The full schedule for the in-person Indie Meme Film Festival, hosted at Austin Film Society from April 14-17th, 2022. IN-PERSON SCHEDULE Schedule for the IN-Person 7th Annual Indie Meme Film Festival, April 14th -17th, 2022 at Austin Film Society Cinema, 6259 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin, TX 78752 THURSDAY April 14th, 2022 IM Member Mixer + Badge Pickup Venue : Vivo Tex-Me x 6406 N Interstate Hwy 35 Ste 2343, Austin, TX 78752 *Note: Vivo is next to AFS Cinema in THE LINC Indie Meme Members and badgeholders, join us for a mixer as we kick-off IMFF2022! Collect your badges and meet other meme-ers. 5:30 - 6:30PM CST Shorts Program 1 It's The End of the World, And I Feel Fine From sisters surviving a post-apocalyptic Bangladesh to a middle schooler altering reality with her magic eyelashes, these bold, visionary shorts follow characters to the ends of their regular world and beyond, into the new ones their shaping. Read more... FEATURING: An Early Spring (dir. Pramati Anand I 38 mins) A village girl befriends a solo female backpacker. Moshari (dir. Nuhash Humayan I 22 mins) In future Bangladesh, sisters face a vampiric threat. A Coup ( dir. Areeba Naveed I 7 mins) A girl comes out to her biased psychiatris t. Dal Bhat ( dir. Nemil Shah I 29 mins) A boy learns a secret about his identity. Baahar (Outside) ( dir. Prakshi Malik I 13 mins) A school admission causes family conflict. Local Middle Schooler ( dir. Sanjna Bharadwaj I 11 mins ) A middle schooler's magic eyelashes are coveted by her friends and the US government . 7:00 PM CST - 9:00 PM TICKETS FRIDAY April 15th, 2022 Red Carpet Event Venue: AFS 6259 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin, TX 78752 5 - 6PM CST The AFS lobby will host media and attending filmmakers, cast and crew for an exciting fun event on the red carpet. Texas Premiere 6:15PM - 8:45PM CST Last Film Show India I 2021 I 110 mins I Gujarati I dir. Pan Nalin A 9-year-old boy in a remote village begins a lifelong love affair with cinema when he bribes his way into a rundown movie palace and spends the summer watching & learning from the projection booth. Read more... Winner of the Tribeca Film Festival Audience Award (2nd Place) *Filmmaker Pan Nalin in attendance TICKETS Opening Night Party Venue: Symphony Square, Waterloo Greenway 1111 Red River St, Austin, TX 78701 9:15PM - 11PM CST Dinner and cash bar. Let's celebrate IMFF2022's Opening Night as a community! Get your tickets for only $25. TICKETS SATURDAY April 16th, 2022 10:30AM - 12:45PM CST Barah x Barah (12 x 12) India I 2021 I 118 mins I Hindi I dir. Gaurav Madan Following a photographer of the dead in Varanasi, Barah x Barah is poignant look at the life in one of the oldest Indian cities as it undergoes seemingly imperceptible but steady changes. Read more... *Filmmaker Gaurav Madan & Producer Sunny Lahiri in Attendance Austin Premiere TICKETS 1:30PM - 4:00PM CST Rehana Bangladesh I 2021 I Bengali, Bangla I 107 mins I dir. Abdullah Mohammad Saad U.S Premiere TICKETS In this powerfully-acted thriller, an assistant professor at a medical college finds her life thrown into chaos when she witnesses an unexpected incident involving a professor and a female student. Read more... +Short Film , Bambirak (Germany, US I German, Dari I 14 mins I dir. Zamarin Wahdat) When 8-year-old Kati stows away in her father's delivery van, Faruk must juggle his responsibilities as a dad while holding down his first job in a new country *Lead Actor Azmeri Haque Badhon in attendance Bangladesh's Official Oscar Submission 'Grand Jury Prize' + 'Best Actress' at the Asian Pacific Screen Awards 4:45PM - 6:40PM CST Midwives Myanmar I 2021 I 91 mins I Burmese I dir. 'Snow' Hnin Ei Hlaing Southwest Premiere TICKETS Hla is the Buddhist owner of a makeshift medical clinic in Myanmar, while Nyo Nyo, her young apprentice, belongs to the persecuted Rohingya Muslim community. Amidst the civil unrest, the two women support and challenge one another as they work to provide steady healthcare. Read more... Sundance Film Festival '22 - Special Jury Award for Excellent in Verite Filmmaking 7:30PM - 10:00PM CST India I 2021 I 95 mins I Hindi I dir. Rajat Kapoor RK/RKAY A frustrated filmmaker can't get his latest feature to click. Things take a turn for the worse when the lead character runs out of the edit and into real life. Read more... + Short Film, The Miniaturist of Junagadh The ravages of Partition compel an artist to sell his ancestral home, but when the buyer learns of his valuable miniature collection he aims to take that as well, leading to a surprising revelation. *Filmmaker Rajat Kapoor in attendance Austin Premiere TICKETS SUNDAY, APRIL 17th, 2022 10AM - 12PM CST A Night of Knowing Nothing India I 2021 I 96 mins I Hindi, Bengali I dir. Payal Kapadia Texas Premiere TICKETS In this docu-drama hybrid, the love letters of a young film student, L, to her estranged lover are juxtaposed with the drastic changes to campus life and the political landscape in India, which result in student protests and uprising. Read more... O'eil D'or Award for 'Best Documentary' - Cannes Film Festival Shorts Program 2 Locals and Long-Distance 12:30PM - 2:15PM CST A selection of locally made and international shorts that touch on the distances between people - in time, space, and circumstances - and how they are bridged. Read more... FEATURING: Mono No Aware (dir. Koushik Sarkar I 20 mins) On a field trip, a girl reflects on life's changes . The Blind Date (dir. Mihir Dhiraj Upadhyay I 17 mins) A