner of the runner-up Grand Prix award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, director Payal Kapadia’s narrative debut is a sensitive and subdued portrait of the lives of two hospital workers finding their way through the urban sprawl that is Mumbai, and how they deal with complicated affairs of the heart. Lead actors Kani Kasruti and Divya Prabhal are excellent and expressive in their performances.
October 9, 7:30pm / October 12, 6:30pm — Consolidated Kahala
GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS
Director: Shuchi Talati
In a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, 16-year-old Mira discovers desire and romance, but her rebellious sexual awakening is disrupted by her mother, who never got to come of age herself. A resonant and impeccably written film on generational female awakening, mother-daughter affection and rivalry, and bodily autonomy, GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS is exactly the kind of feminine coming-of-age film (for any age) that we need more of. October 7, 8:00pm / October 9, 5:00pm — Consolidated Kahala
SISTER MIDNIGHT
Director: Karan Kandhari
Director Karan Kandhari brings his distinctive flair to his story of a small town misfit who arrives in Mumbai for an arranged marriage, but then spirals into darkness because of her feeling trapped by social expectation, her awkward spouse and nosy neighbors. She becomes a fierce and feral force that involves a lot of spilled blood.
October 11, 9:00pm / October 13, 6:00pm — Consolidated Kahala
SUPERBOYS OF MALEGAON
Director: Reema Kagti
Inspired by real events, it tells the story of an amateur filmmaker who, along with his ragtag crew, directs no-budget spoofs of Bollywood and Hollywood classics. Following in the footsteps of BE KIND REWIND and THE FABLEMANS, it is an inspiring ode to tenacity, self-actualization, and the sheer fun of filmmaking.
October 6, 2:15pm / October 8, 8:00pm — Consolidated Kahala
