9TH AUROVILLE FILM FESTIVAL 2026 – 18 to 25 January
The 9th Auroville Film Festival 2026 got off to a brilliant start on the 18th of January 2026 with a live music performance by Auroville band NoizeGate playing Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The Auroville Film Festival, organised by residents of Auroville, aims to showcase films that attempt to foster a deeper understanding of the aspirations of Auroville through a creative engagement with the medium of cinema, as well as turning film-viewing from a passive activity into an intimate dialogue between artist and audience. The festival screens films that reflect the creative, experimental and spiritual research Auroville is dedicated to.
During the week, the festival featured 48 films in the category of films made by residents of Auroville, the bioregion and Pondicherry. Made with local participation, the films in this category form a mosaic bringing together the local creative community in an exchange of documentaries, ideas and stories. The richness of the selection in this category featured prominent local filmmakers like Stanzin Raghu, Alessandra Silver, Serena Aurora, Lesley Branagan, Aurovenkatesh, Cheenu Wild, Jeremy Carroll, Yuvasri, Smiti, Yatra Srinivassan and Jalil Nordman. There were some exciting experimental shorts proposed by Nefertiti Chakrabarti. Emerging filmmakers like Ravikiran Rangaswamy, Lisbeth Nusselein, Birgitta Volz, Uttara Jadeja, Sampriti Roy, Donny Lee Duke, Nandha Kumar, Rishi Vengadesan, Gobinath Mounissamy, Kanchan Avchare, Mukul Kumar, Divya Mani, Karthik K, Magheshwar Kumaran, Lalit Verma and Anna-Maria Bakhtiarova had a warm reception.
There were 8 films in the category of films made about Auroville, the bioregion and Pondicherry. This selection of films by visiting filmmakers about Auroville and the bioregion, its various projects, people and undertakings, brings home the image of our region as it appears to the world outside. International filmmakers in this category included Joseh Garcia and Alan Baiss from Canada. Exceptional films that were screened in this category were made by the students of the Auroville Film Institute, including Santosh, Polash, Kartik, Sai Krishna, Stanzin, Jahnavi, Amogh, Pia, Partha, Yoni, and Logeswaran.
Managed by Richa Hushing and Rrivu Laha (graduates of FTII), the Auroville Film Institute offers regular courses, both online and on site, featuring well known independent filmmakers as faculty.
There were 47 films in the category of films that develop the theme of human unity. This segment features a carefully curated selection of short and feature-length films that dwell upon themes of human unity and values similar to that of Auroville, accompanied by discussions that further elaborate on these themes. The category featured the work of filmmakers from around the world including Shonali Bose, Sreemoyee Singh, Nishtha Jain, Tarun Jain, Tathagata Ghosh, Rizwan Hussain, Bijukumar Damodaran, Aajad Singh Khichi, Piyush Thakur and Rima Das, to name just a few. The film Wisdom Of Happiness featuring the Dalai Lama was one of the well appreciated films.
Eminent jury members for the Aurovilian films included Premendra Mazumder (Vice President of the Federation of Film Societies of India, Ashavari Majumdar (Director of the Manifest Dance-Film Festival), and Dr. T Balasaravanan (Dept of Electronic Media and Mass Communications, Pondy University). Jury members from Auroville were Rajeev, Nitzan and Gita and they decided the winning films in the human unity category.
The screenings were held at three venues (CRIPA, Kalabhumi Amphitheatre and MMC/CP) and were complemented by outdoor music performances, discussions (at Centre d’Art), and an art installation.
The proliferation of digital cameras and the constantly improving quality of smartphone cameras
have made it possible for just about anyone to make their own movie, and one of the goals of the
Auroville Film Festival is to showcase and encourage local talent in this field. Part of the festival is, therefore, a Kino Kabaret! Kino Kabarets are events where artists collaborate to create films within 48 hours and, in our festival, all these films were screened on the last day.
The importance of festivals organised by the residents of Auroville can never be overstated, especially in the way they contribute to local vitality and stimulate cultural development in Auroville. The outdoor screenings and performances and the crowds they drew further testify to the power of outdoor arts to bring together audiences that might otherwise not take the trouble to attend art events.
This festival aims to bring people and cultures together within Auroville and beyond, thereby furthering the aspiration of human unity. With the ninth edition of the Auroville Film Festival the experience was one that went beyond film-viewing, turning it into a truly fulfilling cultural experience.
WINNING FILMS IN THE CATEGORY OF FILMS MADE BY AUROVILIANS AND RESIDENTS OF THE BIOREGION
Mongbra Award :
MORIBUND by Birgitta Volz : This impactful film highlights the resilience and creativity of the Auroville community as it faces ecological and other challenges.
Cinema Paradiso Award :
SOUND OF AIR by Rishi Vengadesan : The film stands out with its treatment of sound and image reinforcing its choice of an interesting subject.