blind couple go on a significant beach date. Hot Chocolate ( dir. Lila Mali I 3 mins) A son reflects on a family tradition after moving out. Testimony of Ana ( dir. Sachin Dheeraj I 24 mins) A woman recounts the abuse of a modern witch hunt. Turning Point ( dir. Rakhesh Raveendran I 15 mins) An immigrant father drinks too much and faces a frightening consequence. TICKETS 2:45 - 4:45 PM CST Finland I 2020 I 82 mins I Finnish, Farsi I dir. Hamy Ramezan Any Day Now Texas Premiere TICKETS An Iranian family in Finland await the decision on their asylum application. While deportation looms, the everyday stuff of life - days at the lake, neighborhood gossip, quiet apartment dance parties - goes on. Read more... + Short Film, CHAI (USA I English, Persian I 8 mins I dir. Arshum Rouhanian) With the grand opening of their chai stand, Iranian siblings, Sanam and Reza are faced withcompetition from their neighbors' hot chocolate stand. 5:15PM - 7:00PM CST Pebbles India I 2021 I 75 mins I Tamil I dir. P.S Vinothraj A young boy follows his alcoholic father on a quest to find his mother, who has run away from his domestic abuse. The two cross the arid landscape by foot and bus, unsure of what they will do when they arrive. Read more... International Film Festival Rotterdam - Tiger Prize for 'Best Film' India's Official Oscar Submission * Filmmaker P.S Vinothraj in attendance Texas Premiere TICKETS 7:30PM - 9:30PM CST Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom Bhutan I 2019 I 109 mins I Dzhongka I dir. Pawo Choyning Dorji Texas Premiere TICKETS Ugyen, a reluctant young teacher, just wants to finish his final year of service and move to Australia to pursue music. But when he's assigned to the world's most remote village school, he must reconsider his path and ties to his homeland. Oscar Nominee '22 - 'Best International Feature' Read more... + Short Film GRASSHOPPERS SLEEP HERE (India I 2021 I Malayalam I 8 mins I dir. Balaram J) When a man comes to cut down the grass in a field, he finds a girl is sleeping there - determined to protect the insects who call it home. Closing Night & Awards Party Venue: Vivo 6406 N Interstate Hwy 35 Ste 2343, Austin, TX 78752 *Note: Vivo is next to AFS Cinema in THE LINC 9:45PM Join us in closing out the festival weekend with a celebration of our filmmakers and community. Keep In Touch Sign up for newsletter

The 10th Annual Indie Meme Film Festival comes to Austin in-person from April 9-13, 2025 and is held at the Austin Film Society Cinema Festival Schedule The 10th Indie Meme Film Festival comes to Austin in-person from April 9 - 13, 2025 and is held at the Austin Film Society Cinema. Join us for our closing party as the Jury announces the winners and gives the awards as well as the audience choice winners announced. See if your favorites win!! The virtual fest ival , streaming May 2 - 4 , 2025 will bring second screenings of many of our in-person favorites, as well as fresh virtual-exclusive feature and short programs. Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Wednesday April 9 AFS Lobby Member Mixer 5:15 PM - 6:15 PM Start out the film festival right with a member mixer! Celebrate the tenth year of Austin's premier South Asian film festival with us with light bites and happy hour specials! Members only ! AFS Cinema Manthan (The Churning) 6:30 PM undefined | Hindi | 134 mins "Manthan" is a compelling film about an idealistic veterinarian who sparks a milk cooperative movement in a village, challenging deep-rooted caste hierarchies and exploitation, facing fierce resistance, false accusations, and political strife, but ultimately igniting change and hope for a better future. Admission notes (i.e., free for members, badge holders only) Virtual Q&A with actor Naseeruddin Shah Thursday April 10 Food Vendor AFS Cinema 5:00 - 6:30 PM - 5:00 - 6:30 PM Soundra Chai AFS Cinema 6:30 PM Texas Shorts Program USA | Telugu, Marathi, English | 103 mins Six independent short films: Fragments of Us , Nirmalya , Lost. , Smoke Cheyaku Bro (Don't Smoke Bro), Cowboys and Hindus , and Lost in Concrete Woods . A carefully curated selection of thought-provoking shorts that explore (1) The fragile landscape of love and self-discovery, (2) The moral dilemmas faced by an immigrant family, (3) The struggle with loneliness as time slips away, (4) An unpredictable encounter, (5) A journey into the heart of Texas ranch life, and (6) An unfamiliar reality for a night. In-Person Q&A with Filmmakers Friday A pril 11 AFS Cinema 4:00 - 5:00 PM Food Vendors Soundra Chai & Kuchi Sabishi Mystery Downtown Location Opening Night Celebration 8:30 PM - 10:30 PM Attend our opening night red carpet with attending filmmakers, cast, and fellow members! Celebrate the tenth year of Austin's premier South Asian film festival with us with complimentary food & drinks! Platinum Badge holders only ! AFS Cinema 5:00 PM Kennedy undefined | Hindi | 144 mins Kennedy is an insomniac ex-cop, long though to be dead... still operating for the corrupt system, while looking for redemption. Live Q&A with writer-director Anurag Kashyap Saturday A pril 12 AFS Cinema 10:30 AM Shorts Program India | Tamil, Hindi, English | 105 mins Seven independent short films: Virundhu (The Feast) Aloo Poori , A Lazy Noon , Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know , Hema , Pyaar Andaaz (Love Undoes) , and Blue . A carefully curated selection of incredible shorts that feature (1) A fisherwoman’s bold act of defiance, (2) A farewell meal, (3) A confrontation to emotional abuse, (4) A