A NIGHT OF KNOWING NOTHING
Payal Kapadia | India, France 2021 | 96 Min. | OmeU
14.05. | 9:30pm
De France, Saal 1 | TICKETS
For years, Film student L writes letters to her estranged lover. These letters from the anonymous protagonist give insight into the drastic changes happening around her. They are reflections on contemporary India from a student perspective: L participates in strikes and demonstrations against Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party PJB and denounces the rigid and unjust caste system.
Based on these letters, A NIGHT OF KNOWING NOTHING unfolds an amorphous narrative through the intermingling of reality and fiction, of dreams, memories, fantasies and fears, the political urgency of which makes the film itself an artwork of rebellion.
Director: Payal Kapadia
Camera: Ranabir Das
Editing: Ranabir Das
Sound: Moinak Bose, Romain Ozanne
Voice Over: Bhumisuta Das
Production: Thomas Hakim, Julien Graff, Petit Chaos & Another Birth
AWARDS
CANNES – Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, France (7 – 17 July, 2021)
Official Selection Won: L’Oeil d’Or for Best Documentary
Toronto International Film Festival, Canada (9 – 18 September, 2021)
Wavelengths Won: Amplify Voices Award
Camden International Film Festival, United States (16 – 26 September, 2021)
Cinematic Vision Won: Cinematic Vision Award
Cork International Film Festival, Ireland (4 – 14 November, 2021)
Cinematic Documentary Competition Special Mention
Mar del Plata International Film Festival, Argentina (8 – 18 November, 2021)
Altered States Competition Won: Astor Piazzolla for Best Feature Film & MUBI Award to the Best Film
LEFFEST – Lisbon & Sintra Film Festival, Portugal (11 – 20 November, 2021)
Official Selection Won: Best Film Award
Rencontres Internationales Du Documentaire De Montréal, Canada (13 – 17 November, 2021)
International Competition Won: Special Jury Prize, International Feature
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, the Netherlands (17 – 28 November, 2021)
Best of Fests Nomination Beeld en Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award for Best Creative Use of Archive
SCREENINGS
FIDMarseille International Film Festival, France (19 – 25 July, 2021)
Athens International Film Festival, Greece (22 September – 3 October, 2021)
New York Film Festival, United States (24 September – 10 October, 2021)
Busan International Film Festival, South-Korea (6 – 15 October, 2021)
Tacoma Film Festival, United States (7 – 14 October, 2021)
Valdivia International Film Festival, Chile (11 – 17 October, 2021)
Bordeaux International Independent Film Festival, France (12 – 19 October, 2021)
Ulaanbaatar International Film Festival, Mongolia (18 – 24 October, 2021)
Viennale, Austria (21 – 31 October. 2021)
DOK Leipzig – International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, Germany (25 October – 31 October, 2021)
Ji.Hlava International Documentary Film Festival, Czech Republic (26 – 31 October, 2021)
San Diego Asian Film Festival, United States (28 October – 6 November, 2021)
New Zealand International Film Festival, New Zealand (28 October – 5 December, 2021)
Denver Film Festival, United States (3 – 14 November, 2021)
Seville European Film Festival, Spain (5 – 13 November, 2021)
India Week Hamburg, Germany (8 – 14 November, 2021)
AFI Fest, United States (10 – 14 November, 2021)
DOC NYC, United States (10 – 28 November, 2021)
Duhok International Film Festival, Iran (11 – 18 November, 2021)
Cámara Lúcida – International Film Festival, Ecuador (11- 19 November, 2021)
Internationales Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg, Germany (11 – 21 November, 2021)
ZINEBI – International Festival of Documentary and Short Film of Bilbao, Spain (12 – 19 November, 2020)
Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival, Romania (16 – 21 November, 2021)
Festival Les Écrans Documentaire, France (17 – 23 November, 2021)
Festival Des 3 Continents Nantes, France (19 – 28 November, 2021)
Festival Dei Popoli, Italy (20 – 28 November, 2021)
Entrevues Belfort International Film Festival, France (21 – 28 November, 2021)
Frames of Representation, United Kingdom (25 November – 4 December, 2021)
Singapore International Film Festival, Singapore (25 November – 5 December, 2021)
Muestra de Cine de Lanzarote, Spain (30 November – 3 December, 2021)
This human world – International Human Rights Film Festival, Austria (2 – 12 December, 2021)
Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival, Thailand (8 – 13 December, 2021)
ASEAN Short Film Competition Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival, Thailand (8 – 13 December, 2021)
BIOGRAPHY
Payal Kapadia is a Mumbai based filmmaker and artist. Her short films AFTERNOON CLOUDS (2017) and AND WHAT IS THE SUMMER SAYING (2018) premiered respectively at the Cinéfondation and the Berlinale. Her first feature, A NIGHT OF KNOWING NOTHING, was part of the 2021 Director’s Fortnight selection.
