Online May 2 - 4
Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation
Indie Meme Special 10th Year
Retrospective Showcase
Barah x Barah (12x12)
India | Narrative Feature
2021 | 118 mins | Hindi
Limited tickets available on site.
IFFK, Kerala 2021
Shanghai International Film Festival 2021
IFF Stuttgart 2021
Sooraj is the last remaining death photographer at the burning banks of Manikarnika in Banaras. Kashi, one of the most ancient towns in the world, is undergoing a cosmetic facelift. Old heritage is being demolished to build beautified modern structures. The death photographer is going through the same ordeal as the town. People aren’t
availing his services thanks to the advent of fancy smartphones with exquisite cameras. Sooraj has an ailing father, a beautiful caring wife and a young son whom he wants to keep away from the burning banks. He is struggling to make ends meet but still isn’t giving up on dummies. There are many who capture the living but only a few who click the departed. Unable to sight a future for his family in Banaras Sooraj is forced to look for greener pastures beyond the singed banks of Manikarnika. He knows he is a migrant amidst a great many migrants in this ancient town stuck in time bubble.Life will soon give him a chance to experience death and yet another shot at life as well!
Film Heritage Foundation used the best surviving elements for the restoration – the original camera negative and the 35 mm print preserved at the NFDC – NFAI. Unfortunately, the sound negative was not available. We digitized the sound from the 35 mm print preserved at Film Heritage Foundation. The film elements were repaired by the Film Heritage Foundation conservators and the scanning was done in Prasad Lab in Chennai We found that due to the deterioration of the print, there were vertical green lines on many parts of the film. While the scanning and digital clean-up was done at Prasad under the supervision of L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, the grading, sound restoration and mastering was done at the lab in Bologna. Both Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani, the cinematographer of the film, have been involved in the restoration of the film.
Restoration Process
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Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation
The screening will be preceded by a performance by Specific Thing.
Specific Thing is the project of local musician Román. Sometimes he plays by himself and sometimes he plays with his snazzy band — he loves to do both! And the music? It draws from folk, punk, pop, latin, communism, animals, friends... He likes to keep it cartoony, quick, and catchy. The band released an album in 2025 called "Now Is Actually Not A Good Time". Find more at @specificthing on Instagram.
Meet Specific Thing
About the Artist
Photo courtesy:
Film Heritage Foundation
Gaurav Madan is a screenwriter, director, and producer based in Mumbai, with extensive experience across narrative fiction, advertising, and audio storytelling.
He has directed over 100 ad films, corporate films, and music videos. His short films, including the award-winning Sambhavtaha (Probably), have received wide recognition.
Gaurav's debut feature film Barah by Barah (12x12 Untitled, 2024) premiered at the Shanghai International Film Festival and the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). It went on to screen at several prestigious festivals. The film received the Grand Prix for Best Feature at FIPRESCI India and Best Director at the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF).
An alumnus of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, NFDC Filmcity Screenwriters Lab, and Film Independent's Global Media Makers program, Gaurav is also passionate about reviving oral storytelling traditions through audio fiction and podcasts.
Most recently, he completed work on Galli No. 26, starring Abhishek Banerjee and Raghubir Yadav, where he served as writer, creative director, and second unit director.
Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation
Trailer
Credits
Director:
Gaurav Madan
Writer:
Gaurav Madan
Sunny Lahiri
Jignesh Patel
Producers:
Gaurav Madan
Sunny Lahiri
Jignesh Patel
Film Editor:
Hira Das
Gyanendra Tripathi
Harish Khanna
Bhumika Dube
Geetika Vidya Ohlyan
Aakash Sinha
Aashit Chatterjee
Prithvi Singh
Restoration Effort Led By: Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Director, Film Heritage Foundation
Restoration Credit:
Restored by Film Heritage Foundation in association with Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.(Amul), the cinematographer Govind Nihalani and the director Shyam Benegal. Funding supported by Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.(Amul)