fulfilled prophecy, (5) The complexities of immigrating, (6) A metaphysical enquiry into human existence, and (7) A trip out to sea. Recorded Q&A with Filmmakers AFS Cinema 12:45 PM The Glassworker undefined | English,Urdu | 98 mins The life of a young glassblower in training and his relationships over the years, as his land goes through war and strife. Preceded by the short films Da'Lit Kids and Ouroboros . Recorded Q&A with writer-director Usman Riaz AFS Cinema 1:00 - 6:00 PM Food Vendor Dhaba Cafe And, Towards Happy Alleys AFS Cinema 3:15 PM And, Towards Happy Alleys undefined | Persian,English | 75 mins Inspired by Iranian cinema and the poetry of Forough Farrokhzad, a young director from India journeys to Tehran to witness how resistance becomes a daily act of survival in Iranian society. Preceded by the short film The First Film . Admission notes (i.e., free for members, badge holders only) Live Q&A with director Sreemoyee Singh and lead actress Aida Mohammadkhani Pooja, Sir AFS Cinema 5:45 PM Pooja, Sir undefined | Nepali | 108 mins When two boys are kidnapped in a border town in Nepal, Detective Inspector Pooja is sent from Kathmandu to solve the case. Admission notes (i.e., free for members, badge holders only) Live Q&A with director Deepak Rauniyar and lead actress Asha Magrati BACK THEN - The Story of Live Music in Bombay AFS Cinema 8:30 PM BACK THEN - The Story of Live Music in Bombay undefined | English | 57 mins Metal, electronic, and rap are not associated with Mumbai because it’s hidden in Bollywood’s shadow, but found in every suburb. The misfits who conspire to pervert the course of pop culture are our protagonists in the nostalgia trip called Back Then. Preceded by a 10-minute music set by Specific Thing. Admission notes (i.e., free for members, badge holders only) Recorded Q&A with directors Anindita Dutta Roy and Abhishek Chandran Sunday A pril 13 Agent of Happiness AFS Cinema 10:30 AM VIEW ALL undefined | Dzongkha,Nepali,English | 94 mins Amber, a happiness agent, travels the Bhutanese Himalayas surveying people's happiness. On his remote mountain journey, he searches for fulfillment. Admission notes (i.e., free for members, badge holders only) Recorded Q&A with Director Arun Bhattarai AFS Cinema Little Jaffna AFS Cinema 12:45 PM VIEW ALL undefined | French,Tamil | 100 mins Michael is a young police officer assigned to infiltrate a Tamil separatist organization in order to bring down one of its top financiers, but as he delves into this community, he gradually begins to identify with those he is supposed to destroy. Admission notes (i.e., free for members, badge holders only) Recorded Q&A with writer-director Lawrence Valin AFS Cinema AFS Cinema 1:00 - 6:00 PM Guppys Food Vendor Puratawn (The Ancient) VIEW ALL AFS Cinema 3:00 PM undefined | Bengali | 100 mins The lives of three characters change when they unexpectedly have to confront and come to terms with their past. Recorded Q&A with writer-director Suman Ghosh Limited tickets available on site. Boong VIEW ALL AFS Cinema 5:30 PM undefined | Manipuri | 93 mins A schoolboy, Boong, navigates racial tensions and border challenges in Manipur, driven by resilience and determination to reunite his divided family. Preceded by the short film Chashma . Virtual Q&A with writer-director Lakshmipriya Devi Limited tickets available on site. Mystery Central Austin Location 8:15 PM - 10:00 PM Closing Night Party Help us close out the tenth Indie Meme Film Festival! Join us as the Jury announces the winners and gives the awards as well as the audience choice winners announced. See if your favorites win while enjoying complimentary food & drinks! Platinum Badge holders only! Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

This film follows the Gulabi Gang, an unusual group of rural women led by the energetic and charismatic Sampat Pal. Gulabi Gang 96 minutes / Languages - Hindi (with English Subtitles) India / Norway/ Denmark (Available for special select screenings in the US starting May 2014) SYNOPSIS Enter the badlands of Bundelkhand in central India and you have entered a place of desolation, dust and despair. This film follows the Gulabi Gang, an unusual group of rural women led by the energetic and charismatic Sampat Pal. They travel long distances to fight for the rights of women and Dalits. Often they encounter resistance, apathy and corruption, even ridicule. Sometimes whole villages connive against them to protect the perpetrators of violence. While we see Gulabi Gang members struggling against gender violence and state corruption, we also see the flip side – members getting sucked by the trappings of their new found power. Breaking away from the deep-rooted patriarchal structure is a challenge even for the most fearless amongst them. The film pulls us into the center of these blazing conflicts and uncovers a complex story about the nature of power itself. More about Nishtha Jain: http://raintreefilms.net/bio.html Interested in screening this in your hometown? Write to us Tickets TICKETS NOT AVAILABLE TRAILER

Meet our 2020 sponsors, patrons and supporters. We are grateful to these organizations to help bring independent films from Southeast Asia to our audience. Our Sponsors Become a Sponsor 2020 IMFF Sponsors IMFF 2020 is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin, Economic Development Department Virtual IMFF 2020 Directing Sponsors Virtual IMFF 2020 Producing Sponsors Indie Meme Scripting Sponsors Indie Meme Patrons Indie Meme Benefactors Indie Meme Supporters We are grateful to our 2015 , 2016, 2017 , 2018 and 2019 sponsors. Media Partners

