April 26, 2026 at 10:30:00 AM AFS Cinema Texas Premiere Jasmine That Blooms in Autumn India 2025 Followed by the film Victoria TICKETS BUY A BADGE 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 Film restoration process Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation 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!

Introducing the incredible jurors behind the Indie Meme 2023 Jury Awards. We're proud to be joined by a range of active and insightful professionals with backgrounds in filmmaking, media, technology, festivals, organizing, academia, and more.  2023 JURY Introducing the accomplished jurors behind the Indie Meme 2023 Jury Awards. We're proud to be joined by a range of active and insightful professionals with backgrounds in filmmaking, media, technology, festivals, organizing, academia, and more. NARRATIVE JURY Sumaiya Malik Sumaiya Malik is a fast-paced local Austin journalist with words at mainstream publications such as Community Impact, Austin-American Statesman, Austin Chronicle ,and Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine. She has also extensively written about the South Asian community in the Austin South Asian newspaper. In 2014, she co-founded Austin Arts and Drama Initiative, a local non-profit supporting South Asian culture and the arts. From 2016-2020, she served on the community advisory board of Austin PBS. In 2021, she was among the top five journalists to be a part of Texas Observer/NPR NextGen investigative workshop. In 2022, she served as an associate producer of a true crime podcast published by the UT Drag and available on Spotify. The same year, she produced a sonic ID that was aired on KUT. She is Pakistani American, a mother of two cool kids and a proud Longhorn like them. In 2020, she went back to graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin to receive a master’s in journalism and media from the Moody College of Communications. Sachin Dheeraj Sachin Dheeraj is a DGA Student award-winning filmmaker who studied at The University of Texas at Austin as part of the MFA program in Film & Media Production. His work has been screened at prestigious film festivals such as Hot Docs, Raindance, EnergaCAMERIMAGE, and Krakow. Sachin strives to tell stories that demand urgent conversation and seeks to engage with people, places, and communities that are slowly disappearing. He aims to affirm their existence through cinema by preserving their lives and memories. His pre-thesis film, TESTIMONY OF ANA, won the National Film Award (Swarna Kamal/Golden Lotus) for the Best Non-Feature Film issued by the Government of India and the Best Short Documentary Award at the Oscar-qualifying 13th International Documentary & Short Film Festival of Kerala. The film also secured distribution on reputed platforms such as MUBI and Kinoscope. He received the prestigious President's Award for Global Learning at UT Austin and the Austin Film Society Grant in 2020. Sachin won the competitive Panavision New Filmmaker Program Equipment Grant and the UT Graduate Continuing Fellowship (an award given to support the final year of an outstanding graduate student) to implement his MFA thesis project, MEN IN BLUE. Kat Albert Kat Albert is a creative place maker, festival starter, and filmmaker. Her films and videos often have a female protagonist and range from gritty to magical realism and experimental. She graduated from Texas Tech University and worked in advertising and marketing in Chicago before relocating to Austin. She is also a guest teacher and lecturer on filmmaking. Her films have played at festivals around the world. In 2018, Kat started the Lake Travis Film Festival to bring a cultural experience to the suburbs. LTFF explores stories and films that have authenticity, vision, and passion. This year, she is working with her studio ‘Studio-e2’ in Santa Fe to create a new arts district to showcase emerging artists in multiple disciplines. DOCUMENTARY JURY Mikki Teneyuca Mikki Teneyuca is a passionate South Austinite who has dedicated her adult life to serving the community. As a native of South Austin, Mikki has deep roots and a strong sense of belonging to the area. She has two Master degrees and has devoted her career to improving processes for the State of Texas as a senior process improvement consultant, with a focus on making services accessible and streamlined for the most vulnerable community members. Mikki is also the founder of Reel Austin LLC, a platform that captures the stories of Austin's community and culture. Through her work, she ensures that the city's rich history is documented and preserved for future generations. Mikki also serves as a commissioner on the City of Austin Ethics Review Commission Board and she serves on the board of OPRC, a local nonprofit that provides reentry resources for individuals returning home to Austin from incarceration. She’s committed to social justice and serving the community. Cara Harpole Cara Harpole is a writer and producer, who is currently working on an animated video series for Work Force Solutions Capital area. She started as a videographer and