2023 Next, Please Short Hindi, English mins 10 North American Premiere In-Person, Virtual 2023 India Drama, Science Fiction A woman goes on a virtual reality date and is transported to a speakeasy bar from the prohibition era of Mumbai. Best Short Film - Rome Indie Film Festival Best Short Film - Heart of Europe Film Festival Tickets 4/20/24, 6:15 PM All Badges, Individual Tickets AFS Cinema Director Rishav Kapoor Director: Rishav Kapoor Producer: Chaitanya Tamhane Writer: Chaitanya Tamhane Cast: Jim Sarbh, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Shardul Bhardwaj Editor: Vedant Joshi Crew: Priya Seth, Madan Mohan, Mohammad Rafi, Bodo, Uma Biju, Yugandhar Deshpande This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

Having recently arrived in America with her husband and son, Hema finds herself culturally displaced and must redefine her identity as a dependent mother. An encounter with a young Marathi man threatens to upend her already fragile existence. April 12, 2025 at 10:30:00 AM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase Texas Premiere Hema USA, India | Short 2024 | 16 mins | Hindi, English TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. San Francisco Frozen Film Festival (SFFFF) PROOF Film Festival - Gold Jury Award Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) - Audience Choice Award After immigrating to Los Angeles from India with her husband and son, Hema finds herself navigating the daunting task of settling into American life while grappling with a deep yearning for her homeland. The complexities of cultural adjustment weigh heavily on her, and she seeks comfort and familiarity in maintaining connections to her roots. However, her delicate balance is unexpectedly disrupted when she crosses paths with a young Marathi man. This encounter stirs a mix of emotions within her, from nostalgia to uncertainty, threatening to unravel the fragile stability she has managed to establish in a foreign land. As she confronts this unexpected challenge, Hema is forced to reevaluate her identity and aspirations, torn between the pull of her past and the realities of her present life in America. Film Heritage Foundation used the best surviving elements for the restoration – the original camera negative and the 35 mm print preserved at the NFDC – NFAI. Unfortunately, the sound negative was not available. We digitized the sound from the 35 mm print preserved at Film Heritage Foundation. The film elements were repaired by the Film Heritage Foundation conservators and the scanning was done in Prasad Lab in Chennai We found that due to the deterioration of the print, there were vertical green lines on many parts of the film. While the scanning and digital clean-up was done at Prasad under the supervision of L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, the grading, sound restoration and mastering was done at the lab in Bologna. Both Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani, the cinematographer of the film, have been involved in the restoration of the film. Restoration Process Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation The screening will be preceded by a performance by Specific Thing. Specific Thing is the project of local musician Román. Sometimes he plays by himself and sometimes he plays with his snazzy band — he loves to do both! And the music? It draws from folk, punk, pop, latin, communism, animals, friends... He likes to keep it cartoony, quick, and catchy. The band released an album in 2025 called "Now Is Actually Not A Good Time". Find more at @specificthing on Instagram. Meet Specific Thing About the Artist Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Ritvik Dhavale is a writer and director who has spent half his life in Pune, India, and the other half in Cupertino, California. This bicultural experience deeply influences his storytelling, which often explores themes of cultural assimilation and identity. Ritvik''s journey into filmmaking began in high school theater. He furthered his education by earning a B.A. in Screenwriting from UCLA in 2017. Professionally, he gained experience working as an assistant in the CAA Media Finance Group, served as a coordinator in the Sundance Feature Film Program, and was a creative assistant in the Netflix Original Independent Film Team before fully dedicating himself to filmmaking. Ritvik's unique perspective, shaped by his experiences in both India and the United States, continues to influence his work as he explores narratives that bridge these two worlds. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Ritvik Dhavale Writer: Ritvik Dhavale Producers: Aishwarya Sonar Shaurya Nanavati Film Editor: Raghav Puri Aashish D'Mello Featured Cast: Rajshri Deshpande Kapil Talwalkar Samrat Chakrabarti Neil Iyer Restoration Effort Led By: Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Director, Film Heritage Foundation Restoration Credit: Restored by Film Heritage Foundation in association with Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.(Amul), the cinematographer Govind Nihalani and the director Shyam Benegal. Funding supported by Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.(Amul) Thank you to our community partners for this screening!

