Sunday, 27 July, 12:15 pm – 1:45 pm

Indian Film Festival Stuttgart: Three documentaries and a short film on handicraft techniques and traditions

The Spinning Experience
Documentary by Pankaj Sekhsaria
Is the charkha, the traditional Indian hand spinning wheel, an outdated technology? Is it a slow and unproductive relic of the past? The film team follows 30 students from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay as they spend three days learning the slow and gentle art of hand spinning on the charkha. The learning process unfolds in many ways – the yarn breaks, but not the attentive mind, as a new meaning emerges for the age-old ideas of skill, labour, sustainability, history and craft.
India 2024, 17 min., English

Strings
Documentary by Parth Shashikant Ghaskadbi
In the narrow lanes of Amalner, a town in the Indian state of Maharashtra, families have been making handmade Shevai, an Indian noodle speciality, for generations. Each summer, the town’s gullies come alive with the sight of delicate Shevai threads hanging from wooden sticks in almost every household. This film explores the art of Shevai-making and the lives of those who keep this tradition alive. Through conversations with the artisans, the filmmaker uncovers their memories, struggles, and hopes for the future. They speak about changing times, how unpredictable weather affects their craft and how machines are slowly replacing their handmade process. Despite these challenges, their deep connection to Shevai-making remains strong, reflecting both the beauty of tradition and the uncertainty of its survival in a rapidly changing world.
India 2024, 23 min., Marathi with English subtitles

The Shape and the Sound
Documentary by Madhu Apsara
The film is about the efforts of the young sculptor Kunal Joshi. One day the Ustad, a teacher and master of classical Indian music on the traditional stringed instrument Rudra-Veena, asks him to join him. He is asked to work for him as an instrument maker. Kunal Joshi eventually joins the spiritual journey undertaken by the master, his pupil and Shibu, another employee.
India 2024, 20 min., Hindi, Marathi with English subtitles

Weave of Culture
Short film by Santhosh Ram Mavuri
While Vijay is waiting for a job offer after completing his software studies, he receives the news that his mother, a weaver, has had a mishap at work. Vijay agrees to the weaving mill owner’s demands to pay for the expenses incurred. He then meets a wealthy woman who is looking for a historical sari model and Vijay begins to weave this unique sari for her – and thus revive his father’s old craft and heritage. When the sari is finished, Vijay receives a considerable sum for it and feels encouraged to continue the traditional hand weaving. And so an unforeseen future opens up for Vijay and his mother, interwoven with the threads of their past.
India 2024, 20 min., Telugu with English subtitles

Location: Linden-Museum Stuttgart