The Urban Lens Film Festival is a one-of-a-kind international film festival that brings together filmmakers, academics and urban practitioners to engage in dialogues with each other on cinema and the urban experience. Curated by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) Media Lab, the festival has presented over 200 films of various genres from 41 countries in 37 languages. The Ninth Edition of the Urban Lens Film Festival this year is slated to be held between 16 and 19 Feb 2023 in IIHS Bangalore and the Goethe-Institut. The festival will explore "questions around what makes a city and who it belongs to and the ways in which the city can be both a place of freedom and opportunity but also of exploitation. And finally, how do stories about the city represented in cinema shape the minutiae of our individual or collective lives and the cultural landscape?"
Some of the films being screened at this year's festival include Aise Hee (Just Like That) by FTII alumnus Kislay, All That Breathes by Shaunak Sen, Ariyippu by Mahesh Narayanan, Somewhere Near and Far by Gurleen Grewal and many more.
Past editions of the festival have hosted conversations between Ratheesh Radhakrishnan and Rajeev Ravi, Trisha Gupta and Girish Kasaravalli, Dibakar Banerjee and Ranjani Mazumdar, Gautam Bhan and Anant Patwardhan and many others.
Check out more film festivals here.
How to Reach Bengaluru
1. By Air: You can reach Bengaluru via air at Bengaluru International Airport, which is located at a distance of 40 km from the city.
Discover affordable flights to Bengaluru on IndiGo.
2. By Rail: Bengaluru Railway Station is located in the heart of the city. Various trains from all over India come to Bengaluru, including the Mysore Express from Chennai, Karnataka Express from New Delhi and Udyan Express from Mumbai, which cover many major cities in between.
3. By Road: Bengaluru is connected to various other cities via major national highways. Buses from neighbouring states run on a regular basis to Bengaluru, and Bengaluru Bus Stand also runs various buses to major cities in South India.
Source: Goibibo








1. Woolens. Bengaluru during December is pleasantly cold, with temperatures ranging from 15°C-25°C.
2. A sturdy water bottle, if the festival has refillable water stations and the venue allows bottles to be taken inside.
3. Comfortable footwear. Sneakers (perfect option if it’s not likely to rain) or boots (but make sure they are worn in). You need to keep those feet tappin’ and heads bangin’. On that note, carry a bandana or a scrunchie to avoid tressy accidents with your fellow festival goers.
4. COVID packs: Hand sanitiser, extra masks and a copy of your vaccination certificate are things you should keep handy.


