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In the neighbourhood, chess is a popular passtime with roadside games bringing together men from different strata. Their pawns include morality and religion, causing social and political tensions to erupt when a tournament gets underway. But the men are only the most visible players. Eventive Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase Turup India | Narrative Feature 2017 | 72 mins | Hindi ORIGINAL FILM PAGE WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. In the neighbourhood, chess is a popular pastime with roadside games bringing together men from different strata. Their pawns include morality and religion, causing social and political tensions to erupt when a tournament gets underway. But the men are only the most visible players. Against this simmering backdrop, a domestic worker with a secret hobby, a young woman in love and a former journalist struggling with married life must make their moves with care. When caste, class, religion and gender come into play, there are boundaries to be negotiated, and the very rules of the game stand challenged. 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 Ektara Collective is an independent, autonomous, non-funded group of people who seek to combine creative efforts and imagination and collaborate with trained and untrained people to make films that are content wise and aesthetically located in people’s subjective, contextual realities and experiences. Through this process, Ektara has made and produced 2 short fiction films earlier (Chanda Ke Joote, 22mins, 2011; Jaadui Machchi, 38mins, 2013). This is our first fiction feature film. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Ektara Collective Writer: Producers: Ektara Collective Film Editor: Puloma Pal Featured Cast: Moulina Midde Anil Singh Madhu Bhagat Syed Saim Ali Nidhi Qazi Hariram Darshyamkar Aakash Jhamra Kuldeep Arakka Sheela Rawat Abhinav Kumar Deepak Nema Hasanuddin Madhu Dhurve, Geeta Dhrve Preeti Jagat Bali Jagat Neelam Borkar Seema Deshmukh Pushpa Yadav Tushar Pawar 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!

A struggling Bollywood actor finds himself caught in an embarrassing scandal and is desperate to secure his last chance at stardom. Forced to return to his home and face his past, he travels through the mountains and shares adventures with strangers, unaware of what the journey has in store for him. April 21, 2024 at 8:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 3 - May 5, 2024 Texas Premiere Pushtaini (Ancestral) India | Narrative Feature 2023 | 90 mins | Hindi, Kumaoni, English In-Person Q&A with Filmmaker Vinod Rawat Screens with Shera . TICKETS TICKETS Film Columbia 2023 MAMI 2023 South Asia Selection A struggling Bollywood actor involved in an embarrassing scandal flees to his birth village in the Himalayan foothills and by happenstance picks up a determined young woman along the way. Once at home he is unpleasantly surprised, and must, against his will, deal with a disputed inheritance. His new friend becomes an ally as he travels through the mountains, unaware of what the journey has in store for him. Restoration Process About the Artist Vinod Rawat, an acclaimed director, writer, and actor, recently showcased his debut feature film "Pushtaini" at the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) to an enthusiastic audience response. Hailing from a working-class neighbourhood in Delhi and his ancestral village in Uttarakhand, Vinod's journey has evolved after graduating from the Film & Television Institute. Renowned as a leading acting coach in the Hindi Film Industry, his short film "MAD" won at the Mumbai Film Festival in 2017, while the 2021 Emmy-nominated series "Aarya" and showcase his diverse talents as a director and writer. With a rich resume spanning independent and mainstream films, Vinod Rawat stands as a multifaceted force in the industry. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Vinod Rawat Writer: Rita Heer, Vinod Rawat Producer(s): Lotus Dust Pictures, VinRaw Films Film Editor: Charu Takkar Featured Cast: Vinod Rawat, Rajkummar Rao, Rita Heer, Hemant Pandey, Shashi Bhushan, Nitin Goel, Prema Karayat, Maya Darakoti, Mahavir Singh, Sakshi Darakoti, Mithilesh Pandey, Mukesh Dhasmana, Baljinder Kaur, Deepti Rawat, Bhavya Dhami 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.

