Documentary with Vikalp!

Tales of two cities

Fri. 12th, 7pm, Alliance Française auditorium                          

In partnership with Vikalp Film Archive

Vertical city, by Mukul Kishore (Hindi and English, 34’)

This documentary presents a visual essay on the architecture of a dystopia. In the far suburbs of Bombay residents from slums are given free houses in high-rise building complexes with the promise of a better life. The State imagined these constructions as the realization of an urban utopia. But the project is seen as a move to free prime slum land for commercial development. The complexes soon degenerate into places worse than slums. The film lets the viewer experience the living conditions of places hidden away in a 21st century metropolis. The music in Vertical City is composed by Simon Fisher Turner.

Dilli, by Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas (Hindi and English, 25’)

In this city, a dream is born every day. Simple dreams. Patient dreams…Millions of people across India leave behind their homes and families, in the hope of finding a better life in Delhi. Completing 100 years as the capital of modern India, Delhi today stands at the crossroads of time. Among the fastest growing cities in the world, this is also the city that is home to India's second largest slum population. As Delhi straddles through its different worlds, Dilli tells the story of this city, as seen through very different eyes.