India takes its status as the world’s largest democracy seriously, but Amit V Masurkar’s thoughtful comedy uncovers the absurdities lurking in a voting process that is never simple or straightforward, and is sometimes so nonsensical it’s referred to as “The Great Indian Electoral Circus.” Newton, a young idealist election officer, is sent into the beautiful jungles of Chhattisgar to collect a measly 76 votes. The area, impoverished by greedy mining corporations and lazy government officials, is overrun by communist guerillas and security forces. Regardless of the local distress and threats of ambush, and with the help of a veteran polling officer and the local schoolteacher, Newton is naively determined to uphold the election process and to collect every single one of those votes. This gentle farce addresses this seldom-seen side of Indian politics with humor and cynicism and highlights the importance of the electoral system in a rural society governed by traditions and apathy.

In competition for the FIPRESCI Prize.