5 Indian films to check out at 2016 Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival

Now in its third year, Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival (BAPFF) is a prestigious film festival in Australia showcasing the creative and cultural breadth of cinematic works from the vast Asia Pacific region.

Source: Raman Raghav

With cinema from Russia to Australia, Turkey to Japan – just to name a few, #BAPFF2016 features more than 80 films and thousands of amazing characters.

Now in its third year, Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival (BAPFF) is a prestigious film festival in Australia showcasing the creative and cultural breadth of cinematic works from the vast Asia Pacific region.

The Festival program celebrates cinematic excellence and champions distinctive voices which include several films from India this year.

Check out five films which have won accolades around the world and is part of this year’s #BAPFF

Aligarh:

Source: Wikipedia

Inspired by the real-life ordeal of 64-year-old Professor Siras who was suspended and persecuted by the Aligarh University for being homosexual, Aligarh endeavours to bring this shocking case to broader attention.

Manoj Bajpayee (Gangs of Wasseypur) in a transforming, gently fragile performance as the lonely Siras, and Rajkummar Rao fearlessly passionate and determined as the tireless explorative journalist, Aligarh offers a stirring and sensitive portrayal of a controversial case.

The Wild aka Sairat:

Source: Wikipedia

The Wild, a thrilling and brave Marathi romantic-drama has caused controversy and fierce debate along with packed cinemas in India, making overnight stars of its two-young spectacular non-actor leads.

Penniless boy meets high-class girl. It's the old story – but this time, she's making all the moves. When strong-willed and assertive landlord's daughter Aarchi falls in love with ghetto cricket prodigy Parsha, their families step in to snuff out the romance.

Premiering in competition at the 2016 Berlinale, The Wild follows on from award-winning, critically acclaimed Fandry continuing Manjule's focus on caste discrimination and honour killing. The film's original title Sairat, meaning passion, zeal and ardour is currently the highest grossing Marathi film of all time.

Psycho Raman:

Source: The Times of India

India's most infamous murderer, Raman Raghav, brutally slaughtered more than 40 people in the 1960s. This film is not about him. It's about someone worse.

In the present day, madman Ramanna hero-worships this legendary criminal, stalking the same fetid Mumbai slums, dragging a bloody tire iron, similarly driven to kill by the voices in his head. The only thing standing in the way of his killing spree is Raghavan, a coke-addled cop struggling with his own inner demons. The stage is set for a pulse-pounding, grim and gritty crime melodrama from celebrated Indian director and APSA Jury Grand Prize winner Anurag Kashyap (Gangs of Wasseypur).

The Fourth Direction aka Chauthi Koot:

Source: YouTube

Punjab, 1984. The Indian paramilitary are fighting the Sikh separatists. Tensions are rising between Hindi's and Sikh's over Indira Gandhi's hard-line approach to the militants. Within this climate of increasing tension, two Hindi's try to board a train, and a Sikh farmer is told to shoot his barking dog. Weaving separate narratives into a loaded exploration of a fraught period in India's history, and of the consequences of political turmoil on ordinary people caught in the middle. Singh has delivered a well-crafted potent portrait of unease and unrest, through arresting visuals and expressive performances from non-professional actors. This is a layered, profound film.

Winner Best Punjabi Film at India's National Awards, and the first Punjabi-language feature to break into Cannes.

The Quest:

Source: Ringan

The sun-baked farmland of Maharashtra is hard and dry, a suicidal, debt-ridden farmer visits holy town Pandharpur, the home to Vithal, his beloved deity, to pray for divine assistance to rid his debt and buy back his ancestral land.

A tender story of courage, second chances and a gentle look at the awe-inspiring simplicity of the spiritual faith of a poor, distraught farmer, paying tribute also, to the close bond between father and son. If it wasn't for his son, distraught Arjun would have ended his miserable existence long ago.

Winner of the Indian National Film Award for Best Marathi Film and screening in Cannes, The Quest, is a heartfelt, stirring tale of love between father and son set against the rise of suicides amongst poor Indian farmers - a problem not just felt in India.