April 26, 2026 at 10:30:00 AM AFS Cinema Texas Premiere Victoria India 2024 Virtual Q&A with writer-director-editor Sivaranjini and lead actor Meenakshi Jayan Preceeded by the short film Jasmine That Blooms in Autumn TICKETS BUY A BADGE FIPRESCI Award for the Best Debut Director -29th International Film Festival of Kerala IFFK 2024 Excellence Award-Discovery Competition- 27th Seoul Women’s Film Festival, South Korea 2025 Best Film- NETPAC Asian Select- Kolkata International Film Festival 2025 Jury Special Mention for Acting - Indie Meme Film Festival 2026 Victoria follows the eponymous heroine through a day on the job as a beauty technician at a parlor in Kerala. Shot almost entirely within this women-only sanctuary of the parlor, the space becomes a backdrop for the anxieties, rants, and friendships of the women who visit. Into this mix come two male presences: the rooster - an offering to the saint - and Victoria’s waffling boyfriend -via videocall- for whom she has put her relationship with her family on the line. Grounded, witty, and whimsical, Victoria celebrates the beauty and strength of everyday women, even as they navigate a patriarchal and casteist world. Funded by the Kerala Government’s landmark initiative for women filmmakers, director Sivaranjini offers a warm, tender portrait of life in the ordinary. Featuring a Golden Goblet award-winning performance by Meenakshi Jayan, this FIPRESCI award-winner is a vibrant slice of life from modern Kerala. Restoration Process Film restoration process Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation About the Artist Sivaranjini is an independent filmmaker and research scholar based in India. An alumna of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, she often returns there as visiting faculty. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Communication Design at the IDC School of Design, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. Her short films have been screened at regional and international film festivals. Victoria (2024) is her debut feature. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Sivaranjini Writer: Sivaranjini Producer(s): Kerala State Film Development Corporation Ltd Film Editor: Sivaranjini Featured Cast: Meenakshi Jayan Sreeshma Chandran Darsana Vikas Steeja Mary Jolly Chirayath Jeena Rajeev Thank you to our community partners for this screening!

A man finds refuge in the house of a family haunted by their father's disappearance and slowly reawakens lost memories. April 25, 2026 at 10:30:00 AM AFS Cinema Texas Premiere Family Man Nepal, Australia | Short 2024 | 18 mins | Tamang Recorded Q&A with writer-director-producer Kalani Gacon Shown as part of the Saturday shorts program TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival 2025 Kathmandu international mountain film festival - audience choice award Best Short Jury Award - Indie Meme Film Festival 2026 During a storm in a remote Nepalese village, a mysterious man finds refuge in the house of a family haunted by their father's disappearance years before. Strangely unwilling to leave, he slowly reawakens lost memories of the missing father. Restoration Process About the Artist Kalani Gacon is an award-winning filmmaker from the beautiful small, misty town of Katoomba, Australia. Since he was a teenager, he has been living and working in Nepal as a social worker and filmmaker, where he has developed a unique cross-cultural voice, telling stories about the intersection of the East and West. Kalani has made films across 4 continents, including a chapter working on Hollywood productions: Disney’s ‘Upside Down Magic’, and the TV series ‘Riverdale’. His recent film ‘The Sound of Dreaming’ (2022) has screened at over 30 international film festivals, including the Oscar-qualifying Melbourne International Film Festival, LA-Shorts, Busan International Short Film Festival, and winning the Jury Special Mention Award at the prestigious Oldenburg International Film Festival. Family Man is Kalani's 5th film produced in Nepal. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Kalani Gacon Writer: Kalani Gacon Producer(s): Prawin Takki Karki Kalani Gacon Film Editor: Andy Finn Kalani Gacon Featured Cast: Pasang Chheten Tamang Sangita Thapa Magar Bijay Tamrakar Thank you to our community partners for this screening! This program was made possible in part with a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

< Our Team Alka Bhanot Advisors Co-Founder & Advisor Co-Founder of Indie Meme, Alka has extensive experience producing for Indian Television and was the Executive Producer for the first Late Night Show, ‘Movers & Shakers’ in India, which won numerous awards. In Austin, since 2003 her film credits include Bryan Poyser’s ‘Dear Pillow’ (2003) Winner, Best Narrative Feature, Atlanta Film Festival, Margaret Brown’s ‘Be Here To Love Me’ (2006) a film about the life and music of Townes Van Zandt and ‘Sunshine’(2009) a documentary about adoption and single parenthood by Karen Skloss which aired as part of the Independent Lens series on PBS. She also worked on the ‘Trevor Romain Video Series’ (2005) an animated kids show which aired on PBS.