Two insignificant lives lost and found in time. Tokri 14:14 Min| With English Subtitles 4/28/2019 | 10:30 am This short film will be screened prior to NAMDEV BHAU ATTEND SYNOPSIS After accidentally breaking her father’s cherished watch, a young girl sells homemade baskets to pay for the repair. This stop-motion animation captures the lives of two seemingly insignificant people, changed by one fateful encounter. DIRECTOR’S BIO Born in November 1973, Suresh Eriyat is a 1997 graduate from the National Institute of Design. Suresh set up Famous House of Animation in 1999. He created numerous animated ads, shorts, music video with many firsts that brought not only national and international recognitions but also changed the way people perceived animation in India. In 2009 he founded Studio Eeksaurus with his wife Nilima as his partner, that won the first ever Annecy Cristal for the country in 2015, and the President's national award in 2016 and recently in 2018 for best animated film Tokri (The Basket). Specialising in Animation Film Design, Suresh came to Mumbai looking for opportunities in making animation films. Prospects of creating animated stories in India back in 1998 was very nascent as animation was more known for the back end services that Indian companies offered foreign studios. Slowly the dream of creating original animation films was getting closer for him and his partner and there he continues to elevate the recognition of quality Indian animation content across the world. Eeksaurus also is a very well known advertising film production company that is among the top ones of our country. Having sat in several prestigious jury panels of the likes of Clio, Apollo, LIA, Promax, D&AD, Krok 2017 etc for many years and educating students and aspiring filmmakers across the globe with his masterclasses at NID, Krok, IDC, MIFF 2018 to name a few, he has won more than 150 national and international awards, with a portfolio of more than 400 films. He is also a trained Carnatic musician, an artist par excellence with a deep interest in philosophy, anthropology and culture. STILLS

Explore the jury and audience award winners from the 2026 Indie Meme Film Festival. IMFF 2026 AWARDS Jury Awards Best Narrative Feature Jurors: Lindsey Ashley Yen Tan Bijan Tehrani Shape of Momo dir. Tribeny Rai For its daring cinematic language and profound emotional resonance, Director Tribeny Rai crafts a work that transcends conventional storytelling, merging striking visual composition with a deeply introspective narrative that lingers long after the screen fades to black.The film’s innovative structure and poetic sensibility challenges the boundaries of form while remaining intimately human at its core. Through precise direction and evocative performances, the film captures the fragile interplay between memory, identity, and perception with rare clarity. For its originality, artistic courage, and ability to transform personal reflection into a universally affecting experience, the Narrative Feature Jury proudly recognizes SHAPE OF MOMO, directed by Tribeny Rai. Narrative Feature Special Mention for Acting Jurors: Lindsey Ashley Yen Tan Bijan Tehrani Victoria Actress Meenakshi Jayan For a performance full of naturalism, vulnerability, and quiet strength. Meenakshi Jayan anchors VICTORIA with a deeply felt portrayal of an ordinary woman navigating the daily pressures of a patriarchal world. She gives the film its beating heart, and for that the Narrative Feature Jury would like to present a Special Mention award for Acting to Meenakshi Jayan in VICTORIA. Best Documentary Jurors: Sachin Dheeraj Stephen Jannise Give It A Shot dir. Vaishali Sinha A captivating, illuminating, emotional, and often infuriating film. Through their impressively thorough investigative research and reporting, the filmmakers uncover many layers (gender disparities, abuses of power, and the prioritization of greed over wellness) and interrogate the personal emotions and assumptions surrounding this long-overdue advancement. The kind of film that can turn unknowing viewers into engaged activists, and showcase the power and potential of documentary to inspire change. Documentary Special Mention Jurors: Sachin Dheeraj Stephen Jannise Letters From Wolf Street dir. Arjun Talwar By pouring himself into this film as both observer and participant, Arjun Talwar reveals his unassuming street in Warsaw to be a perfect microcosm of our world. As an immigrant to Poland, he encounters the ugly "fear of the other" that brings so much darkness into our world, but he also uncovers moments of welcoming kindness that offer hope. You will think about the inhabitants of Wolf Street long after you've seen the film. May every street be so lucky as to have a "chronicler" like Arjun. Best Short Jurors: Jim Kolmar Asha Magarati Mindy Raymond Family Man dir. Kalani Gacon The jury was impressed with this elegant film’s fearless approach to pace, tone and mood, trusting the audience with a minimalist sensibility that compels and surprises throughout. A stunning visual and sonic palette brings this spectral meditation on memory, loss and the endless search for belonging to vibrant life. Short Special Mention Jurors: Jim Kolmar Asha Magarati Mindy Raymond Jasmine That Blooms in Autumn dir. Chandradeep Das A quiet, memorable slice of life, working with characters and an age group that cinema rarely follows. Set in a region where this kind of love is hard even to name, the film lets its two women speak through the recordings they exchange in secret — an intimacy built out of what cannot be said in public. Sensitively performed and carefully made. It moved us, and it stayed with us. Audience Choice Awards Best Narrative Feature Shape of Momo dir. Tribeny Rai Best Documentary The Cycle of Love dir. Orlando Von Einsiedel Best Short AASMANI dir. Sayani Gupta Best Short Runner Up Blessings (Maaybaapache Aashirwaad) dir. Apurva Bardapurkar Best Short Runner Up Deva Aaj Pan Vhay dir. Amol Jadhav JURY ALL FILMS SCHEDULE

