To chase her dream of going to school in her remote Himalayan village, a feisty paraplegic girl locks horns with her unyielding, tra¬dition-bound grandfather. Chuskit India | Feature | 90 Minutes | Ladakhi with English Subtitles, 2018 10/13/2019 | 1:00 - 3:30 pm Fun Movie Grill, Carrolton (DFW Area) (Formerly Venetian Cinemas) 2661 Midway Rd., Carrollton, Texas 75006 TICKETS SYNOPSIS To chase her dream of going to school in her remote Himalayan village, a feisty paraplegic girl locks horns with her unyielding, tradition-bound grandfather. Sprightly Chuskit’s dream of going to school is cut short when she is rendered a paraplegic after an accident. She’s confined to life indoors in the company of her strict grandfather, Dorje. Chuskit continues to harbor hopes of school but Dorje tries to make her understand that school can’t handle her needs. As life at home gets harder, her battle with her grandfather exacerbates. Caught in between their struggle are Chuskit's parents and her enterprising brother who want to respect the old world views that Dorje represents, but also want to keep Chuskit's spirit alive. Chuskit will have to get her grandfather to yield or she will have to accept the reality he has chosen for her. TRAILER TICKETS On mobile device? Buy Tickets Tickets PRIYA RAMASUBBAN DIRECTOR'S PROFILE Priya Ramasubban is a reputed filmmaker who has traveled the world for over fifteen years making films for National Geographic, Discovery, History Channel and other major international broadcasters. She is a storyteller at heart and has the ability to deal with complex subjects in a nuanced way allowing for textured interpretation. She has written and directed “Lost Kings of Israel” (National Geographic), “Divine Delinquents” (National Geographic), several episodes on the long-running series “Digging for the Truth” (History Channel), episodes on the series “Into the Unknown” (Discovery Channel), an episode on “Monster Fish” (National Geographic) and several others notable productions. Priya was one of the six people chosen from all over India as a part of a screenwriter’s lab organized by the National Film Development Corporation where she received an opportunity to evolve her story for Chuskit under the mentorship of award-winning Dutch writer Jolein Laarman. DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT Conversations with my sister, Vidya, sowed the seeds for my film ‘Chuskit’. Vidya has worked with the differently abled in Ladakh for almost a decade. She was instrumental in sending Sonam, a nine-year-old with cerebral palsy to school despite the arduous terrain in her remote Himalayan village. While working with Sonam, Vidya learnt of other such children who yearned to lead as normal a childhood as they could. Their stories were filled with pathos and hardships, yet not one of the children gave up their quest to go to school. That is why I shaped Chuskit’s character to be unrelenting and gave her the spunk to triumph over adversity. For most children outside the West, life as a differently abled person is tough at best and excruciatingly hard at worst. My wish is that a small measure of hope and inspiration stays with the audiences when they walk away from my film. CREDITS Editor Jabeen Merchant Jabeen Merchant has been editing films for 23 years. Her well known work includes commercial releases like 'Manorama Six Feet Under', ‘Khamoshi: The Musical’, 'NH10' and 'Anaarkali of Aarah' as well as indies like 'The President Is Coming' and the National Award winning children's film 'Chahutkan ki Mahabaharat'. Director of Photography Arvind Kannabiran A Parson's School of Design alum, Arvind Kannabiran has been working in the advertising and feature film industry for more than 25 years in both America and India. His feature film credits as a Director of Photography include 'NH10', 'Anarkali of Aarah', 'Manorama Six Feet Under', 'Loins of Punjab Presents' and 'My brother, Nikhil'. Production Design Aradhana Seth Aradhana is a filmmaker, visual artist and designer. Her production design credits include 'Angry Indian Goddesses', 'Don', 'Easy', 'Earth' and 'Fire'. As an Art Director she has worked on 'London Has Fallen (India)', 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'The Bourne Supremacy' and 'Stiff Upper Lips (India)'. She has directed/produced over 18 documentary films including ‘DAM/AGE’ and ‘A Suitable Boy’ for the BBC with Arundhati Roy and Vikram Seth. Sound Design P.M. Saatheesh A graduate of the National Film & Television Institute, Satheesh has worked on numerous documentaries for BBC, National Geographic, etc. as well as several feature