A nationwide lockdown is imposed in India during the coronavirus pandemic. While all Nepalese migrant labourers are boarding vans to leave for their country, Hansi sees an opportunity to earn more money for his ailing son in the emerging labour crisis when his brother-in-law, Dil Bahadur, offers him illegal work in a godown. April 21, 2024 at 10:30:00 AM AFS Cinema Virtual May 3 - May 5, 2024 North America Premiere Bahadur: The Brave India | Narrative Feature 2023 | 84 mins | Nepali, Kumaoni, Hindi Recorded Q&A with Filmmaker Diwa Shah TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL Kutxabank New Director’s Award — San Sebastián International Film Festival A nationwide lock-down is imposed in India during the coronavirus pandemic. While all Nepalese migrant labourers are boarding the vans to leave for Nepal, Hansi sees this as an opportunity to earn more money for his ailing son in the emerging labour crises. His brother-in-law, Dil Bahadur, offers him illegal work in a godown. One day they find alcohol there that they sneak out for fun. Things take a tragic turn when Dil Bahadur is accused of stealing money instead. Hansi encourages him to leave for Nepal. However, Nepal has closed its border during the pandemic and the migrants have no place to go. Their innocent mischief has led to a tragedy of an irretrievable accord, ignorant of the pawns they have become at the mercy of the bigger powers at play. Restoration Process About the Artist Diwa Shah is the recipient of the Kutxabank New Directors Award at the 71st San Sebastián International Film Festival. She has studied Creative Writing from the esteemed Durham University, UK. Bahadur The Brave is her first feature length project that got selected in the WIP Lab by NFDC Film Bazaar and won the Prasad Lab DI award. It world premiered at the 71st San Sebastián International Film Festival and won the Kutxabank New Director’s Award. It also won the Silver Gateway Award at the Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival. Her second project was selected for the screenwriters lab by NFDC Film Bazaar and is currently under development. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Diwa Shah Writer: Diwa Shah Producer(s): Visvesh Singh Sehrawat Thomas AjayAbraham Film Editor: Viraj Zunjarrao Featured Cast: Rupesh Lama Rahul Mukhia Thank you to our community partners for this screening! This program was made possible in part with a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Love blossoms secretly between two elderly women at a senior care home while the spectre of patriarchy looms large overhead. April 26, 2026 at 10:30:00 AM AFS Cinema Texas Premiere Jasmine That Blooms in Autumn India | Short 2025 | 15 mins | Bengali, Hindi Followed by the film Victoria TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL 39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2025 39th Fribourg International Film Festival 2025 – Nominated for the Best International Short Film 16th KASHISH Pride Film Festival 2025 – Winner - Grand Prize for Best Indian Narrative Short Film Jury Special Mention for Best Short - Indie Meme Film Festival 2026 In an elderly care home, Indira and Meera begin a secret romance, mindful of a society that proscribes homosexuality. While Indira tries to find solace in her newfound romantic sentiments, Meera is forthright and unreserved. Meera's assertive and heavy-handed approach reminds Indira of the repressive behaviour that she had endured at the hands of her husband and in-laws. As their romance blossoms, Indira subtly conveys to Meera that her overly demanding requests can be detrimental to their relationship. Restoration Process About the Artist Chandradeep Das started out as an associate to his father, eminent filmmaker Anjan Das, whose films were regularly feted at festivals like Berlinale, Rotterdam, BFI London, etc. He co-wrote his father's last film, which premiered at the International Film Festival of India in 2013 under the Indian Panorama section. As a writer, director, and producer, Chandradeep’s films and international TV series have been acquired by European (CANAL+, Promofest) and Indian distributors and selected at numerous prestigious film festivals, including Academy Award- and BAFTA-qualifying ones, such as BFI Flare, Fribourg, Brussels, Flickerfest, KASHISH, IDSFFK, Iris Prize, etc. His feature film in development, an India-Europe co-production, was a part of the Top 20 South Asian projects at the NFDC Film Bazaar Co-Production Market a couple of years ago. