The popular Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) will launch its year-round programme for 2021 online with the 'DIFF Virtual Viewing Room: Films from the Oscar Season'. It will there for one week from April 2 to April 8 in collaboration with Gratitude Films Inc. and will a special treat for cinema lovers.

This selection of six films, curated by Anu Rangachar, are the official entries to the 2021 Oscars with some of them being shortlisted and nominated. The six films include Apples directed by Christos Nikou, Greece; Atlantis from Ukraine directed by Valentyn Vasyanovich; The Dissent directed by Bryan Fogel, USA; Night of the Kings from Ivory Coast and directed by Philippe Lacote; Quo Vadis, Aida? directed by Jasmila Zbanic, Bosnia; and Two of Us directed by Filippo Meneghetti, France.

The question and answer sessions will include a conversation between journalist Rana Ayyub and Oscar winning director Bryan Fogel, writer and film critic Aseem Chhabra in conversation with Greek director Christos Nikou.

The curator Rangachar talking about the collaboration, said, "I am excited to be collaborating towards this programme of the DIFF Virtual Viewing Room to bring some of the most talked about Oscar contenders this year from around the world to audiences in India." She launched her company during the pandemic,

The films are available for pre-sales individually or as part of an All Films Pass' on online.diff.co.in.

Started in 2012 by filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, the Dharamshala International Film Festival aims to establish a world-class film festival that would expose local audiences to meaningful independent cinema, promote and encourage regional filmmaking talent, and provide a forum where filmmakers and film-lovers could interact in an informal and intimate way.

(With inputs from IANS)