Bollywood alone is not cinema: Devkanya Thakur

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Last year inclement weather played the spoilsport and restricted the International Shimla Film Festival to a one-day affair. Now as the sun god seems to be smiling, the Queen of Hills once again beckons cine enthusiasts with its vast palette of movies from across the world.

The 12th edition of the three-day festival is a bouquet of films from countries as diverse as Iran, Portugal, Canada, Mexico, Bulgaria, China Croatia, Indonesia, Italy and Palestine.

In the vast variety, which the festival offers filmmaker Tribeny Rai’s internationally acclaimed feature film Shape of Momo, which has already won many international awards, including Taipei Film Commission Award and the Songwon Vision Award at Busan Film Festival, shines bright. The opening film Lullaby from Azerbaijan and Portugal, a short film directed by Ayan Melik is set against the backdrop of the Karabakh conflict. Pitching an Azerbaijani soldier and an Armenian soldier against each other, in times of conflict and war like situations engulfing the world, the message of humanity is what the 14-minute film underscores. The closing film Nyingma… Through Her Eyes, a 20-minute Indian short film directed and written by Liton Paul is set in a high-altitude Himalayan mountain village in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh. Winner of the Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Indian Short Film at the 31st Kolkata International Film Festival in 2025, it centres around a young girl’s dream to attend school in the face of environmental challenges and economic reality.Devkanya Thakur, founder of the festival, is especially proud of the Himachali section they have curated and singles out Chupi Roh, Disha Bhardwaj’s directorial signature in particular. In Pahadi and Dogri, the film deals with gender identity. Tenfa, a 30-minute Kinnauri short film directed by award winning interdisciplinary maker Nihaarika Negi, which rediscovers Kinnaur’s linguistic and sonic layers through magic realism is another highlight. Devkanya, who has been assiduously putting together the festival since its inception, would really like local languages like Pahadi and filmmakers from her region to gain more attention. Though the festival is supported by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Government of India), the Department of Language and Culture (Government of Himachal Pradesh), and Himalayan Velocity, she beseeches the state government to make arts not just cinema but also literature in local dialects a top priority. She quips, “Bollywood alone is not cinema.”

As movies from the North-East, latest example being Nagaland filmmaker Theja Rio’s film Angh securing direct entry to the International Feature Film category at the 2027 Oscars, clearly focus on local languages and stories are the flavour of the season and of the festival too. Rohit Ravindra Jadhav’s Halgi, a Marathi short film revolves around a traditional drummer, who experiences ‘every beat of the drum as a crushing weight of caste obligations, social shame, and emotional suffocation.’

Cinephiles can look forward to Iranian short, Dry Bushes. Directed by Mohammad Niloofar, the engaging storytelling meets beautiful frames. In the changing landscape of entertainment, the raison de etre of the festival is to expose budding filmmakers to cinema which otherwise they do not have access to.

Red carpet events or glamour is not the festival’s mojo. Yet, there can be no talk of cinema without some of its practioners dwelling upon its myriad facets. Noted filmmaker of Oh My God 2 fame Amit Rai, whose latest film Ohh My Dog, a heart-warming tale, which explores the bond between humans and dogs, will interact with audiences on day two of the festival. The opening day will include interactive sessions with two of film industry’s stellar and National Award winning actors. Veteran actor Manoj Joshi of countless films and Sharib Hashmi aka endearing JK of The Family Man in individual sessions will take audiences en route their fascinating journeys of character building. Master-classes on AI will further inform audiences especially those who intend to pursue cinema on whether AI is the best creative tool or bane?

So movie-enthusiasts, book your dates; the festival starts from September 25 to 27 at the historic Gaiety Theatre in Shimla, Entry free. As Pushp Raj Thakur, Festival Director says, “Watch, cinema transcend geographical and cultural boundaries.”