The 13th Chennai International Film Festival originally scheduled in December 2015 had to be postponed due to the floods in Chennai and it was finally held between 6th and 13th of January 2016, across seven screens within the city,

  • Woodlands
  • Woodlands Symphony
  • Casino
  • Russian Cultural Center Auditorium
  • Inox-3
  • Inox-2
  • RKV Film & Television Institute Auditorium

In spite of the disappointment of Dheepan not making it to the list, the German film Victoria certainly left everyone at a loss for words at the sheer audacity and the magnitude of what had been attempted! Every single day had at least one if not two or three films as highlights which people were discussing in every theatre lobby/Tea shop near each of the venues.

The major grouse that cinema-loving audience have with CIFF is the lack of master class or discussion sessions. The first step towards addressing this was made by the introduction of an Interactive Corner by Cinema Rendezvous where prominent personalities like Vetri Maaran, Samuthirakani, Actor Rajesh, Editor Praveen KL, Director Ashwin Saravanan and many more took part in discussions on various topics concerned with today’s cinema. Here is a video where we have Vetri Maaran and Ashwin in conversation at the Interactive Corner. We hope that this grows multifold in the upcoming years.

There was significantly better coordination & lesser amount of technical issues this time around at CIFF and it is the tireless work of many behind the scenes and of course the volunteers which must be appreciated.

While it is almost impossible to cover every film at CIFF, we as a team have been able to cover quite a lot and in spite of the delay we have finally managed to transcribe most of our notes into reviews. Out of the ones we saw here are our picks of CIFF 2016!

Hrútar (or) Rams (Icelandic, 2015)
Full Review

Hrútar (or) Rams (Icelandic, 2015) - 7th Jan

Rams is one of those heartwarming human dramas that applies to so many nations across the world. Its typical deadpan Scandinavian humor along with some spectacular widescreen camera work make it an experience to cherish.
Runtime: 93 min | Category: World Cinema | IMDB
Full Review

Taxi Tehran or Taxi (Persian, 2015) - 8th Jan

This is Jaffer Panahi’s 3rd film in the 20-year ban of filmmaking imposed on him by the Iranian Government and this time he shoots entirely outdoors. The fact that the man is able to exact a social commentary out of general public in Tehran talking about their day-to-day lives is a reflection of his talent & quest for making good cinema. Overall, Jaffer Panahi’s Taxi is a reaffirmation that if you have a good enough story to tell; one that can strike a chord with the viewer, then audiences across the world will lap it up no matter how the style of filmmaking or the quality of the actors.
Runtime: 82 min | Category: World Cinema | IMDB
Taxi Tehran or Taxi (Persian, 2015)
Miekkailija (or) The Fencer (Estonian, 2015)
Full Review

Miekkailija (or) The Fencer (Estonian, 2015) - 9th Jan

The Fencer is successful in engaging the audience not because of the sport being played but due to the way it positions sport as a healer, a confidence-builder and essentially as a tool to empower the diffident.
Runtime: 93 min | Category: World Cinema | IMDB
Full Review

Radiopetti (or) Radio Set (Tamil, 2015) - 10th Jan

Runtime: 83 min | Category: Indian Panorama | IMDB
Radiopetti (or) Radio Set (Tamil, 2015)
Lens (English, 2015)

Lens (English, 2015) - 11th Jan

Lens is well-intentioned independent film that is technically & thematically rich while it depicts voyeurism in digital space. It could have been much more hard-hitting had the language been chosen as Tamizh rather than English.
Runtime: 105 min | Category: Indian Panorama | IMDB

Aviyal (Tamil, 2016) - 10th Jan

Aviyal is the second release from Karthik Subburaj's Bench Flix consisting of short films by Shammeer Sultan, Mohit Mehra, Lokesh Kanagaraj, Guru Smaran, and 'Premam' fame Alphonse Puthren. While it would be inappropriate to delve into the specifics of each short film, one can rest assured that overall, the audience will be lead into rasps of laughter, thrills, spills & of course some outrageously quirky themes that graze realms of surrealism! Watch out for this refreshing entertainer replete with energetic actors, once it gets a mainstream theatrical release from the successful Thenandal Films distribution team.
Runtime: 120 min | Category: World Premier
Aviyal (Tamil, 2016)
Montevideo, vidimo se! (or) See You in Montevideo (Serbian, 2014)
Full Review

Montevideo, vidimo se! (or) See You in Montevideo (Serbian, 2014) - 6th Jan

A cleverly portrayed and enacted sports drama encompassing upsets, romance, tyranny and unity - See you in Montevideo has it all – a spellbinding tour through the emotions and fanaticism surrounding the world of soccer, regarding people for whom soccer is the world!
Runtime: 141 min | Category: World Cinema | IMDB
Full Review
Full Review

Victoria (German, 2015) - 7th Jan

Victoria redefines innovation in movie making and manages to pull off a suspense thriller with no cuts and in the same shot for the entire duration. Equally proficient acting from the entire cast makes it a visual wonder bound to make you high – just too good to miss, even if it gives you a hangover!
Runtime: 138 min | Category: World Cinema | IMDB
Full Review
Victoria (German, 2015)
Mia Madre (or) My Mother (Italian, 2015)
Full Review

