The 12th edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) concluded on Tuesday, after screening films of some of the biggest names of the Indian industry, such as actors Manoj Bajpayee, Aamir Bashir and writer Varun Grover. DIFF, which took place at Tibetan Children’s Village in Upper Dharamshala from November 4 to November 7, enchanted the attendees as it served the best of world cinema on the platter. There were movies, masterclasses and conversations.
“The festival seems to get bigger and better every year. I first came in 2015 with Masaan, last year I came with my short film Kiss and now my feature debut film All India Rank is opening the festival, which is one of my favorites in the world. This is a true honour," writer-lyricist Varun Grover shares.
To bring movies to the mountains, where infrastructure is the biggest hurdle, DIFF partnered with PictureTime, a one-of-a-kind mobile theatre company. At the venue, the company provided two state-of-the-art inflatable screening halls as well as equipped two on-site auditoriums with 2K projection systems and 5.1 Dolby surround sound for an immersive movie watching experience.
It was in these inflatable theatres and on-site venues turned cinema halls that DIFF screened loved and acclaimed films, including Manoj Bajpayee's drama Joram, which marked the closing film of the festival. The festival also witnessed some sparkling conversations and sessions, including with Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga and celebrated director Pa. Ranjith. While Guneet's session was titled Building India Globally, One Film at a Time, filmmaker Pa. Ranjith spoke on Mainstreaming the Caste.
Sushil Chaudhary, Founder, PictureTime Digiplex shares, “We wanted to offer filmmakers, delegates, and cinema enthusiasts an experience akin to a big-screen theatre and that's what we achieved. Our collaboration with DIFF continues to flourish and this year we had auditoriums equipped with an immersive viewing environment, three of which boast DCI-compliant screens.”
“The arrival of PictureTime as our technical partner in 2018, solved this problem and allowed us to show films at the highest standards. Many thanks to Sushil Chaudhary and the entire PictureTime team who worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to ensure the screenings go without a hitch,” Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, Founders and Festival Directors sign off.
