Colourful saris and elephants, great festivities and sacred cows are some of the most persistent clichés regarding a country which cultural wealth and film history is a palpable reality. Preconceived ideas of Indian film often stem from Bollywood musicals where dances and folk singing intermingle. However, these kitsch productions offer only a conservative version of India. Somewhere in this mass of stereotypes lies a sensitive cinema focused on the multiple realities and concerns of the Indian people. Bearing this in mind, this selection offers a more grounded view of everyday Indian life. Out of that, this land of a hundred faces unveils all its beauty to the sound of ever-present sitar rhythms, through a ray of sunshine or the poetry of daily life.

Premendra Mazumber, senior programmer and official correspondent for India, will be with us to present the program’s films and filmmakers.
Premendra Mazumder has a very multifaceted and versatile film resume. He has  written for various publications as a movie critic throughout the world. He is the author of a book on the one hundred years of Bengali cinema, he has also edited several magazines and worked on the editorial board of the “Dictionary of Asian Cinema”published in October 2008. A member of the International Federation of Film Critics – FIPRESCI, he has also been an official correspondent for India at Cannes International Critics’ Week (Semaine de la critique) since 2005.