“The cinema has no boundary; it is a ribbon of dream.” – Orson Welles

These words perfectly capture the essence of cinema and what it means to the audience of today- a diverse, unconventional spectrum that redefines perceptions, via an innate and magnificent craft. As an ever-evolving medium, cinema enjoys an unparalleled love for its grandeur in vision and the variance in formats. As a platform that celebrates thought-provoking narratives, with its brand promise ‘made for stories’, Voot Select is set to host one of the biggest and first of its kind direct-to-OTT film festivals, the Voot Select Film Fest. Specially curated with some unique and varied films and anthologies from across the country, the film fest starting 24th July will stream 15 critically acclaimed movies across genres in a span of eight days.

Voot Select Film Festival boasts of some exemplary work of art that focuses on socially relevant topics coupled with inspiring stories that challenge conventions and showcase #IndiaUnfiltered.  The movies that will be a part of the film festival include Natkhat, Shuruaat Ka Twist (anthology), Ek Duaa, Love in the Times of Corona (anthology), Jaan Jigar, Lines, The Shaila(s) and Lihaaf.

While the globally renowned and Oscar entrant Natkhat challenges patriarchy that has been embedded in our society and highlights gender equality, Ek Duaa, throws light on gender discrimination in a family set-up while Shuruaat Ka Twist, is an omnibus of six short films mentored by Rajkumar Hirani, Vikramaditya Motwane, Raj Kumar Gupta and Amit V. Masurkar, offering varied interpretations of the theme of ‘Twist’ through short stories. A gripping satirical narrative The Shailas will showcase a tumultuous relationship, wrought by class and caste boundaries, while Jaan Jigar will deal with the issue of moral policing around ‘love’ in a small town of North India. Lihaaf, based on one of the most celebrated masterpieces of author Ismat Chughtai by the same name, will throw light on the same-sex love and freedom of speech for women, in a male-dominated society. The anthology Love, In The Times Of Corona, backed by joyous and magnanimous storytelling, explores the current turbulent time when the whole world is reassessing what’s most important in their lives with a deeper understanding. Lines, set in 1999, chronicles the life of a young girl who is divided by borders with her husband and how she returns to him.

These impeccable stories will bring together a distinguished repertoire of artists such as Vidya Balan, Neena Gupta, Amit Sial, Chunky Panday, Esha Deol, Hina Khan, Dipannita Sharma, Shibani Dandekar, Adil Hussein, Kaneez Surka, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Anushka Sen amongst others, who are known for their outstanding contribution to cinema and art.