States » SouthPosted at: Sep 29 2026 8:17PM


Documenting resistance, memory and ordinary lives discussed at Meet The Director session

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 29 (UNI) The need to document ordinary lives, marginalised communities and histories at risk of being forgotten came up for discussion at the ‘Meet The Director’ session held at Kairali Portico on the fifth day of the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) here on Tuesday.
Several films presented at the session explored resistance to political suppression and attempts to preserve histories that have remained outside mainstream narratives.
Director Shawn Sebastian, whose film Salt of Resistance traces the struggles of fisher communities in the 1980s and the movement associated with the trawling ban, said the film was an effort to preserve a history that was gradually disappearing from public memory. He noted that even younger members of the fishing communities were often unaware of these struggles, while coastal communities continued to remain marginalised in wider social and political discussions.
The discussion also focused on contemporary forms of censorship, violence and the impact of technological changes on society and filmmaking.
Referring to his film Liars Dividend, director Srijan Sinha spoke about the challenges posed by generative artificial intelligence and stressed the need for broader regulatory frameworks instead of focusing solely on individual perpetrators.
The filmmakers also expressed solidarity with the students and members of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) community in the wake of recent attacks.
Films from Iran were discussed in the context of suppression and resistance, with filmmakers from the country using metaphor and indirect forms of expression to negotiate restrictions and continue their creative work.
The making of My Otter Diary highlighted another aspect of documentary filmmaking. The film involved years of observing animal behaviour while maintaining sufficient distance to ensure that the animals were not disturbed, underscoring the patience and ethical responsibility required in documenting wildlife.
The session, moderated by documentary filmmaker and journalist Ramadas Kadavalloor, also included an interaction with the audience, during which filmmakers spoke about their experiences, creative processes and perspectives on documentary filmmaking.
Sahedeb Das, Sanskar Desai, Dr Santosh Padare, Honey RK, Srijan Sinha, Goutham, Jemini Sam Paulose, Shawn Sebastian, Sugandhi Gadadhar, Sankara Narayanan Krishnan, Anamoy Bern and Sagar Mashalkar also shared their experiences and perspectives on filmmaking.
UNI DS
Tags: #Documenting resistance# memory and ordinary lives discussed at Meet The Director session
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