Stripped from nobility and forcibly married to an outcast by the monarchy, a noble woman fights to keep her dignity by rejecting to succumb to her destiny. Sun. August 20th 3pm - 6pm AFS Cinema, Middle Fiskville Rd. Screening begins 3.00 pm, Panel Discussion follows Texas Premiere Children of the Sun (Gaadi) Sri Lanka | Drama | 2019 |102 min| Sinhalese; English subtitles Members $10 | Non-members $12 GET TICKETS Set in 1814 in the Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka, a noble woman fights to keep her dignity by rejecting to succumb to her destiny after she is stripped of nobility and forcibly married to an outcast by the monarchy. Beautifully shot, the film explores historical Sri Lanka, and centers a couple's journey towards love and self-respect. SYNOPSIS In 1814, the Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka, the native Sinhala Buddhist nobility who do not approve the rule of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe (of South Indian Tamil dissent) rebel against him with the aid of the British military, who have already occupied the coastal areas of the Western part of the island. When the rebellion fails, the conspiring noblemen go into exile in British occupied areas. Their wives are then given 2 options : to commit suicide or be married off to the Rodiya, an outcast group. Only one of the noble-wives, Tikri, chooses not to jump and is taken to the Rodiya settlement. Once there, she is banished along with her new husband, Vijaya, for refusing to engage in any of the rituals. The rest of this breathtaking films follows Tikri and Vijaya as they try to carve out a respectable livelihood for themselves even amidst the changing landscape of Sri Lanka during the British occupation. DIRECTOR'S NOTE This film relates to me in both political and personal levels. In this historical epic journey, two people from two different social strata are brought together against their will and struggle to co-exist refusing to lose their identity. When pushed to the limits of survival, in order to survive, they finally come to realize that the life doesn't exist on identity itself. I thought of using this theme as an allegory to question this illusion, in a world where humans constantly wage wars in the name of national or religious identity. For me, sharing this story with Sri Lankans is important, because our nation went through three decades of a brutal civil war waged in name of racial and religious identities. Since the struggle to uphold identities has not stopped in post war Sri Lanka, I believe it is important to raise the question, "Is identity more important than the sanctity of life?" On a personal level, this story is about a man trying to win over a woman by taming her. But during the journey, they are challenged by the circumstance beyond their control and forced to come to accept that the most important things in life are love and self-respect. I believe the same struggle for superiority still exists in a relationship of a man and woman even at present in post-modern society. I think it is worthwhile to make a film to counter that. TRAILER DIRECTOR'S PROFILE Prasanna Vithanage Prasanna Vithanage became involved in theater on leaving school. He translated and directed Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man in 1986, and Dario Fo's Trumpets and Raspberries in 1991. In 1992, he directed his first film Sisila Gini Gani (Ice of Fire). It won nine OCIC (Sri Lanka) Awards including Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. Four years later in 1996 was his second feature Anantha Rathriya (Dark Night of the Soul), which he wrote and directed. It was based on Leo Tolstoy's last novel Resurrection. It participated in several international film festivals and won a Jury's Special Mention in the First Pusan International Film Festival. The film also won all the main awards at the 1996 Sri Lanka Film Critics Forum Awards (affiliated with FIPRESCI) including awards for Most Outstanding Film, Best Director and Best Screenwriter. Pawuru Walalu (Walls Within), his third feature in 1997 won the Best Actress Award for Nita Fernando in her role as Violet, at the 1998 Singapore International Film Festival. It even won ten out of eleven awards including Best Picture and Best Director at the Sri Lanka Film Critics Forum Awards. STILLS SLIDE DECK 1/2 CREDITS JAR Pictures / Alan McAlex & Ajay Rai Alan McAlex and Ajay G. Rai came together to form Jar Pictures. They are two dynamic film production professionals with a wide body of experience ranging from independent cinema, to non-mainstream art house films to commercially successful Bollywood hits between them. They have created a versatile production company steadily gaining a stronghold in the Indian film industry, producing critical gems like Geethu Mohandas' LIAR'S DICE (2014), which was India's submission to the 2014 Academy Awards and screened at Sundance. KILLA (2014), winner of the Crystal Bear for