Three Indian films at the 35th Durban International Film Festival

The long-running Durban International Film Festival is back and this year it's offering cinema lovers a host of must-see movies. From Kenyan crime thrillers and Ghanaian romantic comedies to insightful documentaries celebrating the achievements of Nelson Mandela or 20 years of democracy in South Africa, festival goers are spoiled for choice.

Overall, the 35th DIFF includes more than 200 theatrical screenings of local and international productions, including 40 feature-length films, 38 short films and more than 50 documentaries. This year it is also showcasing Ritesh Batra’s Lunchbox and Anup Singh’s Qissa, the two Indian films that have swept international film festivals over the past year. These two films will be among the three Indian films at the 35th edition of the Durban International Film Festival. Jayan K. Cherian’s Papilio Buddha will be the third Indian film at the festival that has started from 17th July to culminate on Sunday 27th July. A total of around 69 feature films, 60 documentaries and 57 short films will be screened from all across the globe.

Qissa will be screened as part of a special package of films on Gender and Sexuality as it is a film that blurs the boundaries of gender and genre in its story of a girl who is brought up as a boy. The Lunchbox- a tale of an isolated housewife who tries to reignite her relationship with her husband through a friendship she forms with someone who receives her delicious meals - will be screened in World Cinema section. Also in the World Cinema section is Papilio Buddha, the story of a university-educated son of a Dalit activist who is politically apathetic until he receives bad treatment at the hands of the state. The film was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival early this year.