films including ‘Mangal Pandey’, ‘Fakir of Venice’, and ‘Baahubali’. Satheesh also won a National Award for Best Sound Design on ‘Kumar Talkies’. CAST CREDITS Chuskit Jigmet Dewa Lhamo Dorje (Grandfather) Morup Namgyal (Padma Shri) Tsering (Mother) Yanchen Dolma Stobdan (Brother) Padma Chospel Sonam (Father) SS Wangchuk Norbu (Neighbour) Tsetan Angchok Angmo (Chuskit's friend) Stanzin Ngidon Deskit (Chuskit's friend) Yanchen Dolma Ahmad (Doctor) Satyadeep Misra CREW CREDITS Written and Directed by Priya Ramasubban Produced by Priya Ramasubban Director of Photography Arvind Kannabiran Production Design Aradhana Seth Costume Design Deepali Kosta Kabi Editor Jabeen Merchant Music Mathias Duplessy Sound Design Satheesh PM STILLS CHUSKITProduction still 4 CHUSKITProduction still 3 CHUSKIT_still1 CHUSKIT_still18 CHUSKIT_still9

The 2020 Indie Meme Film Festival jury and awards. Jury & Awards 2020 JURY AWARD WINNERS DOCUMENTARY JURY RAMA TIRU Jury, Documentary As a Commercial/Industrial photographer, Rama has completed many successful projects in India and Austin. Her art photography evolved from her prowess in classic commercial photography and her technical expertise in Digital techniques. and she has showcased her work in many solo and group art shows. Her breath-taking works of Tibet, Thailand, India, Japan, Peru, Bolivia have been showcased in various venues. She has created one of a kind images by experimenting with alternate image processing and transfers techniques on fabric, wood, and metal sheets. ANDREW LEE Jury, Documentary Andrew Lee began his film career after winning $210k+ in cash prizes on his short films. Andrew produced his first feature doc, DMT: The Spirit Molecule, co-produced SXSW 2017 Audience Award winning documentary Dealt & Slamdance Film Festival 2019 documentary Seadrift about the Vietnamese refugees that settled in Texas which won the 2019 Houston Film Critics TIFA Visionary Award and is set to broadcast on PBS in May 2020. His latest feature doc Jump Shot about the inventor of the basketball jump shot premiered at SXSW 2019 and is set to release digitally in May 2020. He currently serves as the board president of the Austin Asian American Film Festival WINNER WINNER NARRATIVE JURY CELESTE QUESADA Jury, Narrative Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Producer and Creative Director Celeste Quesada's 22+ year career has focused on promoting the finest talent that Texas has to offer. Her work ranges from the production of “one of a kind” special events to the development of integrated PR and marketing strategies that fuse graphic design, branding, web identity and social media. Quesada's client list includes working with legendary Austin musicians, filmmakers and fashionistas of all genres, local architects, designers and numerous non-profit clients including Austin Film Society, Fusebox Festival, SIMS Foundation, American Gateways, El Buen Samaritano, Forklift Danceworks, Chula League, Austin Chronicle and the Austin Music Awards. TIM TSAI Jury, Narrative Tim is a filmmaker whose feature directorial debut SEADRIFT chronicles the racial hostilities that erupted in violence during the early days of Vietnamese refugee arrival on the Texas gulf coast. The film premiered at Slamdance 2019 and will be broadcast on PBS in May, 2020. Previous work include a series of short films on early Chinese Texans for Austin PBS, and editing the non-narrative film YAKONA (SXSW '14 Audience Award) about the San Marcos River. He earned an MFA in film production from U.T. Austin, served as the former executive director of the Austin Asian American Film Festival, and is a Firelight Media Documentary Labs fellow. SANDHYA SHARDANAND Jury, Narrative Sandhya Shardanand is an Austin-based producer who enjoys every step of taking stories from the page to the screen. Her most recent projects are Richard Linklater’s APOLLO 10 ½, which is currently in post-production; BULL, which premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival – Un Certain Regard; and SUPPORT THE GIRLS, which had its premiere at SXSW 2018. Previously she worked alongside director Terrence Malick on THE NEW WORLD, THE TREE OF LIFE and TO THE WONDER. She has an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. Special Mention SHORTS JURY ASAD KIRMANI Jury, Shorts Asad Kirmani is a Writer/Director and a practicing psychiatrist in Austin, TX. While in medical school he produced and directed All the Wrong Reasons, a full-length comedy feature about a hapless young medical student. While doing his psychiatric residency in New York City he produced and directed Curing Gender, a