After several years in the US, Tara, in the midst of her IVF process, returns to India for the funeral of her father. There, she finds a mother in denial about her sexual orientation, an ex-girlfriend who has rebuilt her life with a man, and the shadow of the paterfamilias that continues to hang over the home. April 20, 2024 at 3:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 3 - May 5, 2024 Texas Premiere Places I've Called My Own France, India | Short 2023 | 28 mins | Hindi TICKETS TICKETS PÖFF Shorts 2023, Chéries-Chéris 2023, Créteil 2024 After several years in the US, Tara, in the midst of her IVF process, returns to India for the funeral of her father. There, she finds a mother in denial about her sexual orientation, an ex-girlfriend who has rebuilt her life with a man, and the shadow of the paterfamilias that continues to hang over the home. Restoration Process About the Artist Born and raised in India, Sushma is a writer/director based in New York. Her student short film 'ANITA' had its world premiere in Venice's Orizzonti 2020. She is the first Indian female director in competition in Venice since 2000. Her new film PLACES I’VE CALLED MY OWN premiered in November 2023 at PÖFF Shorts. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Sushma Khadepaun Writer: Sushma Khadepaun Producer(s): Damien Megherbi, Justin Pechberty, Avantika Sigh Film Editor: Clémence Carré Featured Cast: Aditi Vasudev, Bhumika Dube, Amardeep Jha 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.

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 11:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Texas Premiere Lost. USA | Short 2024 | 9 mins | N/A TICKETS TICKETS 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. Restoration Process About the Artist 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. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Rohit Battepati Writer: Producer(s): Film Editor: Santosh Vemula Featured Cast: Raviteja Cherughattu 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.

Personal memories of a secular freedom struggle at a time when India’s history is being rewritten by ruling fundamentalists. April 20, 2024 at 8:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 3 - May 5, 2024 Texas Premiere Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The World is Family) India | Documentary 2023 | 96 mins | Marathi, English, Hindi In-Person Q&A with Director Anand Patwardhan TICKETS TICKETS Best Editing, International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, an ancient Sanskrit phrase meaning "the world is family" is a universalist idea that competes with dominant, exclusivist Hindu notions of caste. Anand grew up in a milieu that questioned the latter. The family's elders had fought for India's Independence but rarely spoke about it. 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity', words enshrined in India's Constitution, became subconsciously internalized. As his parents aged, Anand began to film with whatever equipment was at hand. Soon birthdays and family gatherings gave way to oral history. Revisiting home movie footage a decade after his parents had passed was a revelation. Today as self-confessed Hindu supremacists whose ideology once inspired the murder of Mahatma Gandhi rewrite India's history, memories of the past have become more precious than mere personal nostalgia. Restoration Process About the Artist Anand Patwardhan has been making documentary films for over five decades pursuing issues at the crux of social and political life in India. Many of his films were at one time or another banned by state television channels and became the subject of censorship rulings that Anand successfully challenged in court. Active in movements for communal harmony and against unsustainable development, militarism and nuclear nationalism, Anand describes himself as “a non-serious human being forced by circumstances to make serious films”. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Anand Patwardhan Writer: Producer(s): Anand Patwardhan Film Editor: Anand Patwardhan Featured Cast: 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.

When two boys are kidnapped in a border town in Nepal, Detective Inspector Pooja is sent from Kathmandu to solve the case. April 12, 2025 at 10:45:00 PM AFS Cinema Special Screening Pooja, Sir Nepal, USA, Norway | Narrative Feature 2024 | 108 mins | Nepali Live Q&A with director Deepak Rauniyar and lead actress Asha Magrati TICKETS TICKETS When two boys are kidnapped in a border town in Nepal, Detective Inspector Pooja is sent from Kathmandu to solve the case, forcing her to leave her wife and her ailing father behind. But when she arrives to investigate, the brewing political unrest and violent protests throw her off course, and she is forced to seek help from Mamata, a local Madhesi policewoman. By putting aside systemic racial and homophobic discrimination and pushing through everyday misogyny, the women solve the case—but at what personal cost? Inspired by real events which took place in Southern Nepal during the 2015 race protests. Restoration Process About the Artist Deepak Rauniyar’s first feature film, “Highway” (2012), was the first film from Nepal to screen at a major global film festival, premiering at Berlinale and later playing at Locarno. His second feature, “White Sun” (2016), debuted at the Venice Orizzonti competition with rave reviews, with the Hollywood Reporter calling it “impressively accomplished” and The New York Times, which included Rauniyar among the “9 New Directors to Watch” list, writing that “White Sun” “captures a place that isn’t seen much in movies.” The film screened internationally at over 100 film festivals, including Toronto, Locarno, Rotterdam, New Directors/New Films, Sydney, and Golden Horse. It won the Interfilm Award at Venice and Best Film at the Singapore and Palm Springs Film Festivals. Nepal nominated “White Sun” for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Deepak Rauniyar Writer: Deepak Rauniyar David Barker Asha Magrati Producer(s): Deepak Rauniyar Asha Magrati AADI FILMS (Nepal/ US) Rambabu Gurung BAASURI FILMS (Nepal) Alan R Milligan TANNAUSER GATE (Norway) Film Editor: J. Him Lee Alex Gurvits Featured Cast: Asha Magrati Nikita Chandak Dayahang Rai Bijay Baral Aarti Mandal Reecha Sharma Ghanshyam Mishra Parmeshwor Kumar Jha Gaumaya Gurung Pashupati Rai Niraj Shrestha 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.