Best Film in Generation Kplus at the Berlinale 2014 and NIL BATTEY SANNATA (2015), internationally released as THE NEW CLASSMATE, which won several acclaims in India and abroad. The company's most recent film ONCE AGAIN (2018) by Kanwal Sethi was a co-production between Germany, Austria, and India. Film Island Film Island is a premier Sri Lankan film production company with a global outlook. The expertise of the team includes internationally renowned multiple award winning directors and Sri Lanka's most sought after producer / line producer combination, together with best in class creative and strategic thinkers and managers. This highly experienced team has worked with distinguished film directors and film crews from around the world. With Sri Lanka's most sought after industry experts, Film Island offers turn-key end to end professional production solutions to those who consider Sri Lanka as their preferred filming destination. Cast Vijaya: Sajitha Anuththara Tikiri: Dinara Punchihewa Ehelepola Adigar: Ravindra Randeniya Bulathgama Disawe: Shyam Fernando Bulathgama Disawe's Mother: Iranganie Serasinghe Bulathgama Disawe's Sister: Damayanthi Fonseka John Doyly: Mohamed Adamaly Village Youth: Kalana Gunasekara Ukkuwa: Ananda Kumara Unnahe Ukkuwa's Mother: Nethali Nanayakkara Crew Writer / Director: Prasanna Vithanage Producers: Sandya Salgado Alan McAlex Ajay Rai H.D. Premasiri Prasanna Vithanage Line Producer: Iranthi Abeyasinghe Director of Photography: Rajeev Ravi Editor: A. Sreekar Prasad Music Composer: Art Director: Dhammika Hewaduwaththa Sound Designer: Tapas Nayak Costume Designers: Janaka Ullandupitiya Akuramboda Piyathissa Buddhi Sanjaya Edirisinghe Makeup: Samarasiri Kandanage Casting: Damayanthi Fonseka Assistant Directors: Ranjan Prasanna Trilan Shastri Technical Details

When Fawzia Mirza, an American actress meets Sabeen Mahmud, a worldrenowned Pakistani activist and founder of a progressive cafe (T2F) in Karachi, Mirza’s life changes forever. The Streets Are Ours Pakistan | Documentary | 16min 4/22/18, 4:00-6:15 pm GET TICKETS SYNOPSIS When Fawzia Mirza, an American actress meets Sabeen Mahmud, a world renowned Pakistani activist and founder of a progressive cafe (T2F) in Karachi, Mirza’s life changes forever. Produced by a team entirely made up of diverse women, the film tells the story of Mahmud and Mirza’s lives intersecting in a transformational way and how Mahmud’s message of peace, empathy and self-expression lives on in Mirza and others. DIRECTOR'S PROFILE FAWZIA MIRZA (Executive Producer/featured as self) is an actor, comedian, and writer, a Chicago 3Arts grant Recipient in Acting, named a “Top 10 Creative” Indiewire magazine, one of Chicago's “Rising Stars" of indie filmmaking by BEZ and was named a 2016 White House ‘Champion of Change’ in Asian American Art & Storytelling. Mirza believes in dispelling the myth of the “model minority” in mainstream media and in the power of comedy to tackle divisive topics and breakdown stereotypes. She was recently named the 2017 3Arts fellow at the Djerassi Residents Artists Program in Woodside, CA. She has performed on various Chicago stages including Silk Road Rising, About Face Theatre, The Goodman, Rasaka Theatre, 16th Street Theatre. Mirza’s own one-woman play, Me, My Mom & Sharmila, which explores her relationship with her mother through their shared love for Bollywood heroine, Sharmila Tagore, has been performed at universities, conferences and festivals across the country and toured internationally to Denmark and Pakistan and most recently at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre. The legendary Pakistani actor, Zia Mohyeddin said of Fawzia’s play, “Some actors hold an audience, a few possess it. Some actors light up a scene, a few ignite it...Mirza belongs to the latter category". Mirza’s short play Noor world premiered in The Inconvenience’s short play festival “Citizens” in November 2015. Her first published short story appears in the anthology Good Girls Marry Doctors, South Asian American Daughters on Obedience and Rebellion, available from Aunt Lute Books. Mirza has appeared in a number of indie films, web series and short films, including SugarHiccup and the Emmy-nominated Her Story. Her own award-winning short films and web series include Kam Kardashian, Brown Girl Problems, The Queen of My Dreams (nominated Golden Hugo Chicago International Film Festival), The First Session (NBC Universal Short Film Festival Finalist, American Pavilion at Cannes), Reclaiming Pakistan and Spunkle which is touring the festival circuit now. Her upcoming documentary short, The Streets Are Ours: Two Lives Cross in Karachi is about how her life as an artist was impacted by activist Sabeen Mahmud. Mirza’s first feature film, Signature Move, which she co-wrote, co-produced and stars in wrapped principal photography August 2016. The film was selected as part of the Tribeca Film Institute All Access Program and received the TFI/Labodigital/Los Cabos International Film Festival post-production grant. The film, coming out in 2017, also stars Chicago actors Sari Sanchez, Charin Alvarez, Audrey Francis, Mark Hood, Molly Brennan and the Indian film legend Shabana Azmi. STILLS Sabeen Smile Walking Away Fawzia Closeup Sabeen & Fawzia Fawzia Stage Shot

