How Richa Agarwal's Emami Art Experimental Film Festival is Redefining the Language of Cinema

Carving a niche for experimental cinema and building discourses around alternative practices in moving image making is the vision behind the Emami Art Experimental Film Festival (EAEFF), which returned to Kolkata this September. From September 11 to 14, the four-day festival brought together filmmakers, artists, and audiences from India and across the world, presenting works that blur the lines between art and cinema, history and memory, fiction and reality.

Since its inception four years ago, EAEFF has evolved into a rare platform where cinema is not consumed passively but encountered as an immersive, intellectual experience. In a cultural landscape increasingly shaped by global movements, the festival has positioned itself as a statement of vision, taste, and cultural engagement. For discerning audiences, it is a space to explore what lies beyond the expected.

The New Language of Filmmaking

“Kolkata has always been a city of art and ideas, and through platforms like EAEFF, we're showing the world that we're also a hub for experimental and contemporary practices. My focus is really about creating the right infrastructure so these initiatives can flourish and reach global audiences,” says Richa Agarwal, CEO, Emami Art and Chairperson, Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC), where the festival was hosted.

For Agarwal, experimental cinema speaks directly to the search for meaning in a world saturated with spectacle. “It offers rare, thought-provoking experiences—completely new ways of seeing that go beyond the ordinary. Many of these works premiere at prestigious venues like the Venice Biennale or Berlinale before reaching select audiences. With EAEFF, we create a gateway to the same calibre of artistic innovation that defines global cultural taste.”

This year, the festival received more than 1,200 entries from across the world—a clear sign of its growing reach and ability to capture the imagination of filmmakers. A dedicated team from Emami Art and the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) reviewed submissions, selecting works that demonstrated originality, honesty, and a distinct artistic voice.

“What excites me about this edition is not only the remarkable number of submissions, but the urgency of the voices behind them,” says Ushmita Sahu, EAEFF director and head curator at Emami Art. “Experimental cinema is not simply a genre—it is a way of questioning how images are produced, circulated, and consumed. At a time when dominant media demands speed, closure, and spectacle, these films insist on other ways of seeing: slower, more attentive, and more open to uncertainty.”

For Agarwal, what has stood out over the years are the conversations—watching audiences discover new languages of filmmaking and hearing artists share perspectives that completely shift ways of thinking. The live masterclasses by international filmmakers have also been remarkable, offering direct learning experiences that make each edition feel genuinely global in its reach.

EAEFF's 2025 Lineup

The 2025 programming featured a stellar line-up of international names. Opening films included A Metamorphosis (Myanmar) by Lin Htet Aung, Double Around the Interlude (France, Italy) by Stefano Miraglia, and Elemental Vision or a film for the rest of my life (Canada) by Barbara Sternberg. Other highlights are Datura’s Aubade (USA, Mexico) by Bretta C. Walker and Jean-Jacques Martinod, Quadratura (Italy) by Sara Bonaventura, and Hypnagogia (Canada) by Cecilia Araneda. Brazil contributes Brume of the Billows by Rodrigo Faustini and Bleach Farm by Līgia M Teixeira and Francisco B Gusso, while Hungary presents The Geneva Mechanism: A Ghost Movie by Péter Lichter. Must-watch titles also included Sincero, Apaixonado (Portugal) by Margaux Dauby and Raul Domingues, Smoke (USA) by Erica Schreiner, Non/Living (Finland, Turkey) by Müge Yildiz, and A Ladder (UK) by Scott Barley.

Alongside its global showcase, EAEFF 2025 shone a spotlight on a new wave of Indian filmmakers who are reimagining cinema through deeply personal and experimental lenses. Notable entries include O Seeker by Gavati Wad, Sleepwalker Archives by Karthik Subhramanian, Twilight Language by Ravisankar Kerala Varma, and the intriguingly titled Obsolete Skygazer - Enlightened Observer - Ignorant Truthseeker - Emaciated Entourage by Pinak Banik.

Other notable works included A Very Clear Sunrise by Asmita Pal, Babasaheb in Bengaluru by Mahishaa, Chorao Chorao by Neelansh Mittra, and Dinosaur’s Egg by Sruthil Mathew. Emerging voices such as Anhad Singh Sodhi (Ganga Niwas), Sudhir Ambasana (Movements in Transition), Ketan Dua (Rafique Raat Ki Baahon Mein), and Rushnan Jaleel (The Dithering Veil) further expanded the scope of India’s experimental film language.

The EAEFF 2025 official jury, comprised of Nawar Al Qassimi, Priya Sen, Shai Heredia, and Shuddhabrata Sengupta.

Agarwal explains how EAEFF, alongside major global festivals, is making Kolkata an essential stop on the international cultural circuit. It also opens pathways for regional filmmakers, who have gone on from here to win awards at prestigious international festivals.

Together, the films and collaborations of EAEFF 2025 capture the spirit of boundary-breaking storytelling, reaffirming the festival’s role as a hub for experimentation, innovation, and cultural patronage on a global stage.