editor for the Air Force where she won the “best video” during her stay at the Department of Defense Information School (DINFOS). She later earned a degree in film at the University of New Orleans. Her love for documentary film pushed her to become an organizer for Austin Documentary Fans (Reel Doc Fans) where she grew the membership from 464 to over 4,400 members under her watch. In addition, she has screened documentaries for Austin Film Fest for two seasons. “Documentaries check all of the boxes when it comes to my curious mind and quest to learn about people, places and things” she said. SHORTS JURY Dr. Z Rubi Sanchez Lozoya Dr. Z. Rubi Sanchez Lozoya teaches Film Studies at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. She specializes in Indian cinema and film cultures, cultural studies of South Asia, and transnational feminisms. Dr. Lozoya has presented on these subjects at different national conferences and invited talks at Stanford University, Duke University, and University of California Berkeley. She is currently working on her upcoming book, Female Lead, which focuses on the effects that streaming platforms, like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, have on the creation and distribution of independent Hindi films made by women and about women. Karen Skloss Karen Skloss has worked as an editor for over 20 years on documentary & narrative features including the acclaimed dramedy, SUPPORT THE GIRLS (dir. Andrew Bujalski), which was listed as a top movie pick by former president Barack Obama. She began her career with the celebrated documentary, "BE HERE TO LOVE ME: The Story of Townes Van Zandt” (dir. Margaret Brown). Karen recently co-produced and edited, “Have You Got It Yet?” (dir. Roddy Bogawa) about Pink Floyd’s legendary original songwriter Syd Barrett, which will be theatrically released in spring 2023 through Mercury studios. Her work has been shown on HBO, in the MOMA, in wide theatrical release, and in film festivals internationally. She began her career in film as a child actor and made her narrative directorial debut with the psychedelic coming-of-age film, THE HONOR FARM, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival and is available through Gravitas Ventures. SUNSHINE, her first documentary feature as director, was nationally broadcast on PBS's Emmy Award-winning series, Independent Lens. A native Austinite who has worked for years in Austin’s eclectic and cross-pollinating creative community, Karen has also edited shows for Jerry Bruckheimer Television, A&E, Discovery, TLC, and TNT, in addition to producing commercial campaigns for New Balance, Cannondale and Charge Bikes. She is a drummer and vocalist who was a founding member of Moving Panoramas and is currently a member of the psych duo SKLOSS. Deepa Donde Deepa Donde is an independent film, television, and radio producer based in Austin, Texas. Her work has appeared on the following outlets: NPR, Huffington Post, PBS, BBC, CBS and NBC. In addition to her work with the Futuro Media Group, Deepa also serves on the board of The Austin Film Festival. She has in the past served on the advisory boards of Fusebox: Contemporary Multi-Disciplinary Art Festival, Youth Radio (NPR’s premier provider for youth orientated content), Girls Impact The World Film Festival, as well as on the board of Ballet Austin. Deepa has spent the last ten years within the philanthropic space, serving on the Board of Futuro Media, and was elected Chair of the Board in 2016. The Pulitzer Prize winning nonprofit produces multimedia journalism that explores and gives a critical voice to the diversity of the American experience. Based in Harlem and founded in 2010 by award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa, Futuro Media is committed to telling stories from points of view often overlooked by mainstream media. Deepa received her Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors in Medieval History from Brown University. She is close to completing her first independent narrative feature film, PERIPHERY and developing a documentary feature. Alexander Rosales Alexander Rosales is a Latino director/filmmaker based in Dallas, TX. After graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2015 with a BFA in Film/Video and earning the Outstanding Graduating Senior, he freelanced as a camera operator, traveling worldwide for various projects. In an effort to narrow his focus, Alexander returned to his hometown and spent 4 years at the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with an MFA in Film & Media Production in the Winter of 2022. His work has been screened at the Austin Film Festival, deadCenter Film Festival, Palm Springs International ShortFest, and many more. His award winning short film TEJANO NIGHT, was a recipient of an Austin Film Society (AFS) Grant and was selected for over 50 program selections worldwide. Alexander currently works in both the Dallas/FT. Worth metroplex and Austin, TX as a freelance director and video producer, helping businesses and nonprofits with content creation via storytelling. Follow event on Facebook

