Berlinale | Video Interview
“Being at Berlinale is an honour”

Rima Das, director of Village Rockstars 2, and a veteran Berlinale filmmaker speaks about her latest film and what Berlinale means to her with our Berlinale Blogger Prathap Nair.

Rima Das needs no introduction. A self-taught Assamese filmmaker from a family with no connection to cinema, Das has nurtured a passion for storytelling since a young age. She tested the waters with the short film Pratha and directed the quirky film Man with the Binoculars: Antardrishti (2016), a movie about the obsessions of middle-aged men.

When she came out with Village Rockstars in 2017, Das quickly assumed the status of an independent star director. Her films have won national awards in India and multiple awards in festivals across the world. Village Rockstars competed as India’s entry in the foreign language film category at the 91st Academy Awards. Das’ stories often dissect the trials and tribulations of village life. An angst for environmental degradation and climate catastrophe pervades her narratives. 

Das is no stranger to Berlinale either. She showcased her film Bulbul Can Sing – the poignant tale of another creative teenager in Assam - at the Berlinale in the Generation 14plus section, in 2018. One year later, she was invited to be a judge for the same section. This year around, Das’ visit to the festival is particularly special: Eight years after her first major success, she brings Village Rockstars 2, a sequel to her breakout movie, to the festival. The film follows the same protagonists, we know from the first Village Rockstars, and explores their individual narratives, as they navigate lives that have been shaped by events no longer in their control.