For four Aprils now, as Chennai’s summer breeze sets in, Prasad Lab has brimmed with film enthusiasts waiting to watch what the PK Rosy Film Festival has to offer. The slate, full of world cinema particularly fitting the resistance genre, has not just made for compelling viewing. It has ensured space for a genuine attempt at furthering intellectual conversation, particularly about political and marginalised movements.

Over the years, this festival, part of Neelam Cultural Centre’s Vaanam, a Dalit History Month celebration commemorating BR Ambedkar, has seen cinephiles packing crowds, and even sitting on the floor of cinema halls to watch what the festival has to offer.

This year, for the first time, the film festival opens itself up to four competitive categories. It will be held between April 8 and 12 at Prasad Lab in Saligramam and Goethe Institut. Curator of this festival, Arun Karthick, says that he has witnessed a perceivable paradigm shift as there has been a steady rise in the emergence of gender sensitive, queer, and highly political cinema. “The memory of injustice in these films is evident. Over the last two editions, the festival has spotlit some directors surrounding certain themes. This year, we are shining the light on the black filmmakers of America from the 1970s and 80s,” he says, adding that Cheryl Dunye, Ava DuVernay, Ken Loach, Julie Dash, and Ryan Coogler, will be part of the screenings.

This year, Arun and his team had to sift through 450 films to arrive at the final 28 films in competition. There are eight films in the fiction feature and short fiction feature category, and six each in the short and long documentary format. Films like Sabar Bonda (Marathi for ‘Cactus Pears’), a film on queer love, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival will also be shown. A special showcase of films by Tamil directors will also be part of the mix, an exciting prospect for filmmakers from Chennai to have their work appreciated by the audience of their own city.

“There are films from all over India, particularly films from the Northeast, that will surely make for great viewing. Exciting times,” says director-curator Arun.

Taking off on the excitement is editor, Neelam Publications, Vasugi Bhaskar, who curates other parts of the Vaanam festival including Verchol, the annual literary festival (on April 18 and 19), and Dhamma, an immersive attempt at dramaturgy (on April 26). As someone who has curated both Vaanam, and Neelam’s gala celebration, Margazhiyil Makkal Isai, Vasugi Bhaskar is clear that there has been an attempt to look beyond a Dalit person’s poverty, and focus instead on Dalit art and aesthetics, thanks to the festival. “A walk into any of the festival’s venues will prove that Neelam is inclusive entirely. There is an attempt to speak of privilege, marginalisation, current affairs, in a thoughtful and political manner,” he says.

On the inauguration of the Vaanam festival on April 4, Neelam’s founder, Tamil director Pa. Ranjith, who has championed the cinema of resistance in this State, spoke of how Dalits have led and played pivotal roles in uplifting people across caste-lines. Vasugi Bhaskar says that the literary festival and the theatre festival will choose to do the same. Speakers from Kerala, Sri Lanka, Telangana, and Maharashtra will be part of the festival including Nirmalya Dutta, Aleena, a Kochi-based Malayalam and English Dalit feminist poet, author, and activist, and several other prominent Tamil names.

Natarajan Gangadharan’s work at Vaanam Art Festival will make their way to an exhibition curated by him at The Whole Story between April 12 and 18. “Resistance finds an easy solace in art. We are excited to see what the younger artists have in store for us,” he says.

For more details, follow @vaanam_art_festival on Instagram.