documentary about the history of psychiatry and transsexuality that has been used educationally by a number of hospitals and institutions across the country, and was shown at the 2013 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco. He has written and directed three short films, Stress Freud, Pornistan, and Hijabi. Pornistan won the 2013 Flatland Film Festival Chris Caddel Filmmaker Award and was a Finalist for Best Comedy Short at the 2014 Central Florida Film Festival. Hijabi premiered at the Brooklyn Short Film Festival in 2017. It was distributed through the online streaming service Seed&Spark, where it was featured on their “Must-See” list. He is currently in post-production on his fourth short film, How to Wash the Dead. GREG DAVIS Jury, Shorts Fate exerts a powerful pull on our lives. As Greg Davis knows, it can drag you through the mud before it shows you the light at the end of the tunnel. For Davis, fate is his quest for meaning, his desire to connect his experiences with those of people worlds apart. Born and raised in a small East Texas town, After 10 years in the tech sector, he quit his job and went on a yearlong global soul-searching expedition. Greg, who is represented by National Geographic Image Collection, worked his way from local festivals to international exhibitions. His first major solo exhibit for the Museum of the Southwest followed the stories of individual pilgrims to the 2013 Kumbh Mela, the largest religious pilgrimage in history, about which he also completed his first short documentary film, Cloth Paper Dreams. That led to a follow up film,“The Man From Mathura”, that is currently in production. LENG WONG Jury, Shorts Leng Wong is a producer and artist based in Austin, TX. As a producer, she has produced over 50 productions and events including theater, film, festivals, and community events, since 2012. Her latest project was producing the People of Color Comedy Festival (PoCCF), the first of its kind in Texas, in 2019. Leng was also the executive producer for the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF) who successfully brought the festival back in 2014. She is the founder of Lucky Chaos, a nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to produce works by artists from under-represented communities, with emphasis on personal stories. “Being an artist is about putting your soul out there, in spite of all the fears and doubts because it’s those fears and doubts that make us human and compel us to create.” WINNER AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS Thank you to our lovely members for joining us on the virtual journey and putting in the votes for their favourites! The ballots have spoken and we were able to give pride of place to one of our favourite films! WINNER

The 9th Annual Indie Meme Film Festival comes to Austin in-person from April 17-21, 2024 and is held at the Austin Film Society Cinema IMFF 2024 Plan Your Visit The 9th Indie Meme Film Festival comes to Austin in-person from April 17 - 21, 2024 and is held at the Austin Film Society Cinema. We have partnered with Origin Hotel Austin to offer discounted rates exclusively for IMFF 2024 attendees. Conveniently located in the Mueller complex, Origin Austin Hotel is just 3 miles from the festival venue, AFS Cinema. We encourage you to book your room early to guarantee availability and make the most of this fantastic offer. Rates are subject to availability. To secure these special rates and reserve your accommodations, use code 041624JZE when booking with Origin Hotel, either through the website or through the hotel front desk .

Meet our sponsors, patrons and supporters from 2025. We are grateful to these organizations to help bring independent films from South Asia to our audience. Our 2025 Sponsors Thank you to our generous sponsors for their support of Indie Meme's Festivals & Programs. Our corporate, media, institutional, & local business sponsors sustain our work and further the presence of independent South Asian Cinema in Texas. We appreciate all of your support, and could not do it without you! IMFF is in part supported by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin, Economic Development Department. Presenting Sponsor Directing Sponsors Scripting Sponsors Gold Sponsors Silver Sponsors Bronze Sponsors We are grateful to our 2015 , 2016, 2017 , 2018, 2019 , 2020 , 2021 , 2022 , 2023 , and 2024 sponsors . BECOME A SPONSOR