Get your tickets & badges and learn how to join us for IMFF 2021, a fully virtual South Asian Film Festival based in Texas. ATTEND IMFF 2021 FESTIVAL BASICS Buy Badge When? The heart of the festival takes place on the weekends of April 16-18th & 23-25th. Both weekends are packed with screenings, Q&A's, and special events. During the weekdays, the on-demand library will be stocked with selections from the past weekend, which badgeholders can enjoy on their own time. What? The annual Indie Meme Film Festival specializes in sharing lovingly curated, thought-provoking films from across South Asia. This year, the festival includes 10 feature films and 15 shorts, representing 7 countries and 16 languages. We delight in connecting filmmakers & audiences in conversation and offer post-film Q&A's & gatherings throughout the fest. Where? This year's festival takes place virtually , hosted with our secure streaming partner, Filmocracy. Our Virtual Festival Village features a Theater, a Q&A Lobby for conversations and meet and greets, and an On-Demand Library. Who? You! (we hope!) Indie Meme is open to audiences across the United States. Unfortunately, our screenings cannot be enjoyed outside the US. Due to distribution rights, all films are geo-blocked. TICKETS & BADGES Festival films can be accessed by purchasing either an All-Access Badge or an individual film ticket. All-Access Badges ($55) grant admission to all live screenings, the on-demand film library, filmmaker Q&A's, special events, and the awards ceremony. Individual tickets will go on sale in April. They are $7 for non-members/ the general public and $5 for Indie Meme Members. For Students & Members Badges are free or steeply discounted for Indie Meme Members, so be sure to join, save, and sustain South Asian cinema in Texas! Members enjoy year-round access to our virtual screening series as well as free or discounted tickets (depending on membership-level) to festival screenings, special events, and in-person screenings. Learn more about benefits here! Discounts also exist for students & educators, please email info@indiememe.org if you're a student or educator looking to purchase tickets. Get Your Festival Badge Buy Badge

Sriyani, an idealistic and overtaxed Sri Lankan-Canadian social worker, meets a strange caller at night alone. Back to Film Program Virtual Exclusive WATCH ONLINE: April 22-25th, 2022 Receiver Canada I 15 mins I Thriller I 2021 I English BUY & WATCH ONLINE Sriyani, an idealistic and overtaxed Sri Lankan-Canadian social worker, is a counsellor at a telephone help line. She has built her life around helping others, but often at the expense of herself and those closest to her. So who is going to defend Sriyani when she is hypnotized by a caller on the phone tonight? This film plays with the A MATTER OF SURVIVAL shorts program online. About the Artist Cavan Campbell was raised on Prince Edward Island, Canada by his Island father a painter and his Sri Lankan mother a writer. Introduced first to those arts independently, filmmaking proved the natural synthesis of these early loves. Cavan’s films have screened and been awarded on three continents. His previous film HANGNAIL was lauded by Academy Award®-winner Paul Haggis as “very powerful, wonderful filmmaking”. He has worked for nearly 20 years in film & TV production, a contributor to international feature films (It, xXx: Return of Xander Cage), series television (Star Trek: Discovery, Heroes Reborn), and commercials. Making his home in Toronto, he is a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Trailer

Sparks will fly! Powerless is a documentary film about the electrical supply in an Indian city. Top of Page Tickets Top of Page Tickets Katiabaaz 82 mins/2013/Hindi/English/Urdu/with English subtitles/INDIA SYNOPSIS Sparks will fly! : Powerless is a documentary film about the electrical supply in an Indian city, the story unfurling along the tangled wires and tracing out lines of conflict of a diabolical complexity, that unfolds in several towns and cities across the country. Loha, a 28-year-old electrician lives in Kanpur, a city of 3 million, which suffers from power cuts that last up to 15 hours. Renowned for his prowess in stealing electricity, he is a robin-hood figure who steals electricity and charges the rich to provide free connections in impoverished neighbourhoods. In the face of day-long power-cuts, he runs illegal connections from one neighborhood to another so that homes, factories and businesses can function normally. On the other hand, Ritu, the first female chief and new to the Kanpur Electricity Supply Company (KESCO), is working on a mission to eliminate powerlessness. Electricity-theft accounts for nearly 30 percent of all losses to KESCO, aggravating the crisis, and Ritu has constituted a new task force to tackle this miscreancy. KESCO organizes an annual cleanup of all illegal electricity connections. Officials together with police forces try and disconnect all the illegal connections that Loha and other electricians like him, set up. Ritu’s efforts to clean up the city and reach out to consumers to chalk a new path forward for Kanpur meets with success. However, with the Indian summer settling in the electricity problem takes on crisis proportions, with dire implications on the citizen’s lives and livelihoods. People take to the streets in demonstrations and sometimes resort to violence. A rising politician takes advantage of the people’s anger. A picture emerges of a modern dystopia encompassing urban decay and desperation in the lack of electricity. Underlying the localized crisis in Kanpur is the glaring energy poverty in India, where a third of the population is bereft of this basic need, and the rest grapple with power-cuts that dictate their