Eighth edition of Auroville Film Festival will be held from January 22 to 28 focusing on themes of human unity

Commencing on Monday is the ninth iteration of the Auroville Film Festival (AVFF), which is the township's biennial movie showcase. Films from Auroville and the bioregion; films about Auroville and the bioregion; films by Auroville and the bioregion students; and international films that explore the theme of human unity will be screened at the AVFF '24 (January 22–28), which will centre on themes of human unity.

The festival will include fifteen films that address themes of human oneness, one film about Auroville, one film directed by an Auroville student, and twenty-two films made by Auroville residents."Judges Under Pressure" (Polish/Kacper Lisowski), "All That Breathes" (Hindi/Shaunak Sen), "Bangla Surf Girls" (Bengali/Elizabeth D. Costa), "All That Breathes" (Hindi/Stefano Poggioni, Claudia Cataldi, Elena Poggioni), "The Great Indian Kitchen" (Malayalam/Jeo Baby), and "This Stained Dawn" (Urdu/ Anam Abbas) are a few examples of these.

The AVFF's organisers state that their goal is to present films that, by means of a creative engagement with the medium of cinema, seek to deepen the audience's understanding of the aspirations of Auroville and to transform the act of watching films from a passive one into a close conversation between the filmmaker and the viewer. The event will also embody the essence of Auroville, which is demonstrated by its ongoing commitment to innovative, artistic, and spiritual research.

The Multimedia Centre (Cinema Paradiso), which organises daily film screenings of international productions in its 124-seat, state-of-the-art auditorium in the Auroville Town Hall neighbourhood, is the organisation behind the festival. Auroville Town Hall Garden and the Entertainment Oxygen Online Platform (https://app.entertainmentoxygen.com/festivals/aurovillefilmfestival) are the additional screening places.

Numerous additional activities, including panel talks on the importance of cinema in fostering human togetherness and film poster displays, art installations, and live music performances by Auroville artists, are taking place in conjunction with the AVFF. The 48-hour filmmaking challenge known as "Kino Kabaret," in which competitors write, shoot, edit, and present a film, is another highlight. 

The AVFF will begin at 5:00 p.m. and end on January 28 with a screening of the winning films and an awards ceremony.