Their film is a touching look at a profession with a long and rich history that is on the verge of disappearing in a world where digital is king. I fell in love with it immediately, and was delighted to see it included in the LIFF 2017 schedule.Ībraham and Madheshiya delve into the world of India’s cinema lorries – trucks that carry an old-school film projector and a makeshift screen to remote and far-flung areas of the country.
The film made a stunning debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016 and has gone on to screen to enthusiastic and appreciate audiences on the festival circuit – even screening as the opening film to my own local Guelph Film Festival in November 2016. This year, LIFF 2017 presents the documentary The Cinema Travellers, directed by Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya, which touches on a similar theme: the decline of travelling film projectors and their operators, again in face of a changing technological landscape. Last year I had the pleasure of screening the LIFF 2016 presentation of the Bengali film Cinemawala, which presented a fictional view of the decline of the traditional Indian cinema hall in the face of changing technology and an ever growing market in pirated films. The Cinema Travellers - directed by Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya Not sure what to choose? Here are a few bite sized mini-reviews to whet your appetite. This year’s London Indian Film Festival boasts an incredible selection of film viewing over the next week.