A global film festival will stream 100 movies over the next 10 days

Starting today, the We Are One: A Global Film Festival will stream conversations between stalwarts of cinema and over a 100 movies, including Eeb Allay Ooo!, Nasir, Natkhat and Awake from India.

The Cannes Film Festival was called off this year. So was Tribeca Film Festival and several others. Some festivals which are held in the later half of the year, including Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival, have put up a brave front, so far, about sticking to their schedule even though the viewing arrangement might undergo a change.

However, between May 29 and June 7, cinephiles from across the world can access We Are One: A Global Film Festival online. This first-of-its-kind festival will feature over 100 films co-curated by 21 leading festivals, in addition to talks, VR content and musical performances. This digital festival, produced and organised by Tribeca Enterprises and YouTube, comprises two Indian features and as many shorts that have been chosen by the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

The Indian films are Arun Karthick’s Nasir (fiction, feature), Prateek Vats’ Eeb Allay Ooo! (fiction, feature), Atul Mongia’s Awake (fiction, short) and Shaan Vyas’ Natkhat (fiction, short). Speaking about the selection, Smriti Kiran, artistic director of Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, said: “Eeb Allay Ooo!, Natkhat, Nasir, and Awake represent urgent, relevant and diverse aspects of India and the world. We Are One is a milestone endeavour for us to stand in solidarity with the global film community and an incredible opportunity and platform to put some of our best new cinematic voices out in the world.”

The festival will include programming curated by and unique to the identity of all participating festival partners — including Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Jerusalem Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, New York Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival. Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival co-founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal said: “We were able to curate a compelling slate of programming that succinctly reflects the subtle variations in style that make each festival so special.”

Though the access to the festival is free, audiences will be able to donate to COVID-19 relief efforts through a donate button or link on every film page.

Here are our recommendations:

Annecy Shorts for Families: Bird Karma, Bilby, Marooned

29 May, 7 am EST

Tribeca 2020 Shorts Program: Egg, The Light Side, TOTO, When I Write it, Motorcycles Drive By, No More Wings, Cru-Raw – 29 May, 05.15 pm EST

Eeb Allay Ooo

30 May, 7am EST

Prateek Vats’s feature about a young contract worker hired to chase monkeys by imitating their sound.

Claire Denis in conversation with Olivier Assayas

30 May, 1.15pm EST

Acclaimed French filmmakers, Claire Denis and Olivier Assayas discuss the state of film art today. The conversation is fascinating and unexpected: it presents not only one of many possible narratives of the festival but also a vibrant picture of cinema.

Cinema Café with Jane Campion and Tessa Thompson

May 31, 1:45 p.m. EST

This conversation was recorded live from the Sundance Film Festival.

Best Animated Short Films Rigo Mora Award: The Cats, Cerulia, 32-RBIT – June 1, 12.30EST

Tribeca Talks: Alejandro Iñárritu with Marina Abramović

June 1, 11.45 am EST

The Academy Award-winning filmmaker Iñárritu talks with Abramović, a renowned performance artist, about his celebrated movies.

Shiraz

June 2, 12.15 pm EST

A restoration by the BFI National Archive. This movie is directed by Franz Osten and features an Indian cast of Himansu Rai, Enakshi Rama Rau and Seeta Devi.

The Epic of Everest

June 4, 5 pm EST

Shooting with a hand-cracked camera in brutally harsh conditions, Captain John Noel accompanied George Mallory and Andrew Irvine as they made their third attempt to climb Everest. The documentary, restored by the BFI National Archive, showcase the landscape’s breathtaking beauty and life in Tibet at that time.

Conversation: Ang Lee and Hirokazu Kore-eda

June 5, 05.30 pm EST

Nine-time Oscar-winner Ang Lee and Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters) discuss the state of film art today.

Nasir

June 6, 9.30 am EST

Arun Karthick’s sophomore feature applies subtle expressionism to an ordinary day in the life of Nasir, a middle-aged salesman, and stays quietly observational until nationalist bigotry disrupts the routine.

Atlantiques

June 7, 11:55 am EST

Mati Diop’s 2009 richly textured documentary and precursor to her much-acclaimed debut feature Atlantics.

The Iron Hammer

June 7, 4:30 pm EST

Director Joan Chen’s charts the inspiring life and career of ‘Jenny’ Lang Ping, a fearless volleyball star and coach.

Check the full festival schedule at http://www.weareoneglobalfestival.com. The timing is given in EST (Eastern Time) which is 9.30 hours behind IST.