When two boys are kidnapped in a border town in Nepal, Detective Inspector Pooja is sent from Kathmandu to solve the case. April 12, 2025 at 10:45:00 PM AFS Cinema Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase Special Screening Pooja, Sir Nepal, USA, Norway | Narrative Feature 2024 | 108 mins | Nepali Live Q&A with director Deepak Rauniyar and lead actress Asha Magrati TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. When two boys are kidnapped in a border town in Nepal, Detective Inspector Pooja is sent from Kathmandu to solve the case, forcing her to leave her wife and her ailing father behind. But when she arrives to investigate, the brewing political unrest and violent protests throw her off course, and she is forced to seek help from Mamata, a local Madhesi policewoman. By putting aside systemic racial and homophobic discrimination and pushing through everyday misogyny, the women solve the case—but at what personal cost? Inspired by real events which took place in Southern Nepal during the 2015 race protests. 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 Deepak Rauniyar’s first feature film, “Highway” (2012), was the first film from Nepal to screen at a major global film festival, premiering at Berlinale and later playing at Locarno. His second feature, “White Sun” (2016), debuted at the Venice Orizzonti competition with rave reviews, with the Hollywood Reporter calling it “impressively accomplished” and The New York Times, which included Rauniyar among the “9 New Directors to Watch” list, writing that “White Sun” “captures a place that isn’t seen much in movies.” The film screened internationally at over 100 film festivals, including Toronto, Locarno, Rotterdam, New Directors/New Films, Sydney, and Golden Horse. It won the Interfilm Award at Venice and Best Film at the Singapore and Palm Springs Film Festivals. Nepal nominated “White Sun” for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Deepak Rauniyar Writer: Deepak Rauniyar David Barker Asha Magrati Producers: Deepak Rauniyar Asha Magrati AADI FILMS (Nepal/ US) Rambabu Gurung BAASURI FILMS (Nepal) Alan R Milligan TANNAUSER GATE (Norway) Film Editor: J. Him Lee Alex Gurvits Featured Cast: Asha Magrati Nikita Chandak Dayahang Rai Bijay Baral Aarti Mandal Reecha Sharma Ghanshyam Mishra Parmeshwor Kumar Jha Gaumaya Gurung Pashupati Rai Niraj Shrestha 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!