Upon hearing that her grandmother has passed, Kaashi, a young Indian woman who left town to study abroad, comes back to her home with the intention of performing the funeral rites herself, to honor the only family member who believed in her. However, Kaashi’s scornful uncle Vishnu, the patriarch of the family, Back to Festival Program Official Selection The Last Rights India I US I 17 mins I Drama I 2019 I Hindi w/ English subtitles Upon hearing that her grandmother has passed away, Kaashi, a young Indian woman who left town to study abroad, comes back to her home with the intention of performing the funeral rites herself, to honor the only family member who believed in her. However, Kaashi’s scornful uncle Vishnu, the patriarch of the family, refuses her this wish,. He insists that he will perform them, as is custom. Strengthened by her confidence in herself, Kaashi will defy the century- old traditions to honor her grandmother’s last wish, and perform the last rites. + Screens with the feature film, BULBUL GET YOUR FESTIVAL BADGE VIRTUAL SCREENING : SUN. APRIL 18 - 7:30PM CT About the Artist Aastha is an award-winning, freelance director and producer based in Los Angeles, and brought up in Dubai. She surrounds herself with stories that are built on grounded realities with female protagonists. Her vision aims to bring out hidden realities of any given society and to tell stories which are heartfelt, entertaining, and resonant. Her motto, when it comes to making movies is that: "as the new face of cinema, it is in our hands to bring impactful change through the powerful and evergreen medium of cinema - a language that is recognized and understood throughout the world and conjoins different cultures." Aastha is also Creative Director of Saadhvish Films. Trailer Thank you to our community partner(s) for this screening: the Austin Film Society, and the Austin Film Commission! Credits Crew Writer/Director: AASTHA VERMA Producer(s): DAVID BARBESCHI SACHIN GOEL AASTHA VERMA ANIL VERMA INDU VERMA PAVITRA VERMA Cinematography: DEEP SAWANT Editor: PRARTHANA JOSHI Production Design: GAUTAMI KHATAVKAR RASHMIN LAD Sound: PRIYABRATA PANIGRAHI Cast KANUPRIYA SHARMA as 'Kaashi' VED THAPPAR as 'Vishnul' AJITA KULKARNI as Jyoti' RAJESH DUBEY as 'Acharyaji' SULAKSHANA KHATRI as 'Shaanti' Casting By: SUNNY CHOUDHARY Make-up: MANOJ KUMAR DEEPAK MOHANTY Asst. Director(s): JEET NIMESH DESAI SUKRUT TENI Music : ANSH CHOMAL SHYAMSUNDAR JOSHI

Interested in submitting a film for a screening? Check out the film makers whose films we have screened. SUMBIT YOUR FILM Please be sure to mention in your email: Your name Distribution Company (if applicable) Director's name Film-name About the film, in brief Trailer Submit Your Film For Film makers We love the filmmakers we work with. It's their genius that we represent and always give them the credit they deserve. Since a lot of attention & effort goes into promoting every single screening we do, we can't do too many films in a year...but we try to do the best we can with each film we take on. If you are an Independent Filmmaker and want to work with us, Indie Meme would love to see your Film to see if we can represent it. Please write to us and let us know about your film. If possible send us a link to the screener. Do include a trailer, link to the facebook page/website for the film in your first note to us. If we take on the film then Indie Meme will work with you to promote the film in the best way we can – having boutique releases, making it a part of IMFF, having educational institutes screen the film, screenings with special interest groups etc. There are many ways we can think of to connect you with your audience. Submit a Film FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ADDING A FILM TO THE INDIE MEME LIBRARY We need to see the film screener. Know that you are interested. Have you sign a LoI (Letter of Intent) and add the film to our library. Announce it to be available on our website and work on the best strategy for the film. FORMAT OF THE FILM The format that is easiest to work with is a Blu Ray. It gives us the greatest flexibility for fixing theaters. It is what we will expect (or a DCP). That said we can work with other formats but with limited exhibitors and it will depend on the film – if we believe in it enough we will work to exhibit it at smaller venues or even work with you to make the Blu Ray. ADDITIONAL DELIVERABLES Indie Meme is striving to give back the maximum possible profit from the revenue to the filmmaker. This means that we are not going to be ‘creating’ any promotional material for the film but working with what you give us. We will need a promo for the film (in blu ray as well as an MP4 or mov file), the press kit (synopsis,directors bio, film poster, crew list, stills, press) and any additional material you can provide. It is highly recommended that your film have some online presence in the form of a website/ facebook page etc for us to share with the potential audience in the US. FAQ

