Online May 2 - 4
Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation
Indie Meme Special 10th Year
Retrospective Showcase
Flowering Man
India | Short
2023 | 24 mins | Hindi
Limited tickets available on site.
"Paridrishya" International Festival of Short Films and Documentaries
Karnataka Symbiosis Film Festival
International Festival for Short Documentary & Fiction Films- Best Director Award in the Short Fiction category
JIO MAMI year Round Programme, Goa
In The Flowering Man, a middle-aged man experiences an inexplicable transformation when a delicate flowering plant begins to sprout from his mouth. As the phenomenon takes hold, he struggles to understand its significance while
navigating his relationship with his teenage daughter. What begins as a surreal affliction soon becomes a profound metaphor for growth, acceptance, and the silent emotions that often go unspoken between loved ones. Through striking visuals and an evocative narrative, the film explores themes of metamorphosis, human connection, and the quiet resilience found in embracing change.
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
Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar is an Indian filmmaker known for his thought-provoking storytelling and unique cinematic vision. He studied Direction and Screenplay Writing at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), graduating in 2017.
Dastidar's short film, The Flowering Man (2023), has garnered critical acclaim and was showcased at the 16th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK). The film explores the metamorphosis of a man who begins to grow a flowering plant from his mouth, symbolizing his transition and evolving relationship with his teenage daughter.
In addition to The Flowering Man, Dastidar has directed other notable works, including Taap - About Mercury Rolling Down the Bodies (2020) and Whispers of the Henna Tree (2021).
Dastidar's films often delve into themes of identity, transformation, and human relationships, reflecting his commitment to exploring complex narratives through cinema.
Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation
Trailer
Credits
Director:
Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar
Writer:
Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar
Producers:
Film & Television Institute of India
Film Editor:
Arirtra Majumdar
Tanishka Meesala
Rajeev Gaur Singh
Maitreyaa Trilok Khairnar
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)