A thirteen-year-old Indian girl has her first real confrontation with authority when her father forbids her to play the American dance music she loves. Aashpordha 13mins / Short Narrative /India SYNOPSIS Filmmaker – Anirban Roy It starts out over a song and ends up where no one could have expected. A thirteen-year-old Indian girl has her first real confrontation with authority when her father forbids her to play the American dance music she loves. When she decides to take revenge, the situation escalates to become a neighborhood scandal. A dark comedy about parental authority, teenage rebellion, curry, whiskey, and house music. Bengali with English Subtitles Tickets TICKETS NOT AVAILABLE TRAILER

Once upon a time in a village, an old lady steals the rooster and the sun never rises again... 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 Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know India | Short 2023 | 15 mins | Kannada TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. 1. First Prize - LA CINEF- the 77th Edition of Festival De Cannes, France 2. Best Film in Indian Category - 14th Bengaluru International Short Film Festival 2024 3. Best First-Time Filmmaker Award - 4th Greece International Film Festival The sun never rises again after an elderly woman steals the village's rooster, which throws the community into disarray. To bring the rooster back, a prophecy is invoked, sending the old lady's family into exile. 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 Chidananda S Naik is alumni of FTII, where he graduated with Post Graduate Certificate in TV Direction. He won the Cinéfondation 1st Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival for his film 'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know...' which is his final project at FTII. He pursued his passion for filmmaking after studying medicine at Mysore Medical College. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Chidananda S Naik Writer: Chidananda S Naik Producers: Film & Television Institute Of India (FTII), Pune Film Editor: Manoj Gowda Featured Cast: Vishwas B S Jahangeer M S Vasudha Bharighat Anup Gowda Kushal B K Sanju Chavan 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!

Indie Meme has over a decade of history, and in a partnership with Austin History Center, we are collating our physical and digital archives. Indie Meme Archival Project Preserving the culture and history of Indie Meme The Indie Meme Archival Project is a collaboration between Indie Meme and the Austin History Center . Indie Meme received a generous Heritage Preservation grant from the City of Austin to launch the initiative in 2023 . The project chronicles the story of the festival and the community around it through physical and digital materials, oral history interviews , & more. The materials will be stored in a permanent public collection at the Austin History Center. They include the voices of filmmakers, documentarians, programmers, & volunteers whose efforts have made an impact on the cinematic landscape of Texas & the world. The archival project will be used to promote tourism and engagement with Indie Meme, Austin History Center, and the City of Austin. “It was something that had never been done before because there was no theater that was screening independent South Asian film (in Dallas). So I think getting people into the theater since the filmmaker was also present honestly was the biggest focus. And the film itself was so excellent that people had to come watch it. ”- Tripti Bhatnagar, Co-Founder, Indie Meme & IMFF 00:00 / 00:36 “I’ve pretty much done the gamut - I’ve been a clicker counting the audience, I’ve collected tickets, I have shown people into dark movie halls. Over time I began to get more involved in the administrative back end... I gained a lot of insight into how film festivals are run and I enjoyed it thoroughly” - Ramdas Menon, Indie Meme volunteer, board member, & programming team 00:00 / 00:53 “Independent films, they talk about a particular culture, a particular language, the problems faced - so they have a unique voice. They are not bound to follow the typical filmmaking process. There are so many stories to tell - in every region, every small town - and mainstream cinema never picks up those stories." - Jayant Somalkar, filmmaker, director of Shthal - A Match (IMFF 2024 - Best Narrative Feature) 00:00 / 00:37 “My first year with Indie Meme was as a member and a guest in 2016. I started out as an intern in 2022. At the time, I was in my senior year of college and was looking to get into doing something with film. Being from a South Asian background it was a perfect fit for me - and this year in I’m a part of the programming team for the festival."- Uma Riddle, film programmer, volunteer, archival project manager 00:00 / 00:42 “They are a gathering point both for filmmakers as well as audiences to get films that are not necessarily in the mainstream… and that is a very important task.” - Anand Patwardhan, National Award winning filmmaker, director of The World is Family (IMFF 2024 - Audience Award - Best Documentary Feature) 00:00 / 00:33 “It is a non-profit organization so the money raised is well spent on the projects that they undertake. I would encourage people to get involved - it's truly a community driven organization and that spirit should be supported. ." - Alok Bhanot, donor, mind behind the "Indie Meme" name 00:00 / 00:29 This project is supported in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