own terms. Powerless puts a lens to an unexplored narrative of one of the world’s fastest developing economies. Directors’ Statement Sunday, April 12th at 3pm 14 Pews Art House 800 Aurora Street Houston, TX 77009 Follow event on Facebook Interested in screening this in your hometown? Write to us TICKETS NOT AVAILABLE Tickets TRAILER Fahad and Deepti in conversation with Tripti Bhatnagar DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT Fahad Mustafa (Director/Producer): Born in Kanpur, Fahad has since lived in Dammam, New Delhi, Vienna and Edmonton. He was an Erasmus Mundus Global Studies scholar. His previous film, as director, was FC Chechnya (Austria, 2010) “I was born in Chamanganj, Kanpur. My parents left the neighbourhood to seek a future elsewhere. I have therefore had the privilege of living, studying and working in other parts of the world. My memories of Kanpur are predominantly of long, uncomfortable, water-less summers, spent without electricity. As a child I remember relatives facing unemployment due to the closure of the nationalized mills in Kanpur. I remember how in the following years, the power situation worsened. Livelihoods were at stake, and there were always stories about relatives and friends of the family, losing their incomes and businesses. In many ways Loha Singh is a reflection of the city’s past. The only livelihood that he has available to him is stealing electricity, a highly dangerous, life threatening task. Yet he does it with a panache and grit that is very Kanpuria. Upon returning to Kanpur many years later I found that the situation remains largely unchanged. A city and its people look back with bitter nostalgia and a sense of loss towards its glorious past and uncertain future. This is a story not only about electricity, but a political reality that millions in India and billions worldwide live with” . DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT Deepti Kakkar (Director/Producer): Born in Delhi, Deepti has been engaged in issues of social development sustainable livelihood for the last 10 years. She has previously directed a film on microfinance in India, and worked on story-development and as production manager on FC Chechnya. Deepti lives in Ghaziabad, India. “In many ways the story that compelled Fahad to film in Kanpur, is a story of most small towns in the country. Having lived all my life in another industrial town – Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, I am no stranger to day-long power cuts and to how they govern peoples’ lives. Ritu’s reformist instinct and struggle to bring change to the city is pitted against Loha’s wit and ingenuity; the one a thief, the other a cop. ∂However, ultimately they’re both fighting for a common cause – to light up lives. In many ways Kanpur is at a frontline of globalization, and is a microcosm that showcases the infrastructure problems that India faces today. Kanpur is as much as a character in this film as it’s main protagonists.” Energy is taken for granted in developed nations, however many in India spend entire lifetimes without switching on an electric device. The energy crisis in India also finds resonance in global issues such as climate change and corporate social responsibility. While there are villages in India that have no electricity whatsoever, in Kanpur one can distinctly visualize how the lack of energy leads people to a cycle of poverty.

A newlywed girl patiently waits for a call from her husband, who has left to find work in India. As days pass, longingness turns to loneliness, then resignation to resolve. Back to Festival Program 1/3 Sat. April 15th @ 12:45PM AFS Cinemas Online April 28 - May 1 JUNKO Nepal I 15 mins I Short I Drama I 2021 I Nepali w/ English subtitles BUY TICKETS WATCH ONLINE 'Best Student Short Film' - Pame Int'l Film Festival, Nepal 'Best Cinematography' - Linz Int'l Short Film Festival A newlywed girl is left to live with her mother when her husband leaves to find work in India. She waits patiently for her husband to call, but in vain. As days pass, longing turns to loneliness, then resignation and resolve. The girl and her mother ultimately find solace in each other in this affecting film about solitude, abandonment, and self-actualization. Screens in-person with feature documentary: IN SEARCH OF BENGALI HARLEM About the Artist Minsho Limbu is an Independent filmmaker based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He holds graduation in screenplay writing and direction from Everest Film Academy. JUNKO is his directorial debut short film. It has been screened at film festivals including; Fribourg, Torino, POFF Shorts Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Washington DC Film Fest, Anchorage Int'l Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, Ajyal Film festival, Tel-Aviv Int'l Student Film Festival, VGIK Int'l Student Film Festival and Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival. It won best film, best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography Award at VGIK, Early Bird, Inter-University and Linz International Short Film Festival,2022; His upcoming short film, SUMMER OF GOODBYES, selected at the Drama Pitching Lab, Drama International Short Film Festival, Greece is in post-production. Credits Crew Writer/Director: Minsho Limbu Producer(s): Prem Prasad Adhikary Minsho Limbu Cinematography: Niraj Bhusal Film Editor: Pasang Dawa Sherpa Cast: Garima Singh Sarita Giri Prod. Company: Simal Cinema Sound Design: Bipin Sthapit Music : Shardool Shrestha