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Synopsis: 'Borderlands' brings together six characters whose lives are defined by personal and political
borders, from across the Indian subcontinent. Through conversations and observations, the characters reveal their efforts to find meaning in a world beyond their control. Divided families meet, love blossoms across borders, traffickers get caught – in this slice of life documentary.


Year: 2021 | Duration: 67 mins | Language: Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, Manipuri, Punjabi (w/ English subs)


Director’s Bio: Samarth Mahajan is a non-fiction filmmaker, passionate about telling human stories
from India that remain invisible to the mainstream. ‘The Unreserved’, his national award-winning debut feature about passengers of the third class in Indian Railways premiered at Film Southasia 2017
and received broadcast & theatrical releases in India. ‘Kazwa’, his short documentary on sustainable
rural tourism through fireflies, won awards at multiple international film festivals.


Filmography:
i) Borderlands / 2021 / 67 mins; ii) The Unreserved / 2017 / 60 mins; iii) Kazwa / 2016 / 9 mins
Festival History
- DOK.fest München (Germany), in competition ‘Dok.Horizonte’, 2021
- EBS International Documentary Festival (South Korea), in competition ‘Festival Choice: Asia’, 2021
- Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (USA), in competition ‘Best Documentary’, 2021
- Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (India), 2022
- Dharamshala International Film Festival (India), 2021
- Kolkata People’s Film Festival (India), 2022
- Africa International Film Festival (Nigeria), 2021
- Festival Internazionale del Cinema di Salerno (Italy), in competition ‘Grand Prix’, 2021
- Asian Film Festival Barcelona (Spain), 2021
- Central Scotland Documentary Festival (UK), in competition, 2021
- Athens Ethnographic Film Festival (Greece), 2021
- Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (Australia), in competition ‘Best Documentary’, 2021
- New York Indian Film Festival (USA), 2021
- Indian Film Festival Stuttgart (Germany), in competition ‘German Star of India’, 2021
- ImagineIndia International Film Festival (Spain), in competition ‘Best Documentary’, 2021
- Chicago South Asian Film Festival (USA), in competition ‘Best Documentary’, 2021
- PAME Film and Music Festival (Nepal), 2021
- DC South Asian Film Festival (USA), in competition ‘Best Documentary’, 2022
- Jaffna International Cinema Festival (Sri Lanka), 2022
- London International Documentary Festival (UK), 2022
- FESCISA - San Antonio Independent Film Festival (Ecuador), 2022
- Ismailia International Film Festival (Egypt), 2022
- SiGNS Film Festival (India), 2022
- Censurados Film Festival (Peru), 2022
- Film Southasia (Nepal), 2022
- Austin Asian American Film Festival (USA), 2022


Awards
- “Best Editing” in the Non-Feature category at the 68th National Film Awards 2022
- “Jury Award for Best Documentary”, at the DC South Asian Film Festival 2022
- “Special Mention” in the category documentary, at the Indian Film Festival Stuttgart 2021


List of Key Reviews
• "A sharply observant, illuminating cinematic essay"

- Saibal Chatterjee, The Tribune, https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/features/samarth-
mahajans-documentary-looks-at-lives-shaped-by-indias-borders-267763

• "Tells a living story of our time, in an indelibly soulful manner."
- Tanushree Ghosh, Indian Express,

https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/borderlands-is-a-
sincere-tale-of-how-borders-upend-ordinary-lives-7375802/



ENTRY IS FREE & OPEN TO ALL!!!
PRE & POST-SCREENING DISCUSSION WITH THE DIRECTOR.