The 3rd edition of the Habitat International Film Festival is back in New Delhi

EE News Desk Feb 26, 2020

The 3rd edition of the Habitat International Film Festival (HIFF 2020) is back with a fantastic line up of Contemporary World Cinema. Scheduled to be held from March 13th till March 22nd, the festival programming comprises a selection of critically acclaimed and award-winning features, shorts and documentaries which are handpicked from the best of 2019.

Films from across the globe, which push the boundaries of cinematic arts, and reflect on the burning realities of a changing world, are all set to woo cinephiles.

“It is a matter of great pleasure and pride that our Programmes team, under the able stewardship of Vidyun Singh, has put together a fine programme of some of the latest and most interesting cinema from across the world for the 3rd edition of the Habitat International Film Festival. Apart from the glimpses of the direction that new cinema is taking two decades into the millennium and the presence of some of the filmmakers in the vanguard of these developments, there are also two extremely noteworthy retrospective packages that will excite all cinema lovers: a tribute to the legendary Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini to celebrate the centenary of his birth, as well as one to the great Spanish auteur, Pedro Almodovar. I am confident that the 3rd HIFF will be memorable experience for avid film goers”, says Sunit Tandon, Director, India Habitat Centre.

This year’s edition of the festival opens with master Spanish director Pedro Almadóvar’s deeply personal movie Pain and Glory. The festival also showcases an impressive line-up of award-winning and festival favourite films of 2019 which include, Roy Andersson’s About Endlessness, winner of the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the Venice International Film Festival, Levan Akin’s And Then We Danced which won in 20 categories in festivals across the world; Martin Eden, winner of the Platform Prize at TIFF; Bangla, winner of Best First Feature at the Golden Globes, Italy; Perdrix or The Bare Necessity, a Golden Camera Nominee at the Cannes Film Festival; The Golden Glove/Der goldene Handschuh, a Golden Bear Nominee at the Berlin International Film Festival. Babyteeth, a festival favourite, which has toured in all the major film festivals from Palm Springs, to the London Film Festival and has won two awards at the Venice Film Festival, also shines through at the HIFF 2020.

“Love, betrayal, passion, regret, vendetta, migration, war, starvation, ambition, loyalty, sacrifice and dedication. Definitely look like the right ingredients for a sure shot blockbuster. HIFF returns bringing to you a pick of the best of 2019 from around the world. Add to that a retrospective of Pedro Almodovar from his 2019 award winning “Pain and Glory’” and milestone films starting with Dark Habits , a retrospective 100 years of the iconic Federico Fellini and I dare say it does feel like a very special festival”, says Vidyun Singh, Director, Programmes, Habitat World.

A very special feature of the HIFF is the Retrospective section, which will present the works of Spanish director, Pedro Almadóvar. Almadóvar’s graphic understanding of human nature, the larger-than-life themes, the gloriously melodramatic plot twists, and a bustling palette, continue to command great anticipation and appreciation among film lovers. His latest, Pain and Glory (2019) was touted as the best film of the year by Time Magazine.

The Almadóvar Retrospective at HIFF aims to recreate the same spirit of the extravagant with the absurd for its viewers. Dark Habits (1983) What have I done to deserve this? (1984), Law of Desire (1987), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) and multiple-award winner, Volver (2006) constitute the line-up.

HIFF joins the worldwide celebrations of a yearlong programme of 100 events, in honour of the 100th birth anniversary of Federico Fellini, one of the most influential filmmakers of all times. The seven milestone Fellini films being screened in this segment include his magnum opus, La dolce vita (1960), which won Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival and the Oscar for Best Costumes (1962); the self-referential, Oscar winner, 8 ½ (1963) and the semi-autobiographical Amarcord (1973), which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (1975).

Extending conscious and creative solidarity with the International Women’s Day 2020, HIFF is proud to host films by women directors. With diversity at the forefront, the section, handpicks distinct voices, across regions, languages and nationalities, each one driven by a unique and striking aesthetic, which places womens’ stories at the center. The Ground Beneath My Feet by Marie Kreutzer, Proxima by Alice Winocour, Retrospekt by Esther Rots, Waterproof by Daniela König, are some of them.

The Documentary section comprises documentaries like Rediscovery (Danish), Patrimonium (Danish) and The Wheel of Khadi, The Warp And Weft of India(Italian) which hold witness to HIFF ‘s commitment to sustainability for all, the energy that fuels its intents and actions. Interdependence, an anthology of films by eleven filmmakers from five continents who join forces to raise awareness on environment and climate change.

Mindful of the small, but significant audience of children in films, the festival continues to bring a repository of images and narratives that provide entertainment to children sans pedagogy or instruction. Films like Storm Boy, and John Denver Trending among others, will speak to the young adults of the digital world of today, and stimulate creativity, compassion and critical thinking.

The Bafta Shorts 2019, a collection of British short films and short animation nominees from the annual EE British Academy Film Awards, celebrating innovative and experimental short fiction and non-fiction films and animation will also be screened at the festival.

The Programme Schedule and Film details are available on the HIFF website, www.habitatinternationalfilmfestival.com. Free passes will be available on the HIFF website and the Programmes desk, India Habitat Centre from March 3 onwards.