India, 19th century: on the outskirts of a decrepit village called Tumbbad lives Vinayak, the stubborn, conniving bastard son of the village lord, obsessed with a mythical ancestral treasure. What starts with a few gold coins, quickly spirals into a reckless, perpetual yearning, spanning decades. Tumbbad AUSTIN Dec 5th 2018 | DFW Dec 6th 2018 AUSTIN SCREENING Wednesday, November 14th 2018 | 7:30 PM AFS Cinema, 6406 N IH-35 Suite 3100, Austin, Texas 78752 INDIA | Drama | Horror | Fiction |109min | Hindi & English with English subtitles GET TICKETS SYNOPSIS India, 19th century: on the outskirts of a decrepit village called Tumbbad lives Vinayak, the stubborn, conniving and illegitimate son of the village lord, obsessed with mythical ancestral treasure. He suspects the secret of the treasure lies with his great-grandmother, a witch, who has been sleeping for centuries. Confronting her finally puts him face to face with the guardian of the treasure, an evil fallen god. What starts with a few gold coins, quickly spirals into a reckless, perpetual yearning, spanning decades. Vinayak's greed keeps escalating till he unearths the biggest secret of all, something more valuable than the treasure itself! Community Partners: DFW Community Partners: TRAILER AUSTIN SCREENING Wednesday, December 5th 2018 | 6:00 PM AFS Cinema, 6406 N IH-35 Suite 3100, Austin, Texas 78752 ****Pre-screening Member Mixer in the lobby 6-7pm**** ****Post screening Q&A 9-9:20pm**** DFW AREA SCREENING Thursday, December 5th 2018 | 7:15 PM Angelika Film Center - Plano, 7205 Bishop Rd., Plano, Texas 75024 ***Post-screening Skype Q&A*** ****Post-screening Member Mixer in the lobby**** DFW Mixer Sponsor: Tickets DIRECTOR'S BIO Director/Writer ——— RAHI ANIL BARVE Anil won the Best Film Award at the Mumbai International Film Festival in 2008 with his first short film Manjha, later chosen by acclaimed director Danny Boyle as a special feature for the BluRay release of his Academy Award winning film Slumdog Millionaire.Tumbbad is his debut feature film. Co-Director ——— ADESH PRASAD After editing Ship of Theseus (2012), Adesh joined the team of Tumbbad as a co-producer, co-writer and co-director. He is currently writing his next feature, Baatuni (Chatterbox). He runs Sohum Shah Films along with Producer-Actor Sohum Shah, and serves as a producer and creative head of the company. FILM CREDITS PRODUCERS PRODUCER/LEADING ACTOR SOHUM SHAH PRODUCER/LEADING ACTOR AANAND L. RAI PRODUCER/LEADING ACTOR AMITA SHAH CREW CINEMATOGRPAHER PANKAJ KUMAR EDITOR/CREATIVE PRODUCER SANYUKTA KAZA VFX/CO-PRODUCER SEAN WHEELAN, FILMGATE FILMS CO-PRODUCER FILM I VAST CO-PRODUCER/CO-WRITER MITESH SHAH MUSIC COMPOSER JESPER KYD STILLS 1/1

Yangon, 1998. The film takes place in one evening at the government housing apartment by the railroad where a boy and his mother waiting for the return of the father, a civil servant, to move out another town at Upper Burma. At the last evening the boy tries to understand the complexities of adult r Meal India | 11 MIN. |Bengali Virtual IMFF 2020 Screening Details: Saturday, May 9 2020 | Screening : 7.00pm - 8.15pm Amidst communal tension outside, a dysfunctional family sits together for their customary morning meal. SYNOPSIS Set in the backdrop of ongoing communal tension instigated by rival political factions, MEAL is an 11- minute DIALOGUE-LESS story about one particular household. The atmosphere in the house is clearly that of unease. A woman in the kitchen carrying a bruise underneath an eye stares into the distance until a pressure cooker whistle breaks her dead gaze. A man in another room restlessly stuffs arbitrary things into a suitcase, seemingly preparing to leave the house in a state of fury. A child in school uniform picks up broken remnants from a wall clock. Today happens to be the first day of Madhyamik (the board exams) and he is already late. Also present in the house is an ailing grandfather restricted to a wheelchair who bears witness to it all. The house is in a state of disarray, reflecting the chaos and lovelessness of outside – where everyone is a victim and everyone a perpetrator in equal measure. Amidst all this, the family sits down for one last meal together. DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT Abhiroop Basu ‘Meal' was a very personal experience, something that I have seen very closely growing up. Not exactly what happens in the film eventually, but the