Habitat International Film Festival (HIFF 2017) is all set to be unveiled on 24 March 2017. With this, its first International Film festival, the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi adds yet another dimension to its rich programmes portfolio. The India Habitat Centre, (www.indiahabitat.org) one of the milestone cultural hubs of the capital has been an active platform for the promotion of cinema since 2000. The Habitat Film Club,(www.habitatfilmclub.com) screens cinema from India and around the world every month for its members. The annual Habitat Film Festival, which showcases the best of Pan Indian cinema in the month of May every year is now in its 12th edition and is a popular and a ‘one of a kind festival’, being the only film festival solely dedicated to the best of Indian Regional cinema.
With HIFF, Habitat Film Club, India Habitat Centre, throws open its doors to film lovers of the city with a 10 day celebration of the art of cinema. The selection at HIFF 2017 focusses on films making a mark in the film festival circuit, unsettling standard expectations, winning critical acclaim, and fetching important recognitions.
The festival aims at creating a sustainable platform in Delhi, which in quality and in engagement becomes an indispensable festival in the cultural calendar of Delhi, and a must-go forum for film enthusiasts. By featuring the best of contemporary works from filmmaking countries, it will celebrate cinema at an international level year after year. Thus it attempts to bring attention on daring films raising their profile in the process, and boosting the prospects of good filmmaking minds in the industry. In the past, Delhi has seen several initiatives that tried to create a credible international festival experience for Delhites. However, the major impediment was that of continuity. HIFF hopes to bridge this gap with the support of embassies, international cultural organisations, like-minded institutions working in the field, and the people of Delhi. Welcome to HIFF 2017.
Meet the HIFF Team
Director, IHCRakesh Kacker
Rakesh Kacker took over as Director of IHC on 1 September 2014. An Economics Masters from the Delhi School of Economics, he taught in Delhi University before joining the Indian Administrative Service in 1977. His work in the Government has been towards promoting better environmental compliance, solving problems relating to environmental management in the power sector, and increasing the contribution of renewables through the use of economic instruments. He has also worked in The Energy Research Institute (TERI) as a Senior Fellow, and in the Indian Wind Energy Association (INWEA).
Director of Programmes, IHCVidyun M. Singh
Vidyun M. Singh is Director of Programmes at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. With a multi-disciplinary background in the Arts, she has been heading the Programmes Department since its inception in 1997.
Production Head, IHCShadab Hussain
Shadab Hussain is the trailblazing head driving Operations at Programmes Department, IHC. His awareness of the production management ecosystem in performance arts makes him an uncompromising professional and a delightful collaborator. The stimulating cultural evenings at Habitat draw upon his managerial skills to make things work.
Programmes Head, IHCRenu Oberoi
Renu Oberoi is the vivacious Head of Programmes at IHC. She moved into cultural programming, festival design, and curatorial work from a hospitality background. Her translucent streak energizes all and she is passionate about hiking into the mighty mountainous unknown.
Programmes Manager, IHCMeera Desor
Meera Desor is Manager with the Programmes Department. She graduated from the Lady Irwin College and joined Habitat in 1998, and is now in her second stint with the department. She also taught at the Galaxy Education School, Gujarat, for 3 years.
Assistant Programmes Manager, IHCSatchin Joseph Koshy
Satchin Joseph Koshy is Assistant Manager with the Programmes Department. He comes from a literary studies background, and worked with Katha Books and LILA Foundation in the past.
Programmes Assistant, IHCNaresh Bisht
Naresh Bisht works with the Programmes Department. He hails from Uttarakhand, and is also a vocalist giving regular folk performances in community gatherings and special occasions.
Programmes Assistant, IHCWasib Seikh
Wasib Seikh, who is from Asansol in West Bengal, identifies himself as a small town boy with big dreams. He completed his graduation and then began participating in cultural activities. His interest in this segment landed him at the Programmes team of the India Habitat Centre.
DesignerAadil Jamal
An advertising and branding professional, Aadil Jamal works on the look and feel of HIFF. And when he doesn’t feel like working (which is quite often, he says), he is out with his camera. His photography exhibitions (Ramaq – The Dance of Filigree at Dusk, Aks-O-Aab-Reflections On Water) have been showcased at the India Habitat Centre.
Web DesignerAqs Malhotra
He is the quirky little web designer of HIFF 2017. With a strong foothold in web design and professional experience with a few startups, this manga fanatic, deceptively ambitious individual makes no compromise when it comes to serving the true purpose of art in technology.