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Chandradeep Das Writer: Rahul Roye Chandradeep Das Producer(s): Nikita Ivanenko Tushar Tyagi Rahul Roye Film Editor: Aritra Dutta Banik Featured Cast: Uma Jhunjhunwala Sudipa Basu Thank you to our community partners for this screening! This program was made possible in part with a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Fereshteh, a young student in Tehran, must hide the existence of her illegitimate two-month old baby for the night when her parents announce a surprise visit. She and her resourceful best friend must weigh up their true allies. As they traverse the city, their simple mission proves surprisingly treacherous. Filmocracy Virtual April 28 - May 1, 2023 Until Tomorrow Iran | Narrative Feature 2022 | 86 min | Persian, Farsi TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL World Premiere Selection: Berlinale 2022 Official Selection: Zurich, Istanbul, Stockholm, Edinburgh, & Sao Paulo International Film Festival Fereshteh is studying and working at a printers’ shop in Tehran. She wants to go to the US but is having trouble finding the time for a language course. This is because she also has a two-month-old baby that her parents know nothing about. When they announce at short notice that they are coming to visit, Fereshteh has to hide illegitimate child and everything that would give away her existence. What at first seems resolvable with a phone call to a few friends soon develops into a difficult undertaking. Fereshteh’s quick-witted friend Atefeh offers her support, but their ensuing odyssey through the city only reveals to the pair how limited their options are. In a society that does not grant everyone the same rights, young women have to weigh up carefully who their allies are. Restoration Process About the Artist Ali Asgari was born in Tehran, Iran. He studied cinema in Italy and began his career as an assistant director. After creating several acclaimed short films, he was selected for the Berlinale Talent Campus 2013. Early in his career his short films, MORE THAN TWO HOURS and THE SILENCE, were both selections at Cannes and nominated for a Palme d’Or. His work has premiered and competed at 600+ world festivals, including leading festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Sundance, Palm Springs, Melbourne, Durban, Stockholm, Montreal, Sao Paulo, BFI London, Leeds, & Festival Tous Courts. His films have won more than 100 international awards. UNTIL TOMORROW is Asgari's second feature film and premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale '22). Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Ali Asgari Writer: Ali Asgari Producer(s): Ali Asgari Raphaëlle Delauche Niki Karimi Nicolas Sanfaute Film Editor: Ehsan Vasegh i Featured Cast: Sadaf Asgari Ghazal Shojaei Amirreza Ranjbaran Nahal Dashti Thank you to our community partners for this screening! This program was made possible in part with a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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. April 12, 2025 at 3:15:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase United States Premiere And, Towards Happy Alleys India, Iran | Documentary 2023 | 75 mins | Persian, English Preceded by the short film The First Film . Live Q&A with director Sreemoyee Singh and lead actress Aida Mohammadkhani TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. Best Film in the International Competition at BAFICI, Argentina, April 2023 Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari award for Best Debut Director at Mumbai International Film Festival, June, 2024 Best Documentary in World Cinema Festival, Calcutta, 2024 Fascinated by Iran’s film culture and the poetic works of the feminist poet Forough Farrokhzad, Indian filmmaker Sreemoyee Singh sets out in search of the protagonists of Iranian cinema. The numerous interviews she conducts over a period of six years with filmmakers Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Shirvani, and human rights activist Nasrin Sotudeh, among others, show the precarious situation in which critics of the regime find themselves, including the constant threat of imprisonment and being banned from practicing their profession. With a keen eye for unusual situations, she documents the effect of the Islamic Republic’s strict and omnipresent censorship on the daily lives of Iranian women whose uncompromising struggle has put them at the forefront of the protests that are currently rocking the country. And, Towards Happy Alleys is a passionate declaration of love for the cinema and poetry of Iran which also provides a frank view of daily life, and bears witness to a fearless generation raising its voice and implacably demanding its civil liberties. Film Heritage Foundation used the best surviving elements for the restoration – the original camera negative and the 35 mm print preserved at the NFDC – NFAI. Unfortunately, the sound negative was not available. We digitized the sound from the 35 mm print preserved at Film Heritage Foundation. The film elements were repaired by the Film Heritage Foundation conservators and the scanning was done in Prasad Lab in Chennai We found that due to the deterioration of the print, there were vertical green lines on many parts of the film. While the scanning and digital clean-up was done at Prasad under the supervision of L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, the grading, sound restoration and mastering was done at the lab in Bologna. Both Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani, the cinematographer of the film, have been involved in the restoration of the film. Restoration Process Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation The screening will be preceded by a performance by Specific Thing. Specific Thing is the project of