Borderlands

2021 / 67 minutes / Documentary
Bengali, Nepali, Manipuri, Hindi, Punjabi

An intimate exploration of how everyday lives intertwine with personal and political borders in the Indian subcontinent. Through conversations and observations, the characters reveal their efforts to find meaning in a world beyond their control. Divided families meet, love blossoms across borders, traffickers get caught – in this slice of life documentary.

AWARDS

  • “Best Editing” in the Non-Feature category at the 68th National Film Awards 2022

  • "Gold Award for Best Documentary", at the 13th IDPA (Indian Documentary Producers' Association) Awards 2024

  • “Jury Award for Best Documentary”, at the DC South Asian Film Festival 2022

  • “Special Mention” in the category documentary, at the Indian Film Festival Stuttgart 2021

CREDITS

Director: Samarth Mahajan

Producers: Devaiah Bopanna, Ashay Gangwar, Gaurav Vaz, Samarth Mahajan

Production Companies: Rainshine Entertainment, Camera And Shorts

Co-Producers: Mrinal Mohit, Makarand Waikar

Cinematographer: Omkar Divekar

Editor: Anadi Athaley

Sound Design and Edit: Ankur Chaudhary

Music: Shayan Sinha, Laurie Kallevig, Survivor Girl Ukulele Band, Kamruzzaman Rabbi

Colorist: Sunil Kamath

REVIEWS

  • "A sharply observant, illuminating cinematic essay" (The Tribune)

  • "Tells a living story of our time, in an indelibly soulful manner." (Indian Express)

  • “An engaging, richly textured snapshot of cross-border connection” (Film Companion)

  • “A cinematic story from a difficult part of the world that flows down like exquisite oil" (Filmjournalisten.de)

  • “...powerful in its lack of jingoism and the need to hinge on melodrama” (The Print)

  • "Gets so close to the protagonists, they tell of their wishes, longings, broken hearts & strokes of fate" - (WDR)

FESTIVAL HISTORY

  • DOK.fest München (Germany), in competition ‘Dok.Horizonte’, 2021

  • EBS International Documentary Festival (South Korea), in competition ‘Festival Choice: Asia’, 2021

  • Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (USA), in competition ‘Best Documentary’, 2021

  • Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (India), 2022

  • Dharamshala International Film Festival (India), 2021

  • Kolkata People’s Film Festival (India), 2022

  • Africa International Film Festival (Nigeria), 2021

  • Festival Internazionale del Cinema di Salerno (Italy), in competition ‘Grand Prix’, 2021

  • Asian Film Festival Barcelona (Spain), 2021

  • Central Scotland Documentary Festival (UK), in competition, 2021

  • Athens Ethnographic Film Festival (Greece), 2021

  • Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (Australia), in competition ‘Best Documentary’, 2021

  • New York Indian Film Festival (USA), 2021

  • Indian Film Festival Stuttgart (Germany), in competition ‘German Star of India’, 2021

  • ImagineIndia International Film Festival (Spain), in competition ‘Best Documentary’, 2021

  • Chicago South Asian Film Festival (USA), in competition ‘Best Documentary’, 2021

  • PAME Film and Music Festival (Nepal), 2021

  • DC South Asian Film Festival (USA), in competition ‘Best Documentary’, 2022

  • Jaffna International Cinema Festival (Sri Lanka), 2022

  • London International Documentary Festival (UK), 2022

  • FESCISA - San Antonio Independent Film Festival (Ecuador), 2022

  • Ismailia International Film Festival (Egypt), 2022

  • SiGNS Film Festival (India), 2022

  • Censurados Film Festival (Peru), 2022

  • Film Southasia (Nepal), 2022

  • Austin Asian American Film Festival (USA), 2022