Latest news with #HFF
Mint
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Weekly planner: 5 events that showcase the best of art, food and theatre
The Habitat Film Festival (HFF) is back with its 17th edition and is showcasing films across 24 Indian languages. This year, the HFF focuses on both classics and contemporary cinema through retrospectives, masterclasses and screenings. One of the highlights is the Shyam Benegal Retrospective featuring a special screening of his debut film Ankur. Some of the masterclasses include Neville Tuli's session on cinema as a critical and interdisciplinary educational resource, and a talk by Prof. S.V. Srinivas to mark 50 years of Rajinikanth and Chiranjeevi in cinema. Till 25 May, at India Habitat Centre, Delhi. Entry is free, online registration mandatory via Enjoy a Kodava cuisine pop-up curated by Priya. On offer, as part of 'A Taste of Home', will be Pandhi Curry, Neyi Kool, Mange Pajji, Coconut Soufflé, among others. At Tijouri, Radisson Blu Atria, Ambedkar Veedhi, Bengaluru, till 18 May. For details, visit 'Asen Me Nasen Me' at the NCPA A four-day festival, Pratibimb Marathi Natya Utsav, celebrates the world of Marathi theatre. Among the plays are Tuji Aukat Kaye?, a bilingual musical inspired by folk traditions, and Sobaticha Karar, an show of poetry and music. At the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Nariman Point, Mumbai, between 22-25 May. For details, visit Curated by Rahul Bhattacharya, the group exhibition, Alchemy of Matter: Material as Memory, Studio as Site, explores how artists of Vadodara are experimenting with materials like canvas, clay, glass and bronze. Among the 16 participating artists are Ajay Lakhera and Mayur Gupta. On view till 10 June, 11am-7pm. Lexicon Art Gallery, Connaught Place, New Delhi. 'After Silence' by Harshh Kumar Method Kala Ghoda in Mumbai is presenting two solo exhibitions: After Silence by Harshh Kumar, and Inheritance of a Feeling by Dheeraj Jadhav. Both shows seek to create a contemplative space for soaking in two distinct visual languages around abstraction and memory. Viewers can take in the contrasts between the artists' practices. While Kumar's works are layered and vibrant, 'channelling emotional turbulence through gestural abstraction; Jadhav's series of inkblot works is almost entirely in black and white, with just one artwork in colour—a symbolic gesture,' mentions the curatorial note. At Method Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, till 15 June, 12-8pm, closed on Monday-Tuesday.
India Today
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
For the love of cinema
The 17th edition of the Habitat Film Festival (HFF), scheduled in Delhi from May 16-25, will be a celebration of Indian cinema's past, present and future. Since its inception two decades ago, the platform has been a breath of fresh air for independent filmmakers, regional auteurs and cinephiles who seek an exceptional cinematic experience. From tributes to cinematic legends to a curated selection of contemporary films across 24 languages, HFF 2025 promises a packed programme.
Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
17th Habitat Film Festival turns the spotlight on doyens of Indian cinema
Shyam Benegal's debut film Ankur was unprecedented in more ways than one. Besides challenging the template of a quintessential Bollywood film as we knew it, it addressed real yet uncomfortable issues of feudalism as well as caste and gender politics, sans dance and music. The 1974 film, starring Shabana Azmi and Anant Nag, is credited with heralding a new wave of cinema in India. Benegal's illustrious life and career will be celebrated with an expansive retrospective at the 17th edition Habitat Film Festival (HFF) between May 16 and 25 at Delhi's India Habitat Centre. The director's contributions as the pioneer of parallel cinema would be commemorated in an exhibition, 'The Cinema of Shyam Benegal', featuring archival material from the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies. Alongside Ankur, the retrospective will also see the screenings of the path-breaking Mandi, the iconic Manthan and the memorable Junoon. Besides Benegal, the festival will pay tribute to several other stalwarts of Indian cinema, including Azmi, who is celebrating 50 years of her career, and director Aparna Sen, both of whom will be in conversation with each other before the screening of Ankur. 'We celebrate 50 years of three iconic stars in Indian cinema, we pay tribute to some legends of Indian Cinema on their 100th birth anniversary year and raise a hurrah for contemporary cinema trailblazers,' said Vidyun Singh, Creative Head Programmes, Habitat World, India Habitat Centre. Other legends of the screen who celebrate 50 years on the silver screen include the Southern showstoppers Rajnikanth and Chiranjeevi. A talk by S V Srinivas, Professor at the School of Liberal Studies, Azim Premji University in Bengaluru, will chronicle the characteristics, limitations and possibilities of southern superstardom. A vibrant 'Dastangoi Dastan-e-Raj Kapoor', directed by Mahmood Farooqui and performed by Rajesh Kumar and Rana Pratap Sengar, will celebrate the actor's birth centenary year. There will also be a screening of his iconic film Awaara, an exhibition of posters of the art of Kapoor's cinema, and a screening of a documentary on the actor directed by Siddharth Kak. Birth centenary year celebrations of Muhammad Rafi, Talat Mahmood and Tapan Sinha will be marked by a discussion of books on their illustrious careers and a screening of a Tapan Sinha film. The lives of Aruna Vasudev, 'Mother of Asian Cinema' and founder NETPAC, and Manoj Kumar, will be celebrated with screenings of NETPAC award-winning films and Kumar's Upkaar, respectively. The festival this year will screen 24 films, across different Indian languages, that highlight varied social issues, including human-environment conflict (Raavsahab, Sangala), and gender and caste discrimination (Swaha, Appuram, Aajoor). That cinema is a mirror to society comes through in Humans in the Loop, which looks at the advent of AI. Meanwhile, films such as Cinema pe Cinema and Behind the Scenes turn the camera inwards, focussing on the world of cinema. The festival, however, promises to be more than just a platform to see films. This year, it expands its role to offer a learning experience through an extended masterclass by Neville Tuli of Tuli Research Centre for India Studies, on cinema as a critical educational resource. 