66th THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
31 OCTOBER → 9 NOVEMBER 2025
OFFICIAL PROGRAMME: International Competition

France - India 2003 98 35mm B&W
In India, thousands of cases of female infanticide go unreported every year. This practice has led to an alarming fall in the ratio of men to women. The story is set in the village of Matrubhoomi, where there are no women left, and revolves around the frustration of five brothers and their father. They are unable to find a bride, despite the assurances of their family priest-cum-astrologer. In a faraway village, the priest finally finds a beautiful girl called Kalki. Kalki’s father promptly sells her, and she is taken to Matrubhoomi where she is married to the five brothers, all five of whom, including the father, exercise their conjugal rights in turn. The family treats Kalki like chattel. Her only respite is her relationship with the family servant, Raghu, and the kinder treatment she receives from the youngest son...