COURT

The ageing folk singer Narayan Kamble (Vira Sathidar) performs at rallies in Mumbai, a Dalit activist whose songs protest against injustice. Then he is arrested: a sewer worker has taken his own life, and the prosecution claims that one of Kamble’s songs incited him to do so. Before the Sessions Court, proceedings begin that get lost in adjournments, formalities and laws from the colonial era, while the defendant sits in prison. “Court” (India 2014), the debut of Chaitanya Tamhane, follows not only the trial but also the defence lawyer, the prosecutor and the judge into their lives outside the courtroom.

Tamhane directs in static, wide shots and lets the absurdity emerge from the proceedings themselves; the screenplay draws on real cases. It premiered in 2014 in Venice, where the film was named best in the Orizzonti section and won the Lion of the Future for best debut. “Court” was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2015.

Shown at the 2015 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

All films 2015 · Film Archive