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. April 13, 2025 at 1:30:00 AM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase Texas Premiere BACK THEN - The Story of Live Music in Bombay India | Documentary 2024 | 57 mins | English Preceded by a 10-minute music set by Specific Thing. Recorded Q&A with directors Anindita Dutta Roy and Abhishek Chandran TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. Yellowstone International Film Festival Best Documentary Film Winner 'BACK THEN - The Story of Live Music in Bombay' is a documentary film that takes the viewer back 30 years in time to explore the sounds of the city's musical counterculture as it was. It puts you into the shoes of its mercurial artists, passionate folks behind the scenes, and misfits who went to gigs through the 90s, 2000s, and 2010s. The film puts a spotlight on what happened in the shadowy world of underground live music and answers questions like what it meant to watch an artist live in 1994, what it’s like today, and what kind of underground music was played in 2006. Over the span of 53 minutes, it cruises through real and rare DIY stories all the way from the 1990s, right up to 2023. 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 Director: Director Anindita is from Calcutta. She has a Master’s in Journalism and experience in acting/directing student films, and digital films in her advertising career. Her husband’s gig-going stories and her discoveries of counterculture having lived across India inspired this debut. With her background in journalism, she never imagined that her first film would be about the subject of ‘live music.’ In the process of making this film, she has tried to recreate her desired youth days in a way the rebel in her would have wanted to live. The inspiration for this movie comes from attending several alternate and underground live music gigs with her partner. She wanted the entire world to see Bombay through this sub-culture lens and witness the magic of ‘these misfits’ featured in the movie. She is a keen observer of the cultural nuances of India and the world and has absorbed more than most, having lived across India. Next, she will document brown women and their esoteric communities. Co-Director: Director Abhishek Chandran has his roots in a small town in Thrisshur, Kerala but grew up in the maximum city, Mumbai. While pursuing mass communication, he made multiple music-videos and short films. While he’s had a career in advertising, his avocations have been musical. Next, he will archive his family tree of 120+ members across the world.This documentary is hugely inspired from his own coming-of-age story with different forms of live music in Mumbai. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Anindita Dutta Roy Abhishek Chandran Writer: Abhishek Chandran Producers: Ritwik Ghosh Jitin Hingorani Film Editor: 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!

A Documentary about a Filmmaker’s aunts, in the spring of their lives Eventive Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Aunty Sudha Aunty Radha India | Documentary 2019 | 49 mins | Hindi TICKETS TICKETS Madrid International Film Festival – Spain JIO MAMI 21st Mumbai Film Festival New York Indian Film Festival – NY Three hours outside India's capital is a village called Lahra. This film follows two widowed sisters, aged 86 and 93, who have retired to this village, and whose days are spent with their adopted family of domestic help. Pulling along with their walkers (because of bad knees that turned inoperative a decade ago) the sisters do as they please, pay heed to no one and don’t bother with unsolicited advice. They don’t let their ailments unsettle them much and remain largely unfearful of death. With a rare acceptance of old age and all that it brings, they spend their time gossiping, watching T.V., soaking in the sun and bonding with the help of a hearty sharing of community life. With the filmmaker being their niece who visits their home for the first time, the film resolutely assumes the tone of this oddball group of people – a facile easy-going manner, that gazes lightly at the passing of days. And yet, from this light-heartedness, emerge lessons. Of courage and perseverance, of camaraderie and care-giving, of destiny and faith, and the most significant one: when we engage in conversations of death, we improve the quality of life. Restoration Process About the Artist After receiving a B.A. degree in English Literature in Mumbai, Tanuja Chandra completed further studies towards a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film Direction and Writing in the U.S.A. She returned to India and directed the television shows and co-wrote the scripts of Mahesh Bhatt’s films, Zakhm and Tamanna, both of which won National awards, and Yash Chopra’s Dil Toh Pagal Hai. She began independent film direction in 1998 with Dushman and directed Sangharsh, Sur, Zindaggi Rocks, and the English language, Hope and A Little Sugar in 2008, amongst others. Several of her films received awards and her English film received recognition in international film festivals. In 2017, her most recent film, Qarib Qarib Singlle released, a romcom starring Irrfan Khan and Parvathy, and a collection of short stories by her, called Bijnis Woman was published by Penguin Random House. Two short films by her streamed on Zee5 and Eros Now. She’s working on the script of her next feature, along with developing content for longer format projects. In the past, she has written articles for newspapers and magazines regularly, and is working on her next book. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Tanuja Chandra Writer: Producer(s): Anupama Mandloi Film Editor: Chandan Arora Featured Cast: Radha Rani Sharma Sudha Garg 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.

