{"id":107869,"date":"2025-11-25T18:53:35","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T13:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/?p=107869"},"modified":"2025-11-25T18:53:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T13:23:35","slug":"stories-that-move-us-in-pictures-filmmakers-bring-emotion-insight-imagination-to-iffiwood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/?p=107869","title":{"rendered":"Stories That Move Us: In Pictures \u2014 Filmmakers Bring Emotion, Insight & Imagination to #IFFIWood"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Goa Khabar : Day 05 of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025 in Panaji, Goa, brought together filmmakers, authors, storytellers and creative teams for a day filled with rich conversations, screenings, and thought-provoking press conferences.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each interaction opened a window into the creative processes behind some of the festival\u2019s most compelling works\u2014ranging from intimate explorations of identity and memory to powerful narratives on environmental change, cultural heritage, and human resilience.<\/p>\n

Audiences witnessed a diverse spectrum of cinematic voices reflecting on personal journeys, historical echoes, and contemporary realities. With stories that challenge, heal, question and inspire, Day 05 stood out as a celebration of narratives that stir the soul and broaden our understanding of the world.<\/p>\n

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PC1:\u00a0Lala & Poppy<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n

Press conference of\u00a0Lala & Poppy<\/em>\u00a0at IFFI 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lala & Poppy<\/em>\u00a0explores a gender-bending love story set in Mumbai, following two young adults\u2014Lala and Poppy\u2014each navigating their transitions while holding on to their emotional bond. The film poses profound questions about identity, acceptance, and the resilience of love in a world that often fails to understand those who live beyond the binary.<\/p>\n

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Producer\u00a0Bobby Bedi<\/strong>\u00a0highlighted the film\u2019s universal core:\u00a0\u201cHumans come first, gender later.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0He shared how the project was born at last year\u2019s IFFI, reflecting India\u2019s evolving social landscape where legal recognition exists but societal acceptance is still catching up.<\/p>\n

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Director\u00a0Kaizad Gustad<\/strong>\u00a0described the film as an honest, global story of love\u2014one that just happens to be between two transgender protagonists. Years of research and engagement with queer communities shaped the screenplay, with an emphasis on authenticity, nuance, and emotional truth.<\/p>\n

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PC2:\u00a0In Pursuit of Spring<\/em>\u00a0+\u00a0Flood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Flood<\/strong><\/p>\n

Producer\u00a0Katarina Krnacova<\/strong>\u00a0shared that\u00a0Flood<\/em>\u00a0is rooted in the displacement of a Slovak village after the construction of a water reservoir. Shot in the M\u00e1jov\u00e1 region, the film features nearly 80% Ruthenian minority actors performing in their native language\u2014an opportunity rarely seen on screen.
\nThe film had its\u00a0second worldwide premiere<\/strong>\u00a0at IFFI Goa. The team hopes to organise a special screening for communities affected by the real-life project that inspired the story.<\/p>\n

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In Pursuit of Spring<\/strong><\/p>\n

Director\u00a0Ayub Shakhobiddinov<\/strong>\u00a0and lead actor\u00a0Farina Jumaviya<\/strong>\u00a0represented the Uzbek film, which follows Rahat Shukurova as she confronts long-buried secrets and emotional scars. Set during the final years of the Soviet era, its themes of healing, reconciliation and self-discovery remain relevant today.
\nThe director praised IFFI as an important international platform that brings global cinema and culture together.<\/p>\n

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PC3:\u00a0Rudhirvana<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

3rd Press Conference of\u00a0Rudhirvana<\/em>\u00a0at IFFI 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Rudhirvana<\/em>\u00a0follows a group of election officials stranded in a forest amid a violent conflict between a resort construction project and the indigenous Dadaasi tribe. Seeking refuge in a decaying treehouse, they soon discover a supernatural danger far greater than the conflict outside.<\/p>\n

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The film blends human anxieties about deforestation with a haunting narrative where nature fights back through an ancient demon.<\/p>\n

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PC4:\u00a0Maa, Uma, Padma (Ghatak)<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Book Release<\/strong><\/p>\n

The special book release honoured legendary filmmaker\u00a0Ritwik Ghatak<\/strong>. Speakers reflected on his enduring influence on Indian cinema and the struggles he faced throughout his career.<\/p>\n

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Author\u00a0Kamran<\/strong>\u00a0addressed misconceptions about Ghatak\u2019s training, noting that his learning was rigorous and rooted in early writing, collaboration with greats of his era, and deep engagement with global cinematic masters like Eisenstein and Stanislavski. Ghatak\u2019s teaching stint at FTII further underlined his contribution to film thought and pedagogy.<\/p>\n

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PC5:\u00a0Hamsafar<\/em>\u00a0+\u00a0Piplantri: A Tale of Eco-Feminism<\/em>\u00a0+\u00a0Battlefield<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hamsafar<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hamsafar<\/em>\u00a0captures the emotional journey of a grandfather whose treasured old radio\u2014his lifelong \u201ccompanion\u201d\u2014goes missing. The film highlights Indian cultural values, where even simple objects become vessels of identity, memory, and emotional depth. It is a tender story of loss, nostalgia, and unwavering connection.<\/p>\n

Piplantri: A Tale of Eco-Feminism<\/strong><\/p>\n

This feature-length documentary explores the remarkable ecological and social transformation of Piplantri village in Rajasthan. Director-Producer\u00a0Suraj Kumar<\/strong>\u00a0traces how visionary sarpanch\u00a0Shyam Sundar Paliwal<\/strong>\u00a0turned environmental grief into an eco-feminist movement\u2014symbolised by the planting of\u00a0111 trees for every girl child born<\/strong>.
\nWith global recognition and even UN interest, the film celebrates community resilience, ecological revival, and the power of women-centered development.<\/p>\n

Battlefield<\/strong><\/p>\n

Set against the scars of the 1944 Battle of Imphal, the film follows Rajeshwor\u2019s quest to uncover material evidence and personal testimonies from one of WWII\u2019s bloodiest chapters in Manipur. Through excavations and survivor stories, the documentary examines the lingering psychological impact of war on everyday lives and questions how violence shapes cultural memory.<\/p>\n

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PC6:\u00a0Songs of Adam<\/em>\u00a0+\u00a0Skin of Youth<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Songs of Adam<\/strong><\/p>\n

Set in 1946 Mesopotamia, the film follows 12-year-old Adam, who decides he will never grow up\u2014forcing those around him to confront the unstoppable passage of time. A poetic story about innocence, inevitability and emotional truth.<\/p>\n

Skin of Youth<\/strong><\/p>\n

Set in 1990s Saigon, the film explores the turbulent romance between a transgender sex worker seeking gender affirmation and a cage fighter striving to support her dream. Their love is tested by personal demons, violent underworld realities and the fragile hope of becoming who they truly are.<\/p>\n

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Goa Khabar : Day 05 of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025 in Panaji, Goa, brought together filmmakers, authors, storytellers and creative teams for a day filled with rich conversations, screenings, and thought-provoking press conferences. Each interaction opened a window into the creative processes behind some of the festival\u2019s most compelling works\u2014ranging from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25169,"featured_media":107870,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,155],"tags":[3794],"class_list":["post-107869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-6","category-155","tag-featured"],"read":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/25169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=107869"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107871,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107869\/revisions\/107871"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/107870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=107869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=107869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=107869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}