'The workshops will be especially interesting for students, academics and faculty members who are primarily interested in using the world of cinema to integrate across all other subjects with an in-depth and relatively unique interdisciplinary pedagogic approach to learning,' an organiser said. The HFF also brings back its segment dedicated to documentary and short films, with a series of innovative feminist documentaries that explore diverse, lived experiences, expressions and reflections as women, trans and queer persons. Also, on the roster are acclaimed and awarded films from the festival circuit. There's Pyre, Nukkad Natak, Beline, Dhrubor Aschorjo Jibon, Sangala, Mikka Bannada Hakki, Feminist Fathima, Victoria, and the 2024 Cannes Grand Prix awardee, All We Imagine As Light by Payal Kapadia. 'As cinema gains more traction with the onset of revolutionary technologies such as OTT, it's important to promote a culture where films aren't just watched but also understood and appreciated. The festival also aims to initiate the new generation into the art of cinema to facilitate the emergence of young, new storytellers, cinematographers, actors and directors who would further enrich both Indian and world cinema with their creativity, energy and dedication,' said KG Suresh, Director, India Habitat Centre.
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Habitat Film Festival to pay tribute to Shyam Benegal, Manoj Kumar, Raj Kapoor and others
New Delhi, The 17th edition of the Habitat Film Festival will pay tribute to industry stalwarts like Shyam Benegal, Raj Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Talat Mahmood, and Aruna Vasudev. Apart from a retrospective of Benegal, screenings of NETPAC award winning films, and Manoj Kumar's iconic film "Upkar", the film festival will showcase films in 24 Indian languages across themes of social issues that affect Indian society. The festival will begin on May 16 with a tribute to Raj Kapoor through a vibrant dastangoi performance "Dastan-e-Raj Kapoor", directed by Mahmood Farooqui, and a screening of his iconic film "Awaara". An exhibition of posters of the art of the legendary filmmaker's cinema, and a screening of a documentary on Raj Kapoor, directed by Siddharth Kak, will also mark his birth centenary year. 'Our Festival this year is significant for a host of reasons. It's the 20th year since we began, . We mourn the loss of some who have been an integral part of our journey, we celebrate 50 years of three iconic stars in Indian cinema, we pay tribute to some legends of Indian Cinema on their 100th birth anniversary year and raise a hurrah for contemporary cinema trail blazers," Vidyun Singh, creative head programmes, India Habitat Centre, said in a statement. The Shyam Benegal Retrospective will be flagged off with the screening of his first feature film "Ankur", which also marked the cinematic journey of Shabana Azmi 50 years ago. Azmi will be in conversation with renowned filmmaker Aparna Sen, who is also the subject of a documentary directed by Suman Ghosh that will be screened at the festival. The festival will highlight themes of human-environment conflict in films like "Raavsaheb" and "Sangala", gender and caste discrimination in "Swaha", "Appuram", and "Aajoor". While "Humans in the Loop" discusses AI and society, "Cinema pe Cinema" and "Behind the Scenes" turn the camera inwards and focus on the world of cinema. The HFF will also screen "Puratawn", Sharmila Tagore's Bengali comeback film, directed by Suman Ghosh. The festival will also host a series of innovative feminist documentaries that explore and visibilise diverse, lived experiences, expressions and reflections as women, trans and queer persons, including "All That We Own" by Aprajita Gupta, "Making Space" by Nikita Parikh, and "Log Kya Kahenge" by Rafina Khatun. A curated package of non-fiction films, including "Only If The Baby Cries" by Shadab Farooq, "We Are Not What We See" by Hou-hsein, and "Mic Drop" by Kallol Mukherjee. The HFF will showcase acclaimed and awarded films from across the country, including "Pyre" by Vinod Kapri, "Nukkad Natak" by Tanmaya Shekhar, "Beline" by Samik Roy Choudhury, "Dhrubor Aschorjo Jibon" by Abhijit Chowdhury, "Mikka Bannada Hakki" by Manohara, and "Feminist Fathima" by Fasil Muhammed. The much celebrated film by Payal Kapadia, "All We Imagine As Light", will be screened during the film festival. "As cinema gains more traction with the onset of revolutionary technologies such as OTT, it's important to promote a culture where films aren't just watched but also understood and appreciated. The festival also aims to initiate the new generation into the art of cinema to facilitate the emergence of young, new storytellers, cinematographers, actors and directors who would further enrich both Indian and world cinema with their creativity, energy and dedication," K G Suresh, director, India Habitat Centre, said. The HFF will also observe the birth centenary years of Muhammad Rafi, Talat Mahmood and Tapan Sinha with discussion of books on their illustrious careers, and a screening of a Tapan Sinha film, "Ek Doctor ki Maut". The film festival will also see book discussions, workshops, exhibitions, and masterclasses. The 10-day festival will come to an end on May 25.
