Films

What happens to a town after sunset? What happens to life and light?

Niishii is an evocative tour through the night time hours in the town of Dubrajpur (West Bengal, India). Here, amidst inky darkness, faces are illuminated by cool fluorescent light. Their owners tell stories of night – as it used to be, prior to electrification, as it is now, and the ghosts one may encounter in it. We see families gather to eat, we visit amusement parks, markets and “drinking dens” (where, one drinker tells us, “darkness is best”), and witness the labour that continues through the night.

A sensuous ethnography, Niishii richly evokes the lightscapes and soundscapes that characterise this affective, and highly active, zone of life.

Director Saranya Nayak will attend this screening and take part in a Q&A.