Darjeeling Film Festival to celebrate cinema from Hills, Sikkim

REZA PRADHAN

DARJEELING,: The second edition of the three-day Darjeeling Film Festival will be held in Kurseong from October 30, showcasing locally produced films, regional filmmakers and cultural narratives from the Hills and neighbouring Sikkim.

Organised by Living the Culture Foundation (LCF), the festival, titled “The Stories of Our Hills”, will be held at 3rd Mile Busty Community Hall in Deorali, Kurseong.

The festival aims to bridge the gap between local filmmakers and audiences by providing a platform to showcase films that have received recognition at national and international levels but remain relatively unknown in their home region.

LCF founding member Mingma Tshering Lepcha said the idea emerged from his experience of attending film festivals in cities, where films made by young filmmakers from the region were screened, while audiences back home remained largely unaware of their achievements.

“As a film maker who studied the craft, I used to attend film festivals in the cities with my batchmates. I saw films made by our youth being showcased there, something that was entirely missing back home. Our region is filled with unique cultures and stories told through these films, which are now gaining national and international recognition. Yet, when we return home, we realise our own people barely know they exist,” he said.

The festival will primarily focus on short films, alongside select feature-length productions. The line-up includes short films such as “Knock Knock Knock”, “Setho Ghari”, “Dhantey Khata”, “Crossing Borders”, “Bihan-Another Morning”, “Xunyota-Void”, “Death Certificate”, “Ek Dhakar Jiwan”, “Kholai Sangai” and “Doko Ko Chahari”.

Feature films to be screened include “Acharya”, “Dhurba Tara”, “Paral ko Agu”, “Bahadur - The Brave” and “Youngster”.

Several of the short films, including “Knock Knock Knock”, “Setho Ghari” and “Dhantey Khata”, have won awards but remain little known among local audiences, Lepcha said.

“These films are rooted in our culture and traditions, earning recognition elsewhere because they offer something entirely fresh to outside audiences. At the same time, we believe that if our own people get to see them, they will deeply resonate with these stories,” he said.

The festival will also feature panel discussions, felicitation ceremonies, a poetry session, a theatre performance and a student film competition. Some of the feature-length productions have been included as part of an effort to celebrate retrospective cinema, Lepcha said.

The LCF has received sustained support from people across different professions and backgrounds since organising its inaugural festival in Kurseong.

“When we first launched this initiative in Kurseong, the overwhelming response took us by surprise. This time, as we gathered in a community hall to hold the program, the local support has been heart-warming for which we are grateful,” he said adding that since the foundation’s inception last year, it had drawn a diverse community together from different professions and backgrounds.