Social Justice, Love, and Hate:
Epistemologies of Empathy
Through the Lens of the Cinema of the World
13th to 18th May, 2025
Overview:
This immersive course aims to take participants on a journey through the lived experiences of impoverishment, discrimination, hate, violence, and the resilience of vulnerable and dispossessed communities in India and across the world. Rooted in the framework of empathy, this course aims to use story-telling through cinema to create a space for ethical reflection and critical analysis, fostering deep engagement with social justice issues through the power of cinema.
A carefully curated selection of films and feature-length documentaries from India, South Asia, the Arab world, and Europe will serve as the vehicle for cultivating empathy, prompting discussions on the human condition, poverty, hate, dispossession, resistance, and hope.
Program Structure:
The course will take place over six days, with three film screenings each day followed by in-depth discussions. Each film will be introduced with a brief contextual overview of its social and human narratives, as well as its aesthetic qualities. The films will act as an entry-point for exploring larger themes such as the politics of hate, inequality, state power, and forms of resistance. The entire group of participants will act as facilitators of the course, engaging with and responding to the complex questions raised by the films.
Target Audience:
The course is open to individuals of all ages, genders, and vocations and hopes to attract a mix of students, homemakers, working professionals, artists, social workers, and retired people. It will appeal to those interested in social justice, human rights, cinema, art, literature, public policy, law, and related fields. Comfort with English-language subtitles will be required, as the films will be in various languages.
The program invites a diverse group of concerned citizens—those interested in understanding and addressing the rising tides of prejudice, inequality, and hate in contemporary society. The goal is to create a space for critical reflection, emotional engagement, and empathy-building.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course, participants will:
- Gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of disadvantage, oppression, and injustice in both local and global contexts.
- Enhance their knowledge of the experiences of the most marginalized communities in India and beyond, and develop a critical understanding of state policies and social structures.
- Cultivate empathy through engagement with powerful narratives, allowing participants to emotionally connect with the suffering and resilience of others, and “think through their hearts.”
- The programme will offer an introduction to examples of good political and social cinema, fiction and non-fiction, from many languages in India, South Asia and the world.
Course Details:
- Format: Three films per day, followed by in-depth discussions.
- Languages: Films in multiple languages (subtitles in English)
- Themes: social justice, empathy, love, hate, inequality, poverty, violence, state power, resistance, and hope. A mix of fiction and non-fiction films (including some feature-length documentaries). Specific titles will be released closer to the course start date.
Dates and Venue: 13th to 18th May 2025, Sambhaavnaa Institute, VPO – Kandbari, Tehsil – Palampur, District – Kangra, PIN 176061, Himachal Pradesh
Participant Contribution: We hope that participants will contribute an amount of Rs. 6,500/- towards workshop expenses, including all on-site workshop costs (boarding, lodging, and all the materials used in the workshop).
To register for the workshop please fill this form: