India has produced some remarkable regional films in the year gone by, but these films don’t often get enough exposure on a national scale as they probably should. So, here’s listing some magnificent cinema that managed to create quite a buzz and garnered critical acclaim in film festivals across the globe. 

Visaranai

The Tamil film may be out of the Oscar race now, but there’s no denying that it was one of the most brilliant pieces of work ever produced. The film is about four labourers who are tortured by the police to confess to a theft that they did not really commit. Based on the novel Lock Up by M, the film is about immigrants who fall prey to violence, corruption and suffering at the hands of the cops. A must watch.

Natsamrat

Produced by Nana Patekar and directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, this Marathi film is about how a Shakespearean actor, after retirement, divides his property amongst his children. Sadly, after that decision, the parents are left homeless during their old-age by their ungrateful children.

Thi Thi

This Kannada drama is a heart-warming story about how three generations of men react to the death of their 101 year-old patriarch and the film’s cast has non-professional actors from the villages of Karnataka. Watch it, if you haven’t already. 

Cinemawala

This Bengali film is about a man who owns a cinema hall and is forced to sell it because of the introduction of newer technologies. More problems arise when his son begins to sell pirated DVDs to earn his living. Starring Paran Bandyopadhyay and Parambrata Chatterjee, the film is a tribute to the slow demise of single screen theatres in India.