Regional cinema to get spotlight in Delhi at Habitat Film Festival 2024

Regional films have amassed a wider audience ever since the boom of OTT in India. However, much before the advent of such platforms, the Habitat Film Festival (HFF) has been providing unwavering support to this realm of cinema and is now returning to the Capital for its 16th edition.
The 10-day-long gala, in partnership with HT City, has a line-up of 40 feature films, 10 documentaries and three short film sections. It opens today with the Marathi film Sthal (A Match) and Hindi film Berlin, which stars actors Aparshakti Khurana and Ishwak Singh. “When we started the festival in 2006, there was no space for regional cinema. The Habitat Film Festival, the only festival focusing solely on the best of pan Indian cinema, was conceived to provide Indie regional cinema a deserved and much needed platform,” says Vidyun Singh, creative head of programmes at Habitat World and India Habitat Centre, revealing that films in 27 languages will be screened this year. “Providing the best of what is happening in independent cinema and breaking stereotypes, these stories are addressing issues that have a resonance with people beyond the urban metropolis,” she adds.
A retrospective on late filmmaker Kumar Shahani is also planned in the line-up. As part of this, actor Mita Vasisht will introduce the film Kasba (1991). She says, “I was discovered by Kumar Shahani. In 1987, when I graduated from National School of Drama, my first ever experience was a short film with him. I worked with him on three films and played the lead in all. Later, I went on to do some wonderful movies but a lot of world view that I got as a young actor came from having worked with him. It’s the timelessness of his films that sets it apart and puts these films on a pedestal.” 
Fans of Hindi cinema can also check out film posters and memorabilia from the ’70s that will be displayed at an exhibition organised in collaboration with the National Film Archive of India (NFAI). But must catch the closing film Joram (2023), starring actor Manoj Bajpayee. Its director, Devashish Makhija shares how he is “looking forward to an opportunity to interact with live audience”. He shares, “My films generally struggle to find their audiences; be it on theatres or OTT. Film festivals have given me the respect and acceptance (as a filmmaker), and are therefore my lifeline… My last film, Bhonsle (2018) was the closing film at HFF in 2019, and it was one of the most satisfying audience interactions I ever had. So I’m very keen to come back this year.” 
 
What: 16th Habitat Film Festival
Where: India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road
When: May 3 to 12
Timing: 11am to 9pm
Entry: www.habitatworld.com (Registration is free)
Nearest Metro Station: JLN Stadium (Violet Line) & Jor Bagh (Yellow Line)