**AS A RESPONSE TO THE ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN INDIA, DHARAMSHALA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2020 WILL NOW MOVE TO A DIGITAL EDITION BEGINNING 29 OCTOBER.**
The Dharamshala International Film Festival was started in 2012 by filmmakers and Dharamshala residents, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam. It is held annually in McLeod Ganj, a town with no cinemas that is best known as the exile home of the Dalai Lama. Focusing on showcasing the best of independent films from India and around the world, the festival has gained a reputation for its eclectic and adventurous programming, its beautiful mountain setting, and its intimate and cinema-literate atmosphere. DIFF attracts the finest indie filmmakers, film critics and film lovers from across the country and from abroad.
The Asian Age called the festival “India’s Sundance”. Leading film critic Namrata Joshi, a regular DIFF visitor, said: “It has now become a go-to event in my diary…I love the vibe, the intimacy, warmth, cheerfulness and the fact that it gives you space to breathe between films and absorb them.”
DIFF does not have awards. It operates in the belief that the celebration of good cinema does not require competition or the intrusion of market forces.