28/01/2026
Day four | KPFF 2026| Festival diaries
"On the 26th of January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of contradictions. In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In politics we will be recognizing the principle of 'one man one vote' and 'one vote one value'. In our social and economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of 'one man one value'. How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life? If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by putting our political democracy in peril."
-BR Ambedkar
The fourth and final day of the 12th Kolkata People’s Film Festival began with a special screening of “To Kill a War Machine”, by the Rainbow Collective. The documentary follows the group Palestine Action—a group that has conducted Direct Action against industries that have supported the genocide in Palestine by supplying arms and military technology to Israel, exposing the nexus between corporates and the military in the UK. This has led to the group being proscribed under terrorism legislature in the country and a wave of retribution, including the mis treatment of supporters on hunger strike and the arrest of activists, Greta Thunberg included.
“In Search of Bengali Harlem” directed by Vivek Bald and Alaudin Ullah, takes to Harlem on a journey with Ullah- who is on a quest, a very personal one- to tell his parents’ story. A story of immigrant life in the 80’s and the struggles his family faced. The lives of immigrants are so intricately woven into the fabric of every country, in terms of history, culture and ethos. . .lives that have made nations. It is so hard to reconcile that fact with what is happening in the USA now, where immigrants are being targeted simply for their identity, and targeted how. With rank violence and lawlessness.
What happens when the world abandons you? What becomes of people when they are denied basic human rights? Birth is an accident unkind to many. Such is the plight of over a million people in our neighbouring country. Rishabh Jain's “A Dream called Khushi” follows Rahima Akhtar Khushi, a Rohingya refugee who dares to dream of a future that defies the norm for someone like her. Khushi dreams of higher education and ushering in a new day for refugee children like her. She crosses seemingly unsurmountable hurdles, remaining steadfast in her mission. At long last appears a silver lining heralding a seemingly brighter future.
Kesang Tseten's "The Lama's Son" opens with the Western fantasy intact: vast brown mountains, animals galloping, ancient monasteries. Then systematically dismantles it. Climate floods destroy farmland. Youth scatter across continents. An aging lama awaits a son who will not return from New York, his faith dying with him. The film documents Bön religion collapsing under modernization, migration and environmental crisis converging. In one scene, Tseten asks local women why the village empties. "Here, there, everywhere," they answer cryptically, then turn the camera back on him: why are you here? What is your purpose? The filmmaker's positionality becomes the subject. Tseten wrestles with representation, refusing orientalist comfort whilst witnessing genuine loss. An audience member post-screening recognised something familiar from his home in Jhargram, South Bengal: Adivasi communities whose faith faces appropriation and erasure simultaneously.
Kashmir is often talked about in terms of conflict, borders, and control. But Searching for Grandpa shows us a different Kashmir, quiet, gentle, and seen through the eyes of children. The film follows two young siblings and their close bond with their grandfather. When they go out searching for him, the search becomes more than just a physical journey. It reflects love, affection, and the deep emotional connection children share with elders in a family. Through small moments and simple conversations, the film captures how children experience absence and longing in their own innocent way.
"When does imitation of convention stop and questioning begin?" asks the director in the post screening Q&A session. Set in a serene Himalayan village Ishan Pehal's “Gods Do Not Follow” tells the story of 16-year-old Uma who is caught between the burden of tradition and the stirrings of her own desire. Resolute in her mission to go to the village fair, Uma decides on a plan that is dangerous as it is necessary. Lyrical in its portrayal, the film shows the quiet rebellions of those who refuse to conform and how even the most unassuming people can be the most deceptive. The discussion after the screening brought up the point of the motivation behind the film, in answer to which the director said that he intended to show how difficult it is to navigate life with a plethora of taboos and superstitions in a place that is otherwise hailed for its serenity.
A young boy. Systemic oppression. Caste. A woman denied her wages and an old man, a landowner—the “master” whose faith looms large over every frame. “Only To You I Surrender”, directed by Aditya Raj Bhargav deals with nuances at every level, some overt and some, represented through actions. It shows how easily faith is used by one as the reason for another’s deprivation and how brave an act that is looked down on, can be.
Who is a good wife? Is she someone who only follows what her husband wants, deriving her own pleasure from that of others? Is she someone who will always compromise, pushing her dreams to the backseat? Or is she someone who will never utter or even think of the word divorce, because “log kya kahenge”? Or is it a woman who protects what is hers with a dogged determination? “A Good Wife” directed by Anuradha Bansal takes us into the home of a Marwari family in central Kolkata—one where tradition is passed down generations, where love is fierce, but often misunderstood. The film is a deeply reflective and brave gaze into the filmmaker’s own life, her family-the spaces and people she is closest to. Bansal asks questions that are not easy, and records answers that are equally difficult. Shot over years and without any premeditation, she spoke of how difficult it was to turn the lens inward in the conversation that followed with Farha Khatun.
In Kasturi’s closing note, she spoke of the process of selecting the films- and how these have spoken about themes of fighting fascism and authoritarianism, ethnic struggles, making the personal political and vice versa, erased histories and various movements against majoritarianism. Another theme Kasturi spoke of was how immigrant rights are being systemically taken away- who is a citizen and who isn’t, who belongs and who doesn’t? She spoke of how the theme of belonging has been a common thread running through past festivals and how many of the films have been responses to what has been happening around the world. Kasturi spoke of the intense acts of courage, love and humanity that the same world has witnessed.
The closing film was the world premiere of “That Dawn That We Will Bring”, directed by Uma Chakravarti. A magnum opus of sorts, the film documents, through archives of existing films, the women’s movement in India-spanning decades, space, region and scale. Each film shows how women have been raising their voice against the prevalent patriarchy, documenting therefore both events that spur the movement as well as the continuous fight against a male dominated society. Uma Chakravarti and Priyanka Chhabra, the editor of the film, were in conversation with Kasturi after the screening. Chakravarti spoke of how important the role of the editor is, particularly with a film such as this- stitching together archives and films and in effect bringing to life what is a director’s vision. Chhabra mentioned how each of the films were in conversation with each other- something that she discovered while editing the film and how the beginning of the film acted as a gateway into a “labyrinth” of sorts- into other movements across space and time.
“Kolkata People’s Film Festival is not just about watching films. It is about being in a space that cares about thought, ambience, art, books, craft, and people. I especially value how the festival gives equal importance to installations, paintings, meaningful books, and items made by students of Rokeya Kendra, which remind us that culture and conscience must go together. The films offer glimpses of the real India — often disturbing - but necessary. For those urban viewers who rarely move beyond tourist spaces, this becomes an awakening. These stories of marginalised and minority communities are rarely told, and that is why this collective becomes a space of resistance. I may spend only a few hours each day, for four days, but the thinking continues for years. Meeting young, socially aware filmmakers gives me a lot of hope. I only wish more young people, especially college students and even Classes 11–12, were part of the audience. Many may simply not know about it. Wider outreach could bring many young minds into this space. This is an event one genuinely looks forward to — for the films, for the conversations, and for the long reflection that follows.”
- Rupali, member of the audience
I want to end this by saying “until next year”, but the work of the festival never stops. The travelling festival will take selections of films to different parts of the country and even to other parts of the world. Monthly screenings will continue to bring conversations to Kolkata- every month. Conversations fueled by cinema. Because in a world that is so rapidly losing its humanity, how do we regain the courage to fight? How do we look inward and find that belief?
It is a belief that must be collective. And in conversation, we find that collective.
Zindabad.
Report: Angira, Mrittika, Paroma, Tarun
Photos: Sahitya, Arko