Wisdom award:
ECM’ 24 by Nefertiti Chakrabarti : A sensitive and complex tribute to the Endangered Crafts Mela that conveys the transformative experience of learning and apprenticeship in Auroville.
The Jury Award was shared by two films
Jury Award 1 :
EARLY YEARS IN AUROVILLE by Lisbeth Nusselein : This film blends archival photographs with an autobiographical narrative that invites the audience to reflect on the journeys and voices that have built Auroville.
Jury Award 2 :
30 YEARS OF KEEPING THE MUSIC FLOWING by Serena Aurora : This film highlights the insipiring effort by Aurovillians to harmonise its diverse notes and sing in one voice – a metaphor for the community as a whole.
WINNING FILMS IN THE CATEGORY OF FILMS MADE ABOUT AUROVILLE AND THE BIOREGION
Cinema Paradiso Award :
REFLEKT by Santosh Manik: The film is a tribute to the transformative power of cinema tracing the directors journey from being a student of technique to emerging as an artist in the vibrant spiritual landscape of Auroville.
Wisdom Award :
NOTES FOR THE SELF by Jahnavi Pradeep: The film effectively uses Aurovilles landscape to depict the tensions and harmonies of a mother-daughter relationship as a poignant visual poem.
Jury Award :
BLOOMING HOUR by Logeswaran M – An honest, lyrical exposition of the beauty of mornings.
WINNING FILMS IN THE CATEGORY OF FILMS THAT DEVELOP THE THEME OF HUMAN UNITY
Cinema Paradiso Award:
AGENT OF HAPPINESS by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó : This documentary takes place in Bhutan. In 2008, Bhutan adopted the Gross National Happiness index, intended as a holistic way of measuring quality of life. The movie follows two agents who are hired to travel around Bhutan to carry out the Gross National Happiness survey. The film highlights happiness as a complex and personal experience, shaped by inner states and external conditions. Along the way, we witness a blossoming love story, moments of hope and disappointment, humour, and the beauty of the country itself.
Wisdom Award:
PATROL by Camilo de Castro and Brad Allgood : Patrol takes us through the rainforest in the Indio Maíz Reserve in Nicaragua. Rapid illegal deforestation is taking place to feed the growing demand for meat, especially for export to the USA. The documentary follows the Rama-Kriol people, who are determined to protect the forest in a peaceful yet powerful way. They collect data and travel across Nicaragua and finally the world to take legal action and bring the issue to light. They show a deep love for nature and an understanding of all humanity’s dependence on the health of the rainforest. The film shows how structural and economic pressures are driving environmental destruction.
Jury Award:
NO OTHER LAND : It depicts the generations long struggle on an almost barren area that is dotted with tiny villages. It allows viewers to experience the daily lives of the villagers and shows their humanity and ability to find moments of joy and laughter amidst hardship and brutality. The movie depicts human resilience and persistence in the face of crushing failures as well as the power of the powerless.
Special Mention:
FARMING THE REVOLUTION by Nishtha Jain : The film depicts the collective strength of farmers, who across generations and social backgrounds, come together to defend their livelihood. It shows how a shared purpose can become a unifying force.
THIS FESTIVAL WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF:
A_lineMeant to Be, Aaro, Aashay, Akash, Amy, Anand, Anandi, Aneeta, Ann, Arul, Arun, Ashwin, Aurosylle, Auroville Bakery Cafeteria, Auroville Radio, Binu Kumar, brainfever media productions, Brothers House, Centre d’Art, Chandra, Christoph K, Coffee Ideas, CRIPA, Daljeet, Damien, Dhananjey, Dharmesh, Dhruv, Divya, Dominique, Dustudio, Edo, Elaine, Elena, Erik, Fabienne, Fakirah, Fred, Glenn, Goyo, Gustavo, Guy, Hibiscus Art Village, InLight, Jayala, Jean Francois, Jenny, Jenya, Jethin, Joy, Julietta, Jurriaan, Kalabhumi Music Studio, Kripa, Krishna, Kshitij, Laura, Laxmanan, Lella, Liliana, Malina, Marco S, Mathilde, Melody, Miniature, MMC/CP, Moghan, My Favourite Things, Nadaprem, Nandha, Naturellement, Nausheen, Nina, Nirami, Noizegate, Odile, Pala, Palani, Pavneet, Prasad, Ramesh, Rashmi, Raul, Renu, Right Path Café, Rob, Robin, Rolf, Rosie, Rugved, Saga and his team, Shakti, Sakthi Arts, Salman, Sandra, Sasi, Shanti, Sharmili, Simon, Softnet, Sundar, Sunlit Future, Surendhar, Suryan, Suzy, Swar, Sylvie, Tixon, Tlaloc, Tommaso, Utkarsh, Valerie, Venkatesh, Verena, Yunsung, and many more who offered their support as a sadhana.
Thank you!
Fotos: Marco Saroldi