(Image source from: Upperstall.com)

The New York City on February 23 and 24 witnessed its first ever Dalit Film and Cultural Festival (DALIFF), which served as a unique opportunity to transpire the struggles faced by Dalits in India.

Organized by a collective of Ambedkarite groups, the festival showcased critically acclaimed films such as Masaan, Kaala, and Fandry. The festival featured Dalit filmmakers Pa. Ranjith, Nagraj Manjule, Neeraj Ghaywan, and former Femina Miss India Earth Niharika Singh, who were the special guests.

Held at Columbia University and The New School, both in New York City, the festival was also aimed at starting a dialogue on the lack of Dalit representation in cinema.

“The festival was a huge success,” the New York-based Indian American filmmaker Jayan Cherian told the American Bazaar. Cherian’s film Papilio Buddha, which chronicles the story of Dalits in southern India who embrace Buddhism to escape caste oppression, was screened at the festival.

According to the organizers, the idea of a festival featuring Dalit films, which are in general paid no attention by both pop culture and cinema in India, spurred from the radical change that has been taking place in Indian cinema in the past few years.

The first edition of DALIFF was dedicated to P. K. Rosy, a legendary first female actor of South India, who was a victim of casteist social and cinematic sphere and died in penury, shunned by the public.

Besides features such as Masaan, a 2015 drama directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, and Fandry, a 2013 Marathi film by Nagraj Manjule, the festival also featured documentaries such as Dalan Series (Nepal), We have Not Come Here to Die and Pistulya, amongst other stunning works.

The festival was organized by a coalition of the Ambedkar International Mission USA, Ambedkar Association of North America, Boston Study Group and the Ambedkar Buddhist Association Texas. DALIFF was co-sponsored and hosted by Barnard College, Columbia University and The New School, New York.

-Sowmya Sangam