Must-Watch Films at IFFI 2015

All the film buffs are headed to the biggest film festival in India – the 46^th Edition of the International Film festival of India. As the festival kicks off, here’s a list of must-watch movies especially recommended by IFFI for all those who will be attending this grand celebration of cinema.

The categories at IFFI 2015 range from International Competition and World cinema to the India Panorama section, Festival Kaleidoscope and more.

Here’s what IFFI recommends you to catch while in Goa –

The Danish Girl

A 2015 American biographical drama directed by Tom Hooper, The Danish Girl stars Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne as Danish artist Lili Elbe who was one of the first recipients of a sexual reassignment surgery.

 Love

Argentinian Filmmaker Gasper Noe’s Love is a French drama that explores modern love and sexual desires. The film was first screened at the Cannes International Film Festival and has since received mixed reviews.

Embrace of the Serpent

Ciro Guerra’s film explores the relationship between a shaman and two scientists working together in search of a sacred healing plant. Embrace of the Serpent took home the Art Cinema Award in the Directors’ Fortnight Section at Cannes 2015.

Much Loved

The drama revolves around a group of women who make a living as prostitutes in Morocco. The film that is banned in its own country, Morocco, is directed by Nabil Ayouch and was screened under Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes 2015.

Journey to the shore

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Journey to the shore was screened at the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2015 and won him the prize for Best Director. The romantic drama with elements of fantasy revolves around the story of a young widow who is reunited with her husband three years after his death.

Mustang

Selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards, Mustang revolves around the lives of five young orphaned sisters and the adversities they face in their conservative society. Directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven, it won the Europa Cinemas Label Award in the Directors’ Fortnight section at Cannes 2015

My Skinny Sister

Sanna Lenken’s  debut feature My Skinny Sister addresses the grave issue of eating disorders. In the film, Stella who is excited about becoming an adolescent, discovers that her elder sister is hiding an eating disorder. The film won the Crystal Bear at Berlinale 2015.

Cinemawala

Cinemawala by Kaushik Ganguly is the story of a father-son relationship set against the sorry state of single screen theatres in India. The film stars Parambrata Chatterjee and Sohini Sarkar. Kaushik has previously won the Best Director award at IFFI for his film Apur Panchali.

Court

Chaitanya Tamhane’s debut film is a courtroom drama that highlights the bizarre working of the Indian judicial system. Court that features newcomers won the Best Feature Film award at the 62nd National Film Awards and is India’s official submission in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 88th Annual Academy Awards.

Tangerine

This American comedy-drama directed by Sean S. Baker and Chris Bergoch revolves around a hooker and her friend who set out to find the former’s cheating boyfriend and teach him a lesson. Tangerine that had its World Premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival was completely shot on the iPhone 5s.

The Second Mother

The Brazilian drama written and directed by Anna Muylaert is about class barriers that exist within a home and come crashing down when the live-in housekeeper’s daughter suddenly disappears. The film premiered at Sundance and won the Panorama Audience Award at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.

Dheepan

Jacques Audiard’s drama throws light on the lives of millions of migrants who are forced to flee conflict-ridden zones and find new homes. Dheepan that won the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2015 is the story of three Tamil refugees who escape to France to get away from the civil war in Sri Lanka.

Cemetery of Splendor

Cemetery of Splendor is a Thai drama directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. It revolves around a mysterious sleeping sickness where hallucination becomes indistinguishable from reality. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

Mountains May Depart

Mountains May Depart, Jia Zhangke’s Chinese drama spans different timelines and is set in three parts – the 1990s, the present and future in the year 2025. The film competed for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes 2015.

The Clan

Based on the true story of the Puccio family, The Clan takes place in the final years of the Argentine military dictatorship and incipient return to democracy. Argentina‘s Oscar entry directed by Pablo Trapero was screened at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival and got Trapero the Silver Lion. The Clan will be the closing film at IFFI 2015.