A bereaved widow - Farah - seeks to keep the memories of her husband alive by protecting the last batch of his saplings from a rodent infestation. Eventive Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase Austin Premiere An Orphanage of Memories India | Short 2024 | 21 mins | Kashmiri TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. Tasveer Film Festival Jakarta Film Week - Winner (Global Short Award) Izmit International Short Film Festival (Finalist) In a small village of Kashmir, Farah, the caretaker of a small piece of land has lost her husband under tragic, unexplained circumstances. Feeling overwhelmed with grief, Farah clings onto her late husband's memories. Under threat of her home being uprooted by the prospect of a new buyer, Farah finds a new lease of life when she discovers the saplings her husband brought to their kitchen garden. Just as she is done planting them, she discovers small rat droppings around the garden. With this, Farah dives deep into a point of no return as she dedicates her life towards protecting the saplings at the cost of affecting her sanity. 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 Rayit Hashmat Qazi is an independent filmmaker from Kashmir, who is currently working in Mumbai, India. He has worked as an assistant to international as well as Indian directors on TVC's for the last 6 years. From Jim Sonzero to Rob Cohen and Harvey Brown, Rayit has been a right hand to a wide array of filmmakers while working with Band Bang Films on brands as diverse as AIRTEL, Tanishq, Britannia, Pepsi, Loreal, etc. In addition to this Rayit has worked as an assistant director on the critically acclaimed Mukti Bhawan that went on to premiere at the Venice Film Festival amongst other international film festival giants. This experience was instrumental in helping him transition from assisting to directing ads of his own. Over the course of the last two years, Rayit has made commercials for brands like Britannia, HUL, BMC, Airtel, etc. His maiden short Do Cup Chai (Two Cups of Tea) which sees the story of two ex-lovers who meet each other to fulfill a promise over a cup of tea, was nominated in the Best Short Film category at the NYIFF (New York Indian Film Festival). It further went on to premiere at Silk Screen International Festival and the prestigious Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival in Assam. Currently, Rayit is developing a show for Amazon as well as MX player. He has completed his graduation in Audio Visual Production/Filmmaking from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Rayit Hashmat Qazi Writer: Rayit Hashmat Qazi Producers: Rayit Hashmat Qazi Film Editor: Rohan Kapoor Featured Cast: Shafia Maqbool Yousuf Shahnaz 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!

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 5:45:00 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!

Support us in bringing independent films from South Asia to our audience. Your membership goes a long way in building our community. Perks apply. Become a Member Stories that connect us start with you Why Become a Member? Because stories matter—and so does the community that gathers around them. Support emerging and established filmmakers Engage in cross-cultural conversations through film Enjoy 20% off tickets and Festival badges Get early access to festivals, screenings & events Join members-only mixers & community gathering s Priority registration for Master Classes Watch more. Save more. Share the stories that bring us together. Super Fan Membership $ 250 250$ Every year Buy Now 20% Off All Screenings 20% Off Four (4) Film Festival Badges Four (4) Invitations to all our Member Mixers Fan Membership $ 100 100$ Every year Buy Now 20% Off Screenings 20% Off Two (2) Film Festival Badges Two (2) Invitations to all our Member Mixers Insider Membership $ 50 50$ Every year Buy Now 20% Off All Screenings 20% Off One (1) Film Festival Badge One (1) Invitation to all our Member Mixers Student Membership $ 35 35$ Every year Buy Now 20% Off Screenings 20% Off One (1) Film Festival Badge One (1) Invitation to all our Member Mixers Bring a friend. Share the experience. Your membership can be used to purchase tickets for others—there’s no limit. It's More Than a Membership Your membership helps stories be seen, voices be heard, and communities come together—on screen and beyond. JOIN THE COMMUNITY Email us with any questions at membership@indiememe.org Super Fan Membership $250 /year 20% Off All Screenings Four (4) Invitations to all our Member Mixers throughout the year 20% Off Four (4) Film Festival Badges Fan Membership $100 /year 20% Off All Screenings Two (2) Invitations to all our Member Mixers 20% Off Two (2) Film Festival Badges Insider Membership $50 /year 20% Off All Screenings One (1) Invitation to all our Member Mixers 20% Off One (1) Film Festival Badge Student Membership $35 /year 20% Off All Screenings One (1) Invitation to all our Member Mixers 20% Off One (1) Film Festival Badge BECOME A MEMBER!