chaos inside that apartment and also outside is something very familiar to me. If you see all around us today, people have become very non-chalant and unemotional. The news of a rape doesn't alarm us anymore. We simply turn the page. People are murdered because of their choice of meat. We again, simply turn the page. That tells a lot about where we are headed- a state of lovelessness. And that's what Meal is about. It's not a story of a specific household but it's a story of all of us living in the present time where even faith cannot bring relief anymore and that is why there is a direct attack on the "belief-system" (a recurring theme used throughout the film) at the end of the film. Meal is a result of a seeping frustration in all of us, threatening to unleash. All the characters in the film are neither victims nor perpetrators. They are just end products of a degrading socio- political system where there is no escape nor any respite. STILLS SLIDE DECK 1/6

Starring Kalyanee Mulay, Chhaya Kadam and Naseeruddin Shah, the movie is centered around a mother who poses as a nude model for students of an art college, in order to fund her son's education. Nude 2018 ‧ Drama ‧ 1h 52m / Marathi with English subtitles GET TICKETS Austin - Sunday, July 1st 2018 4:30-6:30pm GET TICKETS SYNOPSIS After her husband abandons her and their 12 year old son for another woman; Yamuna is left with no choice but to move to Mumbai for survival. The job she finds is to be a nude model at an art school. She will do everything to fulfill her dream to help her son lead a successful life in future. But fearing society, she keeps her profession a secret. Nude is a powerful story of a woman who begins posing for art students to earn a living. What are the experiences of these models? Do their families accept them when they find out? What is the relationship of these models with the art students? And lastly, do they ever get used to it? These are some of the questions Ravi Jadhav has answered with Nude; a movie that has won critical acclaims and is now winning hearts. CO-PRESENTED WITH TRAILER Tickets AUSTIN SCREENING Sunday, July 1st 2018 4:30 - 6:30 PM Southwest Theaters, Lake Creek 7 GET TICKETS Release Date: April 2018 Language: Marathi Director: Ravi Jadhav Genre: Drama Cast & Crew: Chhaya Kadam, Kalyanee Mulay, Madan Deodhar, Om Bhutkar, Naseeruddin Shah, Ravi Jadhav, Meghna Jadhav, Sayali Khare STILLS nude-4 nude-2 nude-3 nude-1

A young man gets a job scaring hordes of monkeys away from New Delhi’s government buildings in Prateek Vats’ notable first feature. (src: Hollywood Reporter) Eeb Allay Ooo! India | Fiction | Drama, Comedy |2019 |98 min| Hindi; English subtitles Virtual IMFF 2020 Screening: Sunday, May 10 2020 | Screening : 6.45pm - 9.15pm Texas Premiere Zoom Q&A with filmmaker Prateek Vats A young man gets a job scaring hordes of monkeys away from New Delhi’s government buildings in Prateek Vats’ notable first feature. (Hollywood Reporter) SYNOPSIS Anjani a young migrant battles hordes of monkeys as a contractual monkey repeller, a newly created government job to tackle the monkey menace in the heart of Delhi. His job profile entails mimicking aggressive langurs. The original and extremely effective employees for the task were recently let off on account of animal rights. The sacred pests shred Anjani's dignity and courage in quick succession and make such a mockery of his professional ineptitude that an early dis charge seems imminent. But when admonished by his pregnant sister, Anjani grits his teeth and decides to counter the monkey business with monkey business of his own. DIRECTOR’S NOTE The biggest democracy in the world is employing exploitative contractual labor to secure the highest offices of her democracy from the nuisance created by a holy animal. The inherent absurdity of this situation is what drew me into this film. For me it sums up the prevalent situation in my country - a nation state propped up on the dehumanized, quite literally in this case the labor of its citizens. Eeb Allay Ooo! is a response to the immediate world around us - a world which is hard to make sense of - a world where being a monkey is far more liberating than being human. While outwardly a satire, I hope my film is true to these internal complexities. The narrative of the film is shaped by extensive use of non fiction elements. incorporating non-professional actors alongside trained actors. Verite footage is mixed with crafted mis-en-scene to weave a revealing account seeped in reality, which is as stark as it is absurd. With Special Thanks to our Community Partner: DIRECTOR'S PROFILE