Bangalore Film Forum presents a retrospective of the independent filmmaker Don Palathara, taking place from May 15 to 17 at the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan.

The program offers audiences a rare opportunity to engage with Palathara’s distinct body of work, known for its quiet rigor, observational depth, and resistance to conventional narrative forms. The retrospective will feature all of Palathara’s films, tracing his evolving cinematic language and his engagement with everyday lives, interiority, and the precise observation of the local culture.

The program also includes conversations with filmmaker Don Palathara, with Srikanth Srinivasan joining for discussions, offering insights into his process, approach to performance, and working with constraints.

Schedule:
Friday, May 15
6:30 pm — 1956 Central Travancore (2019)
Saturday, May 16
2:30 pm — Shavam (2015)
3:45 pm — Vith (2017)
5:30 pm — Family (2023)
7:30 pm — Conversation with Don Palathara and Srikanth Srinivasan (unticketed)
Sunday, May 17
3:30 pm — Everything is Cinema (2021)
5:00 pm — Joyful Mystery (2020)
6:30 pm — Conversation with Don Palathara and Srikanth Srinivasan (unticketed)

Entry Passes available online.

About Don Palathara
After his training at International Film School Sydney (now Academy of Film, theatre and Television), Don returned to Kerala in 2014. After directing and collaborating on several shorts, he made his feature film debut with Shavam in 2015, which was later showcased on Netflix. In 2019, he made 1956, Central Travancore, which was later premiered at the 42nd Moscow International Film Festival. His next film, Joyful Mystery (2020), was nominated for a Golden St. George at the 43rd Moscow International Film Festival. That same year, Everything Is Cinema, his fifth feature, had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. His latest film, "Family," premiered at IFFR in 2023. During 2021–2022, MUBI did a spotlight on all his films up until then. Don has also served on selection committees and juries at various film festivals, including IFFK. He won FFSI's John Abraham award for the year 2020 for 1956, Central Travancore and Family in 2024. Don is part of the BAFTA Breakthrough cohort; India chapter of 2023.

The retrospective is curated by Bangalore Film Forum, an arthouse film club showcasing contemporary, independent, foreign and classic films and presented in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bahvan Bangalore as part of their ongoing efforts to create space for alternative and independent cinema.

In addition to the retrospective, Bangalore Film Forum has organised a Workshop with Don Palathara. This five-day filmmaking workshop (only by prior registration) will be an immersive, hands-on exploration of cinema rooted in simplicity and observation. Rather than focusing on big budgets or technical excess, the workshop will guide participants through developing ideas from everyday life, working with minimal resources, and understanding performance, space, and silence.