Documentary Films as A Tool for Social Change
Documentary Film Festivals in India are on a speedy rise, especially in metropolitan cities like Chennai- being a hub of active and social youth. Recently, there was an International Film Festival organized by MARUPAKKAM and Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan Chennai.
The 8th Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2020 was conducted from 19–23rd February.
This film festival was held in partnership with several colleges, including Ethiraj College, Women’s Christian College, Loyola College. The Tamil film section has been curated SBP Bhaskaran, Filmmaker and Film Society
Activist while Amudhan R.P, Filmmaker and Festival Director has curated the Indian & International Film sections.
Over 50 Indian and International documentaries and short films were screened at multiple venues from 10 am to 8 pm under 8 sections such as Indian films, International films, Contemporary German Films, Ranhan Palit Retrospective, Andres Veiel Retrospective, Filmmaker in Focus — Rajula Shah, Homage– Manjira Datta and Tamil films by students from Asian College of Journalism.
Films from various countries including Sweden, France, Syria, and others were screened during the 5-day festival. Filmmakers such as Hasna Thapliyal, Anirban Dutta, Sandeep Ravidranath, and Rajula Shah and others took part in the post-screening discussion where observations and questions about the film were shared.
Documentary films can educate, raise awareness, and inspire change like few other forms of media. In a world where visual media dominates and social media is the channel through which we communicate, there is no better tool for changing hearts and minds than the feature-length documentary film. From financial contributions to being a dedicated audience member, there are many ways to support documentary films and the countless important stories just waiting to be told; information on all of which can be found in this guide. All that’s needed is the belief in the power of story to inspire social change.