Sunday 3 May, 2026
The Garden Cinema, London
Reviewed by: Gopa Roy
Friends of Jilipibala
Directed by Debalina Majumdar (India, 2025. Bengali, with English subtitles)
This film documents the extraordinary range of life given shelter by a huge old tamarind tree in Vidyasagar Colony in Kolkata. The world beneath its branches is inhabited by birds, animals, plants and people who share the space. The audience is connected with this world by a (very cute) toddler, Jilipibala, who plays on the roof of her house and names the birds that she can see. Tamarind pods are pulled off the branches and eaten by monkeys and squirrels, and as the fruit falls to the ground women and children gather it up. Men and boys scale nearby coconut trees to gather the nuts (the film was shot using cameras and phones in a 250-meter radius). Cats and dogs rest on walls in the shade below. Women bring them food, and dramatic action is filmed taking place between cats and crows. However, as the film unfolds, the systematic cutting down of adjacent trees – about which Jilipibala is as curious as she is about everything else – to make room, apparently, for an apartment building, reveals to us just how much would be lost by the loss of just one tree. The message is reinforced by the closing credits, which list about 50 different species of birds, squirrels, monkeys and lizards seen in the course of the film.
W.R.A.P.
We Really Are Pakistan
Directed by Saba Karim Khan (Pakistan, 2025. Urdu & Hindi, with English subtitles)
This vivid and energetic documentary takes us into the world of three aspiring rap artists – MC Bablay, MC Shob and MC Affo – from the dust of Karachi’s Gizri neighbourhood, surrounded by crime and violence, alcohol and poverty, to the creativity and dreams brought by the music they share. As they work to make ends meet they have no advantages, just their hard work, talent and passion for rap. We don’t know whether optimism and dedication will be enough for them to make an impact in the wider hip hop world, but their stories, struggles and the joy the music brings them are life-affirming. The world depicted, indoors or on the streets, is a masculine one, but then one notes that the director, Saba Karim Khan is female. One caveat is that although dialogue is subtitled, the rap is not and this limits one’s appreciation. If the words matter, we are missing out.
Edavela-Stillness
Directed by Viraja & Shyamjith Kiran (India, 2025. Malayalam, with English subtitles)
This is an absorbing and skilfully-constructed film. Kathakali artist Sadanam P.V. Balakrishnan explains how lineage is key to this art-form. Then, filmed in black and white, he leads us one by one through the Navarasas and the depth of their meaning, their subtlety and power. These sections are intercut with colour sequences, showing make-up being applied before a performance, and poses of the fully-dressed and made-up performer in beautiful settings. The scenic backdrops were perhaps unnecessary, because the dance itself could take us anywhere, as the film revealed. The cinematography, Mohanlal’s narration and soundscapes (Resul Pookutty) together created a compelling and persuasive experience and one was left with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the process.