local musician Román. Sometimes he plays by himself and sometimes he plays with his snazzy band — he loves to do both! And the music? It draws from folk, punk, pop, latin, communism, animals, friends... He likes to keep it cartoony, quick, and catchy. The band released an album in 2025 called "Now Is Actually Not A Good Time". Find more at @specificthing on Instagram. Meet Specific Thing About the Artist Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Sreemoyee is a filmmaker and producer from Kolkata, India. She has a PhD degree on “The Exiled Filmmaker in Post-Revolution Iran” from the department of Film Studies at Jadavpur University. She learned Persian and traveled to Iran to film her debut documentary And, Towards Happy Alleys which launched at the Berlinale International Film Festival (Panorama section) in February 2023 and has screened at prestigious film festivals such CPH:DOX (Denmark) Thessaloniki (Greece) Sheffield (UK) DMZ Docs (South Korea) Antenna Film Festival (Australia) Jio MAMI (India), Docpoint Helsinki (Finland) winning the ‘best film’ in the International Competition at BAFICI, Argentina. Sreemoyee also won the Best Debut Director award at the Mumbai International Film Festival for her film along with the FIPRESCI (International) Critics Jury award. Sreemoyee has also worked as an Assistant Professor of Film Studies at St. Joseph’s University, Bangalore, and a Guest Lecturer at New York University, Abu Dhabi (NYUAD). She is the recipient of the Golden Globe Foundation Residency for International Filmmakers in Los Angeles in February-March 2024. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Sreemoyee Singh Aida Mohammadkhani Writer: Sreemoyee Singh Producers: Sreemoyee Singh Happy Alley Films Film Editor: Joydip Das Pradyatan Bera Featured Cast: Restoration Effort Led By: Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Director, Film Heritage Foundation Restoration Credit: Restored by Film Heritage Foundation in association with Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.(Amul), the cinematographer Govind Nihalani and the director Shyam Benegal. Funding supported by Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.(Amul) Thank you to our community partners for this screening!

2023 Shera Short Kumaoni mins 20 Texas Premiere In-Person, Virtual 2023 India Drama, Kids When MONU’s (11) parents decide to migrate from their remote Himalayan village to the city, he realizes that he may never be able to see SHERA, the elusive leopard that lives in the forests around his village. Everyone in the village seems to have seen him but MONU. As the day of departure nears, MONU grows despondent but his best friend RAJU is determined to give him the best parting gift he can think of – a view of SHERA. Winner Best Film - Bulbul Children's International Film Festival, Selections - LA Shorts International Film Festival Tickets 4/21/24, 3:30 PM All Badges, Individual Tickets AFS Cinema Writer / Director Arun Fulara Arun Fulara is a writer and filmmaker based out of Mumbai, India. His short films SUNDAY (2020), MY MOTHER’S GIRLFRIEND (2021), and SHERA (2023) have travelled travelled widely to festivals to more than 150 festivals around the world and won over a dozen awards at festivals internationally. He previously assisted acclaimed filmmaker Devashish Makhija on award winning films like AJJI & BHONSLE. He’s also a published writer, his short story, THE LEOPARD OF BAGESHWAR, was published by Juggernaut in 2017 and a picture book based on his short film SHERA is on the anvil. He’s currently working on multiple projects, including his debut feature film – MY HOME IS IN THE HILLS – a coming-of-age drama set in a north Indian Himalayan village, and steeped in magical realism in the context of migration. Director: Arun Fulara Producer: Sharib Khan, Vikas Kumar Writer: Arun Fulara Cast: Sagar Kumar, Parth Pandey, Arushi Nagarkoti, Chia Joshi, Madan Mehra, Bijli (The Goat), the villagers of Mayoun. Editor: Vivekanand Daakhore Crew: Rangoli Agarwal, Devraj Bhaumik This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

On a quiet night, a lonely man spends an hour engaging in his favorite activities, but soon he must face the consequences of his actions. April 10, 2025 at 6:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase Texas Premiere Lost. USA | Short 2024 | 9 mins | N/A TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. Hyperreal Film Club Official Selection, Reale Film Festival - Best Super Short, Tamizhagam International Film Festival - Best Actor Life Lost is not the same as Life Taken. Lost is a story that explores the themes of loneliness, inner battles, and helplessness. The protagonist has no “name” in the film and is seen going through a series of emotions that feel both rushed and deliberate, each serving a purpose within the narrative. In the opening two minutes, the film symbolizes the struggle and mental turmoil that one experiences in intense situations at a thought level, particularly when grappling with the desire to escape from the reality. As the story progresses, the character becomes both expressive and reactive, engaging in a series of mundane activities