Mia Madre (or) My Mother (Italian, 2015) - 9th Jan

Mia Madre is a heartfelt account of a woman being torn apart between a demanding work environment and an equally stressful personal life – a stunning compilation of the emotions made possible by diligent acting and a dexterous story presentation!
Runtime: 106 min | Category: World Cinema | IMDB
Full Review
Full Review

Jalaler Golpo (or) Jalal’s Story (Bengali, 2015) - 10th Jan

Jalal’s Story is an attempt to capture the life of an orphaned boy, which is supported by a well-conceived screenplay, a though provoking story and a clever story telling technique to make it an interesting potpourri of entertaining events!
Runtime: 121 min | Category: World Cinema | IMDB
Full Review
Jalaler Golpo (or) Jalal’s Story (Bengali, 2015)
Embrace of the Serpent (or) El abrazo de la serpiente (Spanish, 2015)
Full Review

Embrace of the Serpent (or) El abrazo de la serpiente (Spanish, 2015) - 11th Jan

'Embrace of the Serpent' is a journey into the magical and mystical serpent - The Amazon. The underlying themes, fantastic performances & spellbinding imagery are guaranteed to make an impact!
Runtime: 125 min | Category: World Cinema | IMDB
Full Review
Full Review

Shānhé gùrén (or) Mountains May Depart (Chinese, 2015) - 9th Jan

Mountains May Depart is an epic story that is relatable to everyone caught in the middle of a rapidly growing nation. It highlights how the quest for material wealth leads to emotional poverty.
Runtime: 131 min | Category: World Cinema | IMDB
Full Review
Shānhé gùrén (or) Mountains May Depart (Chinese, 2015)
Aferim! (Romanian, 2015)
Full Review

Aferim! (Romanian, 2015) - 7th Jan

Aferim is definitely an ageless masterpiece with oodles of technical brilliance and is such a well written satire of a certain time period and an associated social system, that it stays relevant even when extended to the current time!
Runtime: 108 min | Category: World Cinema | IMDB
Full Review
Full Review

Ottaal (or) The Trap (Malayalam, 2014) - 10th Jan

Jayaraj’s Ottaal reiterates the fact that one does not need a grand canvas & big names to present an engaging cinematic experience. In fact given that he has been able to adapt a Russian short story to suit the Indian mainstream audience placing it amidst scenic locales of God’s Own Country using mostly non-professional actors is a monumental achievement.
Runtime: 81 min | Category: Indian Panorama | IMDB
Full Review
Ottaal (or) The Trap (Malayalam, 2014)
Virgin Mountain (or) Fúsi (Icelandic, 2015)

Virgin Mountain (or) Fúsi (Icelandic, 2015) - 10th Jan

Fúsi finds comfort in the familiarity of his routines, until his family pushes him to join a dance class where he meets an unlikely romantic prospect that changes his life. This film written and directed by Dagur Kári, is a character study of an shy, overweight and lonely person who had turned inwards after years of bullying, harassment and mocking.
Runtime: 90 min | Category: World Cinema | IMDB

Cinemawala (Bengali, 2015) - 10th Jan

Imagine you are faced with a situation where the death of a loved one is imminent. While you sit beside them hoping against hope for a miraculous recovery, imagine another loved one storming into the room and stabbing them to instant death. Cinemawala is the tale of a morally upright man caught between two such loved ones, except here, only one of those two is human. It is a beautiful take on how idealism today is dying a slow death, unable to withstand a fierce realism onslaught. With disappearance of single screen cinemas over the years as a backdrop, this film compares and contrasts the life choices made by two men (played brilliantly by Paran Bandopadhyay and Parambrata Chatterjee) when their respective paternal instincts are put to test.
Runtime: 105 min | Category: Indian Panorama
Cinemawala (Bengali, 2015)
Story of My Father´s Bike & Me (Persian, 2014)

Story of My Father´s Bike & Me (Persian, 2014) - 12th Jan

The Iranian film directed by Fayaz Mousavi recounts the story of 13 year old teenager Hamed who is forced to help in his mother's work after the death of his father. He carries the clothes his mother makes for her customers by riding long distances on an old bicycle left for him by his father. Meanwhile the ministry of education makes an announcement about a bicycle race for school students and the rest of the story covers how Hamed prepares and participates in this bicycle race.
Runtime: 100 min | Category: World Cinema
Full Review

Morqaye (or) Moor (Urdu, 2015) - 9th Jan

Moor brings to film the tale of a crumbling family that is confused whether to wholly embrace the traditional past or immerse into the immoral future. While the thought behind the knot is laudable the overall execution leaves us befuddled in spite of some stirring music & breath-taking cinematography.
Runtime: 100 min | Category: World Cinema | IMDB
Full Review
Morqaye (or) Moor (Urdu, 2015)

This 13th edition of the Chennai International Film Festival was undoubtedly a massive crowd puller as it screened 184 movies from from 57 countries in the 8 days starting from 6th Jan 2016 to 13th Jan 2016. This sets up giant expectations on the next edition which promises to be bigger and better, just like how it has evolved every year – now that’s the yearly phenomenon we all look forward to witness!

Also have a look at our last year’s coverage of 12th CIFF here.