This article and the images that follow deal with the Urban Lens Film Festival, an annual event organized by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bengaluru, that looks at cinema’s ties with the city. With a particular focus on films from South Asia, Africa and Latin America, the screenings address various aspects of urbanization, including loneliness, environment and entertainment. The programme also wishes to encourage serious conversations about film outside strictly academic circles and gets practitioners and artists to talk about their medium.