Film Festival convened by H. Mander (PhD) India Through Cinema
Fractured Freedoms Through the Lens of South Asian Cinema Classics Social Justice and Cinema: Epistemologies of Empathy
Dr Harsh Mander will be curating a Film Festival at the Department of Political Science, South Asia Institute, in conjunction with his block seminar “India Through Cinema: Fractured Freedoms Through the Lens of South Asian Cinema Classics – Social Justice and Cinema: Epistemologies of Empathy” in the Winter Semester 2025-26. The details of the seminar can be found on HeiCO. The core epistemological instrument of the course is empathy, combined with ethical reflection and critical analysis, the principal vehicle of which would be narratives, especially a careful curation of long classic fiction and non-fiction films.
The Film Festival, taking place from 13-23 October 2025, is open to not just participants of the course but also other students, faculty, and the general public, and seeks to create a space to collectively watch some of these films. Each film will commence with a brief introduction to its social and human narratives, and also its aesthetics. The films, reflecting on the lived experiences of the most oppressed and marginalised people of India and their experiences of the state, are meant to help discover empathy. The films cover a range of vulnerable groups and themes, and include both vintage classics and more recent films that challenge the mind, heart, and conscience.
All students, faculty, and anyone from outside the SAI interested in joining are wholeheartedly welcome.
Date: 13 - 16 October and 20 - 23 October 2025
Time: 16:00 – 20:00 CET (all dates)
Venue: CATS Lecture Hall 010.01.05 Building 4010 (enter from SAI Building 4130)
For a list of the films being shown and the day-by-day schedule of the film festival, please see the adjacent poster.
Harsh Mander (PhD, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam): Renowned human rights and peace worker, writer, columnist, researcher and teacher
Harsh Mander is involved in different initiatives related to human rights. From the autumn of 2017 he established and led the important national initiative which he called the Karwan-e-Mohabbat (www.karwanemohabbat.in). Literally, the Caravan of Love, the initiative tries to counter rising hate and fear in the country, but not with hate; instead with love and solidarity. The Karwan visits the families of those who lost loved ones to hate violence and lynching, for atonement, solidarity, healing, conscience and justice, and to promote goodwill and trust between communities. Dr Mander was shortlisted for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 and is the Chairperson of the Centre for Equity Studies, Delhi.
