1. Gully Boy by Zoya Akhtar (in Berlinale Special Gala Section)
Gully Boy featuring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt is an underdog story about the life of a Mumbai-based rapper from the streets. It is also loosely inspired from the life and rise of rapper Divine – and the title inspired by his breakout song, Mere Gully Mein – and his troupe, who go by the name ‘Gully Gang’.
The supporting cast includes and Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Vijay Raaz. The film will release in India on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2019 after is world premiere on February 9 at the festival.
2. Photograph by Ritesh Batra (in Berlinale Special Gala Section)
The film traces the life of a struggling Mumbai street photographer Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), who persuades Miloni, a shy stranger (Sanya Malhotra), to pose as his fiancee when he is being pressured to marry by his grandmother.
The India / Germany / USA co-production is an Amazon Studios film, which has just had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival.
A film by the director of The Lunchbox, Our Souls at Night, The Sense of an Ending, it also features Farrukh Jaffar, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vijay Raaz, Jim Sarbh, Akash Sinha, Saharsh Kumar Shukla, and will release in India on March 8, 2019.
3. Bulbul Can Sing by Rima Das (in Generation 14+ Section)
This visceral coming-of-age drama is about a young girl living in a village in Assam, fighting her way through love and loss as she figures out who she really is. And the one-woman army has written, designed, edited, produced and directed this film.
Rima Das’ last outing Village Rockstars was her breakout film, premiering at Toronto International Film Festival 2017 and winning the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. Bulbul Can Sing premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2018, and won the highest award, the Golden Gateway at Mumbai Film Festival 2018.
4. Dust by Udita Bhargava (in Perspektive Deutsches Kino Section)
This is the world premiere of the debut feature film by Udita Bhargava, who returned to her home country for her full-length graduation film (Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF).
David embarks on a journey to the troubled heart of India, where his girlfriend Mumtaz was last seen. Mumtaz was a photographer and his only remaining clue as to how she spent her final days is one of her photos which depicts a small boy. Set against the backdrop of a left-wing uprising, Dust creates a portrait of Indians caught in an inhuman conflict as David makes his journey. The film stars Morten Holst, Vinay Pathak, Abu Bakr Golu, Kalyanee Mulay, Babita Goyal.
5. Rang Mahal by Prantik Basu (Audi Short Film Competition: 20,000 Eu)
This documentary portrays the Santal people, native to the north of India. While written language is a relatively recent development for the Santal, India’s indigenous population, their myths have been passed down orally over thousands of years. Like the myth that stretches from Genesis to the building of the first house, the images unfold with tranquil composure and affectionate reverence.
CLASSICS
In the Forum Section play four films for our rich film history in its objective to living archive work from the point of view of contemporary cinema.
1. Egaro Mile (Eleven Miles) by Ruchir Joshi, India 1991
2. Tales from Planet Kolkata by Ruchir Joshi, India 1993
3. Idhi Katha Matramena (Is This Just a Story?) by Yugantar, India 1983
4. Tambaku Chaakila Oob Ali (Tobacco Embers) by Yugantar, India 1992
For the full program of the festival, go here.