The 24th edition of the River to River Florence Indian Film Festival takes place from December 5-10 at Cinema la Compagnia (via Cavour 50R) and other venues, held as part of the 50 Days of Cinema calendar. Under the direction of Selvaggia Velo, the vibrant celebration of contemporary Indian cinema has the patronage of the Indian Embassy and is supported by Fondazione Sistema Toscana. A wide array of screenings provides a platform for filmmakers to share their unique narratives and creative visions of India with a global audience, with over 20 films on the programme that are all Italian or European premieres.
The Great Indian Family
Laapataa Ladies
Everybody loves Sohrab Handa
Cinephiles, grab your seats for the opening event that shows Vijay Krishna Acarya’s The Great Indian Family, a sparkling family saga starring Vicky Kaushal, with the director present at the festival. India’s Oscar-entry Laapataa Ladies by director Kiran Rao also sees the director attend the screening. Starring Nitanshi Goel, the sharp social satire tackles some of the most pressing issues in India with irony, including arranged marriages and patriarchal culture. Another of the highly anticipated special guests is actor Babil Khan who will be in Florence to present Amit Golani’s Logout.
Take note too of the tribute to Raj Kapoor, “the Charlie Chaplin of Indian cinema”, to mark the centenary of his birth. The legendary actor, director and producer is known for his iconic roles as a cheerful and honest vagabond, despite adversity. To mark the occasion, there will be screenings of works like Awaara (The Tramp, the story of Raj who was forced to live on the streets) and Nadir Ahmed’s Raj Kapoor’s Loni Tunes, in which the director brings viewers through Kapoor’s life. The festival finishes off with Rajat Kapoor’s Everybody loves Sohrab Handa, an unmissable crime comedy.
In addition to its cinematic offerings, the festival includes cultural events, making it a holistic celebration of Indian culture, with talks, cooking shows and more. An exhibition at the B.east Gallery titled The Shape of Self is a portrait of transgender communities in West Bengal seen through the lens of photographer Alessio Maximilian Schroder and created in collaboration with Fondazione Studio Marangoni. Writer Perumal Murugan, one of the leading voices of Tamil literature, makes an appearance at Libreria Brac, discussing his novel Rogo and enriching the varied programme that fosters cross-cultural dialogue between Italy and India. The talk titled ‘The thousand faces of India’ will see Andrea Drocco, professor of modern languages and literature of the Indian subcontinent at the University of Ca’ Foscari in Venice, in conversation with journalist Leonardo Tozzi. Another lure is undoubtedly Indian cuisine, which will be showcased at its finest with a cooking show featuring chef Basheerkutty Mansoor of Nura.
Director of the festival, Selvaggia Velo, commented: “This edition is full of strong content, from issues related to the condition of women, with everything that patriarchal culture brings with it, to conflicts between Hindu and Muslim populations, up to environmental issues. These hot topics will be explored in some of the films starring in this edition, which as always will feature popular Bollywood films as well as independent productions and cinematic masterpieces. There’s a rich lineup of guests, including directors, actors, producers and authors. Not only that: we are particularly happy to bring the acclaimed writer Perumal Murugan, one of the most interesting voices of contemporary Indian literature, to Italy for the first time, in collaboration with the Brac bookshop. The festival is about to celebrate a quarter of a century, once again offering spectators a 360-degree Indian experience.”
