SIFF PROJECT | IN THE BELLY OF A TIGER and BRIEF HISTORY OF A FAMILY Make Their Debut in Berlin

As the 74th Berlin International Film Festival just drawing to a conclusion, two films from the previous sessions of SIFF PROJECT, namely IN THE BELLY OF A TIGER (SIFF PROJECT 2023) and BRIEF HISTORY OF A FAMILY (SIFF PROJECT 2018), were selected for the festival's Forum & Forum Expanded and Panorama sections respectively.

The film IN THE BELLY OF A TIGER is directed and written by Siddartha Jatla. It is a work of co-production across five countries and regions, namely India, the United States, China, Indonesia, and Taiwan, China. It was chosen for the WORK-IN PROGRESS PROJECT (WIP) at the 25th SIFF in 2023. This is not the first time that that Siddartha Jatla has joined us with his work at SIFF. In 2018, his directorial debut LOVE AND SHUKLA was honored to be screened at the 21st SIFF. Last year, the director had his second feature film, IN THE BELLY OF A TIGER, which was still in post-production, submitted to SIFF PROJECT. Director Wu Ershan, who served as the president of the Annual Focus Committee, showed his great interest in this film and voluntarily offered to provide color grading services for it. In the autumn of last year, director Jatla came to China and completed the color grading work at Wu Ershan's Myth Image.

Color Grading at Myth Image

IN THE BELLY OF A TIGER tells a story of a culture and social reality rooted in the Indian subcontinent, aiming to capture the light of life and hope in desperation.

Director Siddartha Jatla said, "The inspiration for the film came from a news report that has been troubling me for the past five years. In that report, a 55-year-old woman was found on the edge of a forest, and it was speculated that she had intended to thrown herself into the jaws of a tiger in order to obtain government compensation to repay her family's debts.

To create this film, I moved into the village that was being reported. I wished to tell the stories of the farmers I encountered. I couldn't verify if the events reported were true, but I met many families who, like the main characters in this film, lost their land due to debt. They are desperately longing for hope, so that their families could have their own piece of land and a chance to survive.

In this movie, I used Indian mythology to tell a profound love story of ordinary people, hoping to place these intangible lives at the center of national and international stage, which are the soul of India. For the past five years, these stories have been haunting me and have become the inexhaustible driving force behind the creation of this film. Now, I hope that this film can help twist the destiny of these families."

Siddartha Jatla (Photographer: Dario Lehner)

Siddharth Jatla graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) majoring in cinematography. He was selected for the Asian Film Academy (AFA) at the Busan International Film Festival. His first feature film as a director, LOVE AND SHUKLA, was a low-budget film completed independently in 14 days with a budget of only $25,000. It had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival and was selected for over 40 film festivals worldwide. Also, it is the winner of the 2017 NETPAC Award.

Apart from being shortlisted for SIFF PROJECT, IN THE BELLY OF A TIGER has also been nominated for multiple international film festivals and creative labs during the pre-production and production stages. After completion, it held its world premiere at the Forum & Forum Expanded section of the Berlin International Film Festival.

Creators of IN THE BELLY OF A TIGER at its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. Photographer: Dario Lehner

Another film shortlisted for the Berlin International Film Festival, BRIEF HISTORY OF A FAMILY, is the first feature film directed by Lin Jianjie. Director Lin Jianjie, along with the main cast Zu Feng, Guo Keyu, and Sun Xilun, was present at the European premiere of the film at Zoo Palast on February 21st local time. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last month and received wide acclaim. Lin Jianjie graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. His short film GU was shortlisted in the competition section of the Foyle Film Festival in the UK and had its domestic premiere at the Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival. His short film A VISIT has been showcased in more than ten international film festivals and was released in Japan.

Crew of the film BRIEF HISTORY OF A FAMILY at the Berlin International Film Festival after its screening Photo by Ronny Heine (Berlinale Panorama)

Crew of the film BRIEF HISTORY OF A FAMILY at the Berlin International Film Festival  Photo by Ronny Heine (Berlinale Panorama)

Leading actors Guo Keyu and Zu Feng and the director Lin Jianjie of the film BRIEF HISTORY OF A FAMILY on the red carpet of the Berlin International Film Festival  Photo by: Zu Feng Studio

In 2018, director Lin Jianjie and his team brought their film BRIEF HISTORY OF A FAMILY to SIFF PROJECT of the 21st SIFF and made their first appearance in the industry. The project was honored with the "Best Young Director Project" for its precise perspective and well-knit story. The jury commented, "The director has explored the impact of the two-child policy on modern families with a keen eye and the form of a genre film."

BRIEF HISTORY OF A FAMILY also received support from the Film Paris Region in 2020, the CNC Aide aux cinémas du monde (World Cinema Support) in 2021, and the Danish Film Institute. In January 2022, this work started filming in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. In 2023, the film was selected for the Hong Kong International Film Festival's Work-in-progress Projects and received the "HAF Goes to Cannes" award.

SIFF Project for the 26th SIFF has launched call for entries. Welcome to submit your applications!