Sundance Film Forward to bring indie flicks to Kolkata

Makers of critically-acclaimed indie flicks "Little White Lie" and "Difret" will be in the eastern metropolis for a series of screenings and workshops as part of the Sundance Film Forward (SFF) beginning October 5.

Spanning four days, the SFF in collaboration with the Documentary Resource Initiative, will feature filmmakers Lacey Schwartz (director, "Little White Lie") and Mehret Mandefro (producer, "Difret") in a series of free public film screenings, question-and-answer sessions, workshops, and a local filmmaker roundtable event here.

SFF is a touring program that offers film screenings and discussions to 18 to 24 year olds -- students and artists -- to excite and cultivate new audiences for independent films, a statement said.

The screenings of films and guided discussions will take place at Rabindra Tirtha (HIDCO), Goethe Institute, Kolkata, Jadavpur University and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute.

"Little White Lie" documents the personal story of director Lacey Schwartz as she confronts a family secret that ultimately leads her on a journey of re-discovery, grappling with her dual identity of being Black and Jewish.

The power of tradition is challenged by modern law in "Difret". The film tells the story of a 14-year-old Ethiopian girl facing the death penalty after killing her would-be husband and a tenacious young lawyer brought to the small rural village to represent her.