that seem to provide some comfort to him. A timer, counting down an hour, heightens the tension as the character grows increasingly anxious as time passes. The film ends with a moment of revelation, where the character's journey becomes clear, tying together the events shown and offering clarity to the emotions and experiences portrayed. Film Heritage Foundation used the best surviving elements for the restoration – the original camera negative and the 35 mm print preserved at the NFDC – NFAI. Unfortunately, the sound negative was not available. We digitized the sound from the 35 mm print preserved at Film Heritage Foundation. The film elements were repaired by the Film Heritage Foundation conservators and the scanning was done in Prasad Lab in Chennai We found that due to the deterioration of the print, there were vertical green lines on many parts of the film. While the scanning and digital clean-up was done at Prasad under the supervision of L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, the grading, sound restoration and mastering was done at the lab in Bologna. Both Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani, the cinematographer of the film, have been involved in the restoration of the film. Restoration Process Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation The screening will be preceded by a performance by Specific Thing. Specific Thing is the project of local musician Román. Sometimes he plays by himself and sometimes he plays with his snazzy band — he loves to do both! And the music? It draws from folk, punk, pop, latin, communism, animals, friends... He likes to keep it cartoony, quick, and catchy. The band released an album in 2025 called "Now Is Actually Not A Good Time". Find more at @specificthing on Instagram. Meet Specific Thing About the Artist Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Rohit Battepati is a self-taught filmmaker whose passion for storytelling developed from his exposure to a diverse array of films. With a deep appreciation for various genres, he aspires to create genre-driven cinema that resonates with audiences. Born in India, Rohit was profoundly influenced by South Indian films during his childhood, an experience that later fueled his curiosity to explore world cinema after relocating to the United States in 2015. Rohit gained valuable experience as an assistant director on the anthology web series Maranam, a project entirely filmed in Texas. He took a significant step forward in his career by directing his debut short film, Lost. , showcasing his emerging talent. Passionate about pushing creative boundaries, Rohit is eager to make films that span a wide range of genres and explore a spectrum of emotions on screen, solidifying his commitment to versatile and impactful storytelling. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Rohit Battepati Writer: Producers: Film Editor: Santosh Vemula Featured Cast: Raviteja Cherughattu Restoration Effort Led By: Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Director, Film Heritage Foundation Restoration Credit: Restored by Film Heritage Foundation in association with Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.(Amul), the cinematographer Govind Nihalani and the director Shyam Benegal. Funding supported by Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.(Amul) Thank you to our community partners for this screening!

After a night of heavy drinking, a twenty year-old virgin stumbles into Mumbai's oldest brothel, where he encounters a mythical creature who turns his first sexual encounter on its head. April 20, 2024 at 10:30:00 AM AFS Cinema Virtual May 3 - May 5, 2024 Texas Premiere Kamathipura India | Short 2022 | 7 mins | Hindi TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL Atlanta Horror Film Festival 2022 (Atlanta, GA) – Nomination for Best Animated Short Named after Mumbai’s historic red light district, Kamathipura explores the decaying neighborhood with nightmarish strokes of fantasy. We follow the nervous virgin Sid as he makes a pilgrimage of sorts to a much-vaunted temptress in the area. But the mythical seductress has other plans. She turns Sid’s first time into a terrifying supernatural ordeal, where he is forced to reckon with the violence and sexual slavery that ensnares Kamathipura’s workers. Restoration Process About the Artist Aayush is an experiential creative, filmmaker, and new media artist who is happiest working on something entirely different from the last project he worked on, a road which has led him through the worlds of VR installations, real-time animation, Amazon Prime dramedies, and more. Ever since his mother went to see The Silence of the Lambs just before giving birth to him, he has been fascinated by the idea of gifting strange, meaningful experiences to audiences. https://vimeo.com/aayushman/mixtape Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Aayushman Pandey Writer: Sneh Sapru Producer(s): Wasim Khan, Priya Sreedharan Film Editor: Featured Cast: Akshay Oberoi, Priti Shroff Thank you to our community partners for this screening! This program was made possible in part with a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.