As part of the fourth Indie Meme Film Festival, we are continuing an initiative to engage our youth. IMFF Youth We have always encouraged youth participation as volunteers or as filmmakers. Recently we have been showcasing the work of young filmmakers from South Asia and have been blown away by their ability to tell original and amazing stories on tough and heartbreaking subjects. We also recognize that there is a growing South Asian population with young adults who have a unique understanding of their world being born to immigrant parents. We are eager to provide an opportunity to such young adults to showcase their movie-making talents and wow us with their short films. Questions? Write to us - youthfilms@indiememe.org SELECTED FILMS We are so excited to announce the winners of the Youth Film Festival The Hours by Kirra Putnam received the Jury's choice award for best film #UsToo by Avni Singh received a special mention. We are very happy to announce the lineup of Youth Movies for the Festival. Here is IMFF2019 Selection of films eligible to participate in "Best Youth Film - Jury award": Aurat ki Izzat directed by Zahra Tapal #UsToo directed by Avni Singh Tashi Delek directed by Sidharth Srinivasan Dhol directed by Ana Dragomir The Hours directed by Kirra Putnam Bored Games directed by Amrit Chandar Additionally we will be screening the following youth films (Not in competition): What love looks like directed by Nisa Kini Dream Chasers directed by Vikrant Singh and Annika Singh Robolobos directed by Sanjana Gagrani Congratulations to all the Youth Directors! Come watch their artistic creations on the 14th of April 2019. Get your tickets now Youth Advisors TANIA ROMERO Born in Nicaragua, Tania Romero is a media production instructor and award-winning filmmaker. She is passionate about empowering young people through the practice of filmmaking. With over 10 years of teaching experience, she loves it when students rise to the challenge of writing, producing, and editing short films. GIL GARCIA Gil Garcia is a Producer and Freelance Filmmaker with an extensive background working in Media Arts Education. A graduate of The University of Texas Radio Television Film Program, Gil started in advertising, producing video for companies like GSD&M and LatinWorks. He then spent ten years teaching digital film production and broadcast journalism at Stephen F. Austin High School in Austin, Texas, putting the program in the national spotlight by garnering top honors and recognition from the Obama Administration, The Student Television Network, SXSW, NPR, The BBC, and many others. Gil was named “Distinguished Broadcast Adviser of the year” in 2016 by the National Journalism Education Association and he is a media education consultant for The Austin Independent School District, React To Film, and the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs. He also serves on the Community Advisory Board for KLRU, the PBS affiliate in Austin, Texas. A leader in the field of media arts education, Gil co-wrote the third edition of the textbook, "Television Production & Broadcast Journalism", the highest selling text in the nation among high school film programs. Photo Gallery Follow us on Facebook

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 IMFF 2025 Jury The 10th Indie Meme Film Festival comes to Austin in-person from April 9 - 13, 2025 and is held at the Austin Film Society Cinemas. Each year, we assemble a prestigious group of filmmakers, industry experts, veteran film festival programmers and other film aficionados. These esteemed jurors dedicate their expertise to selecting the films deserving of recognition in various categories. The winners from each category are revealed during the Closing Night Party. These announcements are then accompanied by special citations presented by the jury. Narrative Jury Documentary Jury Shorts Jury Narrative Feature Jury Chelsea Hernandez Chelsea Hernandez is an Emmy®-nominated Mexican-American Director and Producer based in Texas. Named as DOC NYC’s 2021 40 Under 40 Class, her first feature documentary BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM (SXSW, PBS) won a Silver Telly Award for Social Impact and was nominated for a National Emmy in 2021. Chelsea’s producing work spans over 15 years in television and film including United Tacos Of America (El Rey Network series); and That Animal Rescue Show (Paramount +). Her second feature documentary BREAKