NEW DELHI : Cinephiles are in for a treat as the annual event celebrating the best of acclaimed cinema ‘Habitat International Film Festival’ is back with a stunning showcase of over 60 films from 30 countries. Scheduled from March 8th to 17th at India Habitat Centre, this year, Germany is the focus country in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi with support from Lufthansa Group. As the festival kicks off on International Women’s Day, the festival curation puts a spotlight on women directors and movies with a focused lens on women-centric issues.
The festival is divided into several sections that coalesce movies in a thematic thread. The main sub-themes of this edition are New Voices, Famous Filmmakers, Documentary and Coming of Age. Then there are workshops and masterclasses, MUBI special films, virtual reality programme – VROOOOM, NETPAC award-winning films, and showcasing of a series of Oscar and Golden Globe-winning feature films.
To ensure, you reserve a seat for yourself to witness the cinematic magic unfold, do log in on www.habitatworld.com from March 1 to get free passes.
“The HIFF is back in its full-fledged form this year, with an exciting line-up of top-notch new cinema from across the world, with a focus on German cinema, a return of the much-loved and successful VR Section, two Masterclasses and sections featuring NETPAC Award Winners and MUBI specials. All of this curated for us by the wonderful Habitat Programmes Team led by Vidyun Singh.”
- Sunit Tandon, Director, India Habitat Centre
“A Festival of films that brings you a selection of the incredible talent of some of the best international filmmakers who craft narratives that cannot fail to touch hearts and evoke concern, empathy, sympathy, understanding, urgency, admiration and hope.”
- Vidyun Singh, Creative Head Programmes, India Habitat Centre HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2024 EDITION OF HIFF
- Focus Country: Germany
In partnership with the Goethe-Institut/ Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi supported by the Lufthansa Group
“We explore new German feature and documentary films at the HIFF, ranging from luminaries, such as Margarethe von Trotta and Wim Wenders, to exciting new voices, including Ilker Catak or Frauke Finsterwalder. Without intending to, we have created a showcase of female filmmakers, protagonists, and narratives. This is a result of the recognition of women in the film industry in the last years that acknowledges the impact of their perspectives and narratives in the filmmaking landscape that was not that visible before.”
- Katharina Görig, Director Programmes South Asia, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi is showcasing the best of contemporary films from Germany and opens the festival with Director and Writer İlker Çatak’s acclaimed ‘The Teachers’ Lounge’.
Famous Filmmakers and New Voices: Audiences will get a unique opportunity to explore the richness of human experiences through the lens of visionary directors as HIFF celebrates both renowned filmmakers and emerging voices in the world of cinema. Acclaimed filmmaker Margarethe von Trotta’s ‘Ingeborg Bachmann: Journey into the Desert’ and 2024 nominee for Palme d’Or and Best International Feature Film at the Oscars ‘Perfect Days’ by Wim Wenders will be showcased in the famous filmmakers’ segment. ‘The Teachers’ Lounge’ by Ilker Catak and Sophie Linnenbaum’s ‘The Ordinaries’ which won nominations in several categories at the German Film Awards 2023 will be showcased in the New Voices section. Other films in this category include ‘Sisi and I’ by Frauke Finsterwalder and ‘Orphea in Love’ by Alex Ranisch. Also featured will be Steffi Niederzoll’s Seven Winters in Tehran, a moving and shockingly topical documentary debut, where Niederzoll uses original audio and visual material smuggled out of Iran.
Technology and Craft: VROOOM – a Virtual Reality Film Experience, launched in 2023 by Goethe- Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi as part of HIFF returns with a new set of innovative and interesting works of filmmakers from around the world, who are using Virtual Reality or 360-degree filmmaking to convey their powerful stories. It is presented in partnership with VRHam!
Coming-0f-Age: The section features ‘Mission Ulja Funk’ by Barbara Kronenberg and Joya Thome’s ‘One in A Million’.
Masterclasses and Workshops:
- Masterclass on Editing with Kai Eiermann, a film editor and script consultant based in Berlin, Germany. With an impressive portfolio that includes documentaries and fiction films premiering at prestigious festivals like Berlinale, and Munich Film Festival, Eiermann offers invaluable insights into the art of editing. Through discussions and analysis of films such as ‘The Ordinaries’ (screening at HIFF 2024), attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the creative decisions and challenges inherent in editing.
- Masterclass and workshop with Ulrich Schrauth who is also the curator of the VROOOOM – A Virtual Reality Film Experience and an artistic director for VRHAM! Festival Virtual Reality & Arts Hamburg, XR & Immersive Programmer for the British Film Institute (BFI) and the London Film Festival.
Registrations will open soon.
Other highlights from the fifth edition of the Habitat International Film Festival include MUBI special films, NETPAC award-winning films, and a showcase of a series of Oscar and Golden Globe-winning feature films from around the world.
