10 must watch films at 7th Jagran Film Festival

If you are a movie buff, this is your opportunity to catch up on some of the best of world cinema at the 7th Jagran Film Festival, which will be held in Mumbai between September 26 and October 2.

We at Adgully have listed the 10 not-to-be missed films that will be screened at the Festival this year: 

‘Road to Istanbul’: The  Algerian film by Rachid Bouchareb brings out the trauma of a western mother, Elisabeth, who cannot comprehend what on earth has possessed her daughter to go and join a war in a far off country that, as far as she can see, has nothing to do with Elodie’s life. Since no official help is forthcoming, she sets off to make her own way across the Turkish border into Syria to bring Elodie home. A masterly work from the Director of ‘London River’, ‘Days of Glory’, ‘Cheb’, ‘West Beyroth’ and ‘Outside the Law’ is the opening film of the Festival. (September 26, 2016 at 6.30 pm)

‘Sieranevada’ by Critsi Puiu: The internationally acclaimed Romanian film that has created a lot of buzz globally due to its sheer camera work, tight script and intense performances. The film traces the story of Lary, a doctor in his forties who is about to spend the Saturday at a family gathering to commemorate the deceased, three days after the terrorist attack on the offices of Parisian weekly Charlie Hebdo and forty days after the death of his father. The occasion does not go according to expectations. Forced to confront his fears and his past, to rethink the place he holds within the family, Lary finds himself constrained to tell his version of the truth. The film was part of the international competition in Cannes Film Festival this year. (October 2, 2016 at 6.00 pm)

‘The First, The Last’: This film by Bouli Lanners won two awards at the Berlin Film Festival this year. If you think you can figure out stories quickly, here is your test. Esther and Willy are handicapped. And in love. And on the run. Perhaps from Gilou and Colise, two burly, bearded snoopers in the van who are trying to get a fix on Willy’s mobile phone? Or from the man who calls himself Jesus and has the stigmata on his hands to prove it? Or from the men from a nearby warehouse who are searching for the perpetrator who has violated the wife of their boss? And who is the mummy in the sleeping bag? You get the answers only in the end. Again a masterly film you can’t afford to miss out on. (October 1, 2016 at 9.15 pm)

‘Mahana’ (The Patriarch): This film is about two Maori families in 1960s, the Mahanas and the Poatas, who make a living shearing sheep on the east coast of New Zealand. The two clans, who are bitter enemies, face each other as rivals at the annual sheep shearing competitions. Simeon is a 14-year-old scion of the Mahana clan. A courageous schoolboy, he rebels against his authoritarian grandfather Tamihana and his traditional ways of thinking and begins to unravel the reasons for the long-standing feud between the two families. Does it remind you of ‘Romeo and Juliet’? Just wait till you watch it. (September 30, 2016 at 9.15 pm)

‘The Plants’ is a thriller from Chile. “Do you think plants could have souls? That we might even be able to talk to them?” For a whole summer, 17-year-old Florencia has to look after her brother, who is trapped in a persistent vegetative state. She washes him, changes his nappies, and cuddles up to him in bed. From time to time she reads to him from a comic called Las Plantas, which is about plant souls that take control of human bodies at full moon. At night, Florencia makes contact with men on the internet. Images of her monotonous daily routine and a vibrant fantasy world merge to create a fascinating tale of a young woman as she self-determines her own sexual awakening. Winner of the Young Jury Award at the Berlin Film Festival, this thriller will keep you hooked. (September 29, 2016 at 9.15 pm)

‘Hear the Silence’ by Ed Ehrenberg from Germany takes the audience back to Year 1941 and presents them with the story of the men and women at the time of the German attack on Russia in 1941. A small, lost unit of German soldiers is looking for shelter in a remote, snowy small village in the Ukraine. They got separated from their company during battle and now they are deep within enemy territory, cut off from the German troops. The soldiers have to make a stop in the village in order to get provisions and transport so that they can join their troops again - maybe a very dangerous thing to do. The film is a parable about the loss of innocence during times of war that results in brutal preventive actions. People get trapped in an unstoppable circle of violence, a not to be missed film. (September 27, 2016 at 4.15 pm)

‘Chatô, the King of Brazli’ by Guilherme Fontes is a film on a grand scale. A biopic on Assis Chateaubriand, also known as Chatô, who was the first magnate of communications in Brazil, especially between the late 1930s and early 1960s has come to be called the Brazilian Citizen Kane. Founder of the Daily Associates, TV Tupi and the São Paulo Art Museum. He was a senator of the Republic and had a close relationship and controversy with President Getulio Vargas. The film traces his rise and fall in an extremely convincing manner. (October 1, 2016 at 7.15 pm)

‘Al Massira, The Green March’ from Morocco by Youssef Britel effectively delineates the grit and determination of the Moroccans to re-conquer their land under Spanish occupation through a peaceful march. A historical film, ‘Al Massira, The Green March’ perhaps would turn out to be a cult film presenting the intertwined fates of a handful of men and women, sharing the same objective: to fight for the freedom of their colonized territory. “The Green March” tells the story of a mother, Zhor, who risked her life 40 years ago by joining to the march. Her objective was to give birth to her child on her late husband’s land, the occupied Moroccan Sahara. (October 2, 2016 at 9.15 pm)

‘Madagascar’ (1994): The Cuban classic by Fernando Pérez Valdés is another film that should not be missed by the movie buffs for the simple reason that the film stands as a classic documentation of social change in Cuba on the nineties. Narrated well through the relationship of a mother and daughter, the film won every single big award in its time, at almost every film festival it was screened at. (September 30, 2016 at 7.15 pm)

‘Dana Dana’(Pearl Pearl): A small film from war torn Iraq is the story of a young Iraqi singer’s migration to Britain, people’s perception of his nationality and religion and his struggle to overcome all stereotyped impressions and succeed as a musician. (October 2, 2016 at 12.30 pm)

‘World Cup’ from Syria is directed by twin brothers called Malas. The film traces the passion for the game running across the political spectrum, social strata and the warring factions in the war torn Syria today. A brave attempt considering the turmoil in the region, the film stands on its own drama and performances. (October 2, 2016 at 3.00 pm)

Secret Section

This section will showcase those movies which are already there but have not come into the limelight. Secret Section Movies: Movies such as Bonga, Let’s Talk, An Encounter With Faces, Private Detective, and Raman Raghav, will be telecast under this special section.