On the night before leaving her small-town home, Sejal discovers her widowed mother has stopped taking the medication she relies on for her mental health. As Sejal tries to confront her, her mother remains lost in making aloo poori—a farewell meal steeped in family ritual. April 12, 2025 at 3:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase Texas Premiere Aloo Poori USA | Short 2025 | 13 mins | English, Hindi TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. Chicago South Asian Film Festival Red Rose International Film Festival Planet Female Global StoryFest (Best Student Film) Aloo Poori follows the story of a mother and daughter during their last day of living together in a small town in Western Pennsylvania. Sejal is on the cusp of leaving her home and mother behind, unsure if she’s scared to go, or scared to stay. Her mother Madhuri is avoiding a recent mental health diagnosis and her daughter's departure by throwing her heart into her cooking. The two have never had to function without each other, and on the eve of Sejal’s departure, they realize they might not know how to-- grappling with what forgiveness and farewell truly mean to them. 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 Aditi Sridhar (she/her) is a narrative and documentary filmmaker dedicated to telling culturally specific stories that challenge perspectives and foster action-oriented conversation. Raised in small town Pennsylvania, her storytelling practice is deeply rooted in the intersection of community, identity, and place. She recently produced a feature-length documentary on Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson, exploring how his Pittsburgh roots shaped his iconic body of work. Aditi has worked at Warner Brothers Pictures and is an alum of the AMPAS Gold Rising Program, where she was selected as a Trophy Presenter at the 95th Academy Awards. Her directorial debut short film, PIVOT, was featured at festivals across the country, including the Chicago South Asian Film Festival, Fargo Film Festival, and DC South Asian Film Festival. She is currently developing new projects that blend homegrown storytelling with global perspectives, with a focus on amplifying underrepresented voices in media. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Aditi Sridhar Writer: Aditi Sridhar Producers: Aditi Sridhar Owen Gambill Film Editor: Featured Cast: Sangeeta Agrawal Anvita Gattani Advika Ravishankar Mike Puthumana 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!

"Land of Dreams" is a documentary by filmmaker Ambarien Alqadar that intimately chronicles the journey of Virender Rana, a Sikh taxi driver from India, as he navigates the challenges and aspirations of immigrant life in America. Eventive Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Texas Premiere Land of Dreams USA, India | Documentary 2025 | 40 mins | Punjabi, Hindi, English TICKETS TICKETS Filmed for nearly a decade, Land of Dreams is an intimate portrait of Virender Rana, a taxi driver from India, chasing his dream of telling his story in America. While he points the camera at his own life and films a Bollywood style movie, the film follows his journey of coming to America, finding joy as part of a larger Sikh community and that of taxi drivers and laying roots as an immigrant. As he joins the elite Uber Black fleet hoping for his dreams to come true, he faces challenges of being a brown immigrant on the streets of post 9/11 America. Land of Dreams is a letter of solidarity and hope to anyone who has searched for a home and a land for their dreams in a place where they were not born. Restoration Process About the Artist Ambarien Alqadar is a filmmaker, screen writer and a first generation immigrant. Shaped by the experience of growing up in Jamia Nagar, New Delhi, the metaphor of border crossing is central to her creative practice as she works between documentary, narrative and experimental forms. Her first documentary- Who Can Speak of Men? was acclaimed as a "revolutionary for its portrayal of Indian Muslim women" at BFI Flare and selected to several prominent festivals. Four Women and a Room and The Ghetto Girl are experimental video essays exploring intersections of history, embodied experience and memory. Currently she is working on Stray Girls- a short narrative presented by Anurag Kashyap and her first feature narrative- Nisa (WOMAN). Ambarien is an alum of Jamia Millia Islamia, India and Temple University U.S. where she was a Fulbright-Nehru Fellow. She was a speaker at the International Documentary Association 2020, Decolonizing the Documentary and Rising Beyond the Ceiling: 100 stereotypes shattering Muslim women from India in the United States (Film & Media Arts). She lives between New Delhi and Chicago where she teaches at School of Cinematic Arts, DePaul University. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Ambarien Alqadar Writer: Producer(s): Ambarien Alqadar Film Editor: Ambarien Alqadar Featured Cast: 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.

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 3:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Texas Premiere Hema USA, India | Short 2024 | 16 mins | Hindi, English TICKETS TICKETS 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. Restoration Process About the Artist 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. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Ritvik Dhavale Writer: Ritvik Dhavale Producer(s): Aishwarya Sonar Shaurya Nanavati Film Editor: Raghav Puri Aashish D'Mello Featured Cast: Rajshri Deshpande Kapil Talwalkar Samrat Chakrabarti Neil Iyer 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.