Prateek Vats Prateek is an independent filmmaker based in Mumbai. A graduate of the film direction course from Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) he has directed both fiction as well as non-fiction films which have been showcased at various film festivals and non-formal spaces. His debut feature documentary A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, was awarded the Special Jury Award at the 65th National Film Awards. Eeb Allay Ooo! is his debut fiction feature length film. STILLS SLIDE DECK 1/4 CREDITS Cast ANJANI Shardul Bhardwaj MAHINDER Mahinder Nath SHASHI Nutan Sinha SHASHI (BROTHER IN LAW) KUMUDH Naina Sareen NARAYAN Nitin Goel MIDDLEMAN Krishnan suREAucAr Sanjeev Johri MANAGER Kapil Madan Crew Director Prateek Vats Script Shubham Cinematographer Saumyananda Sahi Editor Tanushree Das Sound Recording & Design Bigyna Bhushan Dahal Line Producer Neel Manikant Excecutive Producer Shwetaabh Singh First AD Abhishek Bhardwaj Costume & DIT Niharika Agarwal Produced by Shwetabh Singh Prateek Vats

Adapted from Assamese folk tales, Kothanodi is a film about four shades of motherhood. Top of Page Tickets Top of Page Tickets Kothanodi India/ 118 min /Assamese with English subtitles Four folk tales from Assam re-imagined as a narrative about four mothers, each facing demons of her own. SYNOPSIS NATIONAL AWARD for the best ASSAMESE FILM in India. Once upon a time, Senehi (Zerifa Wahid), a woman who loathes her stepdaughter Tejimola (Kasvi Sharma), plots her murder when her husband is called away on a distant trip on business. Her husband – Devinath (Adil Hussain) - encounters a woman called Keteki (Urmila Mahanta) who has given birth to an outenga (elephant apple), which rolls around after her. Devinath resolves to unearth the mystery of the outenga. Meanwhile, in another village - a rich woman named Dhoneshwari (Seema Biswas) is getting her daughter Bonlotika (Monisha Bhuyan) married to a python - a wedding that has dire consequences for the girl. As these three stories unfold, another mother - Malati (Asha Bordoloi) - resolves to save her newest born from the clutches of her husband Poonai (Kopil Bora) and his uncle, who have sacrificed all three of her previous babies. In doing so, she unearths a shocking truth. Co-presented by: Interested in screening this in your hometown? Write to us TICKETS NOT AVAILABLE Tickets TRAILER "ONE OF THE MOST INTRIGUING, BEGUILING AND DISTURBING FEMINIST STATEMENTS THAT ONE HAS SEEN ON INDIAN SCREEN IN RECENT TIMES." "HAUNTING SUPERNATURAL FOLK TALES THAT MAKE THE SKIN CRAWL." "ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING RE-TELLINGS OF POPULAR FOLK TALES ON INDIAN CELLULOID." “A MUST WATCH FOR ANYONE THAT WANTS TO OPEN UP A NEW CONVERSATION ON INDIAN CINEMA AND MAGIC REALITY.” “CRAWLS UNDER THE SKIN, WEDGES ITSELF THERE AND REFUSES TO LEAVE LONG AFTER THE FEATURE HAS FINISHED” “A STRANGE AND MACABRE VOYAGE INTO THE FEARS AND DESIRES OF FOUR INDIAN WOMEN WHO ARE EACH BEARING A HEAVY BURDEN.” "WEAVES ELEMENTS OF FOUR ASSAMESE FOLK TALES INTO A WEIRD, UNSET- TLING TAPESTRY" “CHILLING - THAT’S A ONE WORD DESCRIPTION OF THIS BEAUTIFUL FILM.” “THE MAGIC REALISM, THE SURREAL LANDSCAPE, AND THE TAUT SCREENPLAY MAKE IT A CAPTIVATING VISUAL TREAT.” DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT Kothanodi adapts its story from events and characters in four stories in the Assamese folktales compendium Buri Ai’r Xadhu (Grandma’s Tales). Compiled by Assam’s foremost literary luminary Laxminath Bezbarua in 1911, these folktales are well known and much loved by generations of Assamese children. While the stories in Grandma’s Tales have traditionally been presented as tales for children, Kothanoditries to push them towards darker, unor- thodox directions: here the magic is real, illusions starker, emotions rawer, and horror more visceral. Why make a film based on obscure folklore from a little-known place tucked away in the northeastern corner of India? The world is getting smaller, and with it, more homogenized. Contemporary stories are increasingly irrelevant to their settings. An urban love story set in Bombay is likely to have the same themes as one set in Guwa- hati. This is, perhaps, the perfect time for cinema audiences to enjoy the rich diversity of culture and folklore in the world. In Kothanodi , audiences will be introduced to stories that have universal themes (fear, loathing, envy, love), but are expressed in local style, influenced by storytelling traditions of the numerous communities inhabiting Assam for centuries. Kothanodi can also be looked upon as another example of the dark undertones