Dubai International Film Festival: Indian lineup announced

Be prepared for films from the Indian sub-continent that will entertain, inform and even shock at the Dubai International Film Festival this year.

World premieres and critically acclaimed films from innovative filmmakers will feature in the Celebration of India category at the festival which runs from December 6 to 14.

“This year we have been overwhelmed at the quality and diversity of films coming out of the Indian sub-continent,” says Nashen Moodley, director of the Asia and Africa programme at the festival. “This programme has been designed to introduce film-goers to interesting independent Indian cinema and will undoubtedly capture imaginations.”

Monsoon Shootout by director Amit Kumar which was applauded at Cannes will be a part of the lineup. The movie is about a rookie cop out on his first assignment and the choices he makes that impact the lives of others. Actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Viray Varma, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Neeraj Kabi make up the cast of the film.

Independent filmmaker and writer Madhureeta Anand's thought provoking feature Kajarya will be shown at the festival. The movie tackles the issue of female foeticide and infanticide in the country.

Filmmaker Suman Mukhopadhyay will bring his adaption of Tagore's novel The Last Poem to the festival. The movie recounts the love story of Amit Ray, an Oxford-educated iconoclastic barrister who falls in love with the strong-willed Labanya.

From South India comes The Voiding Soul (Swapaanam) by Shaji N Karun. The protagonists of this Malayalam movie try to challenge traditional rules and forbidden territories.