The 7th Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) takes place November 1–4, 2018 with thirty-two films from eighteen countries screening at Tibetan Children’s Village near McLeod Ganj in Dharamshala, India.
Highlights this year include international festival successes Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA, by Stephen Nomura Schible; Boom for Real, by Sara Driver; House of My Fathers, by Suba Sivakumaran; and The Red Phallus, by Tashi Gyeltshen. Eight directors are expected to attend. In addition to the dramatic and documentary features, there is a shorts program and a series of children’s films.
Two special initiatives will be a part of DIFF this year. The Dharamshala PJLF Editing Workshop 2018 is a new program of DIFF and the Paddy & Joan Leigh Fermor Arts Fund. Supported by the National Film Development Corporation of India, the workshop will take place in Dharamshala from October 29–November 4, 2018 and will overlap with the 7th Dharamshala International Film Festival.
The second is the DIFF Film Fellows initiative, which saw its inception in 2014. This initiative aims to encourage and develop filmmaking talent in the Indian Himalayan regions by inviting five young up-and-coming filmmakers to attend DIFF and participate in events including screenings of the best of contemporary independent cinema, and master classes and workshops conducted by industry professionals, with whom they will also have the opportunity to engage in one-on-one mentorship sessions. This year, the program will focus specifically on filmmakers from Himachal Pradesh, north India.
Longtime Dharamshala residents Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, known for their films including Dreaming Lhasa, The Sweet Requiem, and The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche, started the Dharamshala International Film Festival in 2012, with the aim to give the local community a platform for good alternative cinema. DIFF has since become one of India’s leading independent film festivals and draws audiences from across the world. DIFF is presented by White Crane Arts & Media Trust, which promotes contemporary art, cinema and independent media practices in the Himalayan areas of India.
