10 Indian films vying at Health Defender section of Resistance filmfest

Some 10 Indian films have been submitted to the Health Defenders section of the 16th Resistance International Film Festival (RIFF) which is currently underway in Tehran.

The batch of 10 films, out of 145 Indian submissions to the RIFF, have entered the “Heath Defender” section, which is dedicated to reflect the sacrifices made by the physicians and those who are on the battleground against the coronavirus.

The films which are competing in this section are as follows:

‘Times of COVID’ by Partho Kar, ‘The Savior’ by Arjun Mukherjee, ‘Light in times of darkness’ by Sourish Mitra, ‘Don't Panic, Man’ by R. Sahil, ‘Freedom From Virus’ by Arin Paul, ‘Mask’ by Dr. Sweta Kumar Dash, ‘My Mom’ by Rakesh Moirangthem, ‘Baang’ by Junaid Imam Shaikh, ‘Sapno Ka shehar’, ‘Walk and Talk with Corona-virus’ by Er. Abdul Rashid Bhat.

At a press conference held on the sideline of the festival, Rakesh Moirangthem, whose film ‘My Mom’ is among the RIFF’s official selection, said, “During this pandemic, all the doctors and nurses have been facing a lot of problems; and while returning to their homes, local communities are discriminating against them and do not even allow them to get back to their homes till this lockdown ends. So I feel very much depressed and I think it is time to give some awareness to the public and to encourage all the front lines.”

"I want to dedicate this short film to those who are fighting at the frontlines and are working in the field of medicine and especially I want to give this short film to the nurses who are working day and night around the globe," he added.

The Resistance International Film Festival is regarded as one of the most prestigious international film festivals in Iran. It aims to create an atmosphere of dialogue, understanding of current human sufferings, and to share experiences and new ideas.

The “Resistance Prominent Martyr” and “Health Defenders” sections are the newly added divisions in the 16th edition of the festival.

The RIFF was inaugurated on September 21 and will wrap up on 27th, coinciding with the Sacred Defence Week in Iran.

MM/FM