The Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) returns to its on-ground edition today, after the pandemic-lull of two years. The 11th session of the festival is being held from November 3 to 6 at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala.
After two online chapters amid the pandemic, DIFF has now teamed up with PictureTime —a mobile theatre company spreading cinematic cheer to the farthest corners of India — to host the physical edition of the fest in the Himalayan foothills. This time, the festival will have a lineup of 80 films from 32 countries.
The films include Saim Saqid’s Cannes Jury Prize winner Joyland, Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s Once Upon A Time In Calcutta, Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh's Writing with Fire, Parth Saurabh's debut feature Pokhar Ke Dunu Paar presented by Anurag Kashyap, Shaunak Sen’s Cannes Golden Eye winner All That Breathes, Chinese filmmaker Qiu Jiongjiong’s Jiao Ma Tang Hui (A New Old Play) and Gurvinder Singh’s Adh Chanani Raat, among others.
The films are being shown at the Tibetan Institute’s newly-built auditorium along with two inflatable digital cinemas set up by PictureTime. For a good film festival, good technology is imperative, so that viewers get a wholesome cinematic experience, believes Sushil Chaudhary, Founder, PictureTime Digiplex. “We want cinephiles to have a wholesome experience. To ensure that, we have installed a 2K projection system with 7.1 Dolby surround sound at the auditorium. We also have a suave new video conferencing system in the theatre,” he adds.
Four days of DIFF will encompass talks, masterclasses and interactive sessions. Elaborating on the pros of PictureTime, Sushil says, “Our mobile theatres are fire and weather-resistant, air-conditioned and comfortable. This year, we are upgrading the experience with innovations in sound, video conferencing and seating.”
Talking about future plans, Sushil says, “Next year we hope to digitise the entire DIFF setup. We might also integrate our ticketing app into upcoming projects in Telangana, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.” When asked what projects are in store for the mobile theatre company after DIFF, Sushil says, “Next destination Goa, and off to Meghalaya in December.”