that lie under the surface of almost every bedtime story in the world, as part of the global trend of alternative adaptations of classic folktales. PRINCIPAL CAST SEEMA BISWAS as Dhoneshwari Seema, a multiple award-winning actress, has worked on several Hindi, Malayalam, and Marathi films in a career spanning 25 years, including Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen (for which she received a National Award in India), Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Khamoshi, and Deepa Mehta’s Water and Midnight's Children. ADIL HUSSAIN as Devinath Starting out from his native Goalpara, Adil earned his chops as an actor in the popular travel- ling satirical troupe – Bhaya Mama. He has since had a successful career on stage and screen, going on to work on major international projects such as Ang Lee’s Life of Pi and Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Bollywood hits like Inglish Vinglish. ZERIFA WAHID as SenehiZerifa is a popular actor in Assam, and starred in the Jahnu Barua film Bandhon (2012), among others. She also runs a theatre company that has produced adaptations of works by Girish Karnad, Arun Sarma, and Peter Shaffer. In between films and theatre, she also practises law at the Guwahati High Court. URMILA MAHANTA as Keteki Urmila formally studied acting at the FTII, Pune, and has since gone on to work on many feature in Bombay, Chennai, and Assam. Her filmography includes the National Award- winning Tamil film Case No. 18/9, and Ketan Mehta’s Manjhi – The Mountain Man. KOPIL BORA as Poonai Kopil is a popular Assamese actor who has performed on stage, film, television, and radio for over 12 years. His 2014 film, Jahnu Barua's Ajeyo (Invincible), was screened at the 15th Mumbai International Film Festival, among others. ASHA BORDOLOI as Malati Born and brought up in Nagaon, Asha is a popular actress in Assamese television, film, and theatre. Kothanodi is her fourth Assamese film. Asha is at present working in primetime television and in mobile theatre – Assam’s unique travelling theatre circuit. MONISHA BHUYAN as Bonlotika Monisha is an actor, dancer and teacher from Majuli, Assam. She has an MA degree in Sattriya ¬– Assam’s classical dance form – from the University of Dibrugarh. She teaches dance at the Vivekananda School in Nalbari. Kothanodi is her debut film. KASVI SHARMA as Tejimola Kasvi is a student of Guwahati’s Maharshi Vidya Mandir, and aspires to be a doctor. She is also training as a Kathak dancer and theatre actor. Kothanodi is her debut film. PRINCIPAL CREW BHASKAR HAZARIKA Writer and Director Bhaskar is a New Delhi-based writer and filmmaker. After completing his MA in Film & Drama from the University of Reading, he has worked extensively in Indian films, television, and documentaries. Kothanodi is his maiden film as director. ARUPA PATANGIA-KALITA Dialogues Arupa is one of Assam’s most accomplished novelists, and is a Sahitya Akademi Award winner. Her short stories and novels have been translated into several languages, and she is widely recognized as a beacon of feminist literature from northeastern India. Kothanodi is her first time writing for the screen. VIJAY KUTTY Director of Photography Vijay is a photographer and filmmaker from New Delhi. Starting out as a television journalist, he has worked on over 50 documentary projects around the world. Kothanodi is his first foray in filming for fiction. SURESH PAI Editor A national award-winning editor and FTII alumnus, Suresh has edited several acclaimed feature films such as Madhur Bhandarkar’s Page 3, Rajat Kapur’s Ankhon Dekhi, and Sagar Bellary’s Bheja Fry. AMARNATH HAZARIKA MusicAmarnath is a composer and guitarist who has studied at the Berklee College of Music, USA. His compositional style is influenced by elements of Jazz, as well as Latin and African folk music. Kothanodi is his first feature film as Music Director. GULOK SAHA Art Director Gulok is a veteran art director and an amateur magician. He has earlier worked with some of Assam’s best-known film directors, including Jahnu Barua in Ajeyo(Invincible). He also creates sets for mobile theatre productions. JATIN SARMA Sound Design Jatin is a veteran sound designer who has worked on over 100 feature films, ranging from Assamese films to big Hollywood projects such as A Passage to India and The Jungle Book. His sound studio in Guwahati is an institution in itself, with virtually every Assamese film going through it. RANI DUTTA BARUAH Costume Design Rani Dutta Baruah is a prolific costume designer based in Guwahati. She has created costumes for several films and theatre productions in Assam.