The annual festival – New Directors/New Films – kicked off on March 18 in New York. The festival, organised by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Museum of Modern Arts, brings to the forefront first and second features and short films, mostly by young film makers from across the world. (Official site : Here)
Of the wide range of films which are being screened at the fest this year, these are some of the critics’ favourites; and gladly, one of the films is from India:
The Kindergarten Teacher
This Israeli film by Nadav Lapid is a tale of an Israeli teacher who becomes fascinated and later, obsessed with a child prodigy poet. The film is about how she decides to protect him, nurture his talent and help him grow, in spite of opposition from everyone.
Violet
Bas Devos’s Belgian film is about a teenage boy, who witnesses his friend being stabbed to death in a suburban Belgian town. The film focuses on the boy’s grief , that gently translates to unfathomable sadness and hopelessness.
Court
This Indian film, directed by Chaitanya Tamhane, won awards at the Venice and Mumbai film festivals. It follows the story of an elderly folk singer who is arrested on the charge of inciting a sewage worker to commit suicide through one of his grassroots performances. The court trial that follows reveals the injustices of the Indian judicial system, bureaucracy and law and order system.
Line of Credit
Salomé Alexi’s film focuses on the effects of the current economic crisis in Georgia n other countries. It narrates the story of people who live paycheck to paycheck and the anxiety felt by its main character.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Directed by Marielle Heller, this American film has actress Bel Powley in the lead. It is a coming-of-age story of a quirky girl in 1970’s San Francisco. It was one of the most-praised films at Sundance Festival this year
K
Recommended
The letter K always reminds one of Kafka.Directed by Erdenibulag Darhad and Emyr ap Richard, this low budget drama is based on Franz Kafka’s unfinished novel The Castle. It is set in present-day Inner Mongolia.
Goodnight Mommy
Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, Goodnight Mommy is a twisted, brutal psychological horror film from Germany. The story is about two young twin boys tormenting their mother, who appears with her face covered in head-dressing half of the film.