India, Italy, Qatar, Romania202089 minGondiya, Madiya, Hindi with English subtitlesNorth American PremiereDocumentary, Family, Open Captions, Women Filmmakers
Somi and her husband met and fell in love while fighting alongside fellow Naxalites, a communist rebel group fighting for the rights of tribal communities in India for the past 50 years. Although the group represents a quarter of the population and lives in extreme poverty, Naxalites are seen as the biggest threat to national security for the State of India.
After a decade of armed struggle, Somi and her husband choose to surrender under the government’s Surrender Policy and begin the draining bureaucratic process of integrating into a hostile and unwelcoming Indian society. Through thoughtfully executed vignettes and with intimate access to Somi and her family, directors Arya Rothe, Cristina Hanes, and Isabella Rinaldi of the NoCut Film Collective construct a moving verité portrait of an ex-Naxalite family seeking a future for their children while being held hostage to the whims of a rigid and unforgiving contemporary Indian State.
– Mariam Zaidi
OFFICIAL SELECTION
International Film Festival of Rotterdam, 2020
Visions du Réel, 2020
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, 2020
One World Romania, 2020
Durban International Film Festival, 2020
AWARDS
Special Jury Mention, International Film Festival of Rotterdam, 2020
Cristina Hanes, Arya Rothe, & Isabella Rinaldi
NoCut Film Collective was co-founded in 2016 by independent filmmakers Cristina Hanes (Romania), Arya Rothe (India), and Isabella Rinaldi (Italy) after studying together at DocNomads’ Master Course in Documentary Directing. NoCut Film’s first production is the creative documentary, A Rifle and A Bag (2020), directed and produced by the three co-founders.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
14A
ASL interpretation will be made available thanks to Toronto Sign Language Interpreter Services. Ticket holders can watch on the CineSend Reel Asian portal.
November 16, 2020 AT 11:00AM
Abundant with hope, desire, and resiliency, all six of these films make a statement to queer histories, presents, and futures—in front of and behind the screen. Includes National Film Board of Canada Best Canadian Short Film Award, Reel Asian 2020 winner SAFE AMONG STARS and winner of Change Connect Award, Reel Asian 2020 GOD'S DAUGHTER DANCES.
A retired hitman, telephone counselor, Ronggeng dancer, and pug take the lead in these four cult-worthy shorts that are bound to make you question everything you thought you knew. Includes winners of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 RECEIVER and RONG.
Down a Dark Stairwell takes a nuanced and careful look at the events following the 2014 case where Akai Gurley was shot and killed in the stairwell of an apartment building by Chinese-American NYPD officer Peter Liang. This opening night presentation is followed by a panel discussion with ASL support and accompanied by an active listening service. Available only in Ontario for a limited time. Winner of The Truth to Power Award, Reel Asian 2020.
Founded in Toronto in 1997, Reel Asian is Canada’s largest pan-Asian film festival and a year-round cultural organization dedicated to championing Asian and Asian diasporic artists and storytellers. What began as a grassroots film festival has grown into a national platform supporting filmmakers and audiences through screenings, education, industry initiatives, artist development, and community programming presented across Toronto, the GTA, and online across Canada.
401 Richmond Street West, The Commons (Suite 448)
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8 Canada
(416) 703 – 9333
info@reelasian.com
Charitable number: 870021383RR0001
