Auroville Film Festival

Krishna Devanandan has a background as a dancer, cultural event organiser and teacher of Tai Chi. She helped organise the Auroville Film Festivals and managed the Auroville Art Service from its inception in 2012 until 2023, when the Auroville Foundation appointed new executives.

Marco Feira passed away in his house in Sharnga community on 26 December at the age of 74. He had been suffering from cancer. Marco joined Auroville almost 30 years ago.

As befits chroniclers of our real lives, the organisers of the 8thAuroville Film Festival acknowledged in their address on the essence of the festival, the unique times Auroville is experiencing: ‘In the midst of the challenges we currently face, the Auroville Film Festival 2024 stands not as a conventional celebration but as a contemplative and reflective gathering.

Krishna Devanandan studied and grew up in the forested hills and valleys of Kodaikanal. She is a Bharatanatyam dancer, she practices and teaches Tai Chi, helps manage Auroville Art Service and the Auroville Film Festival and is a member of the Funds and Assets Resource Group (FARG).

Earthling Koushalya's new Tamil language short film En Udambu (My Body) has been making waves at various screenings in Auroville and Pondicherry.

Christoph Pohl grew up in Germany. He studied media technology engineering and worked in video and film post production in Hamburg and Berlin before moving to Auroville in 2008.

Auroville recently hosted its sixth film festival, which included a heady mix of local and international films. Over five nights, the Town Hall area was abuzz with indoor and outdoor screenings, food stalls and live music, as people imbibed the opportunity to soak up films and to participate in film-related discussions.

Marco joined Auroville 22 years ago. He reflects here on his many and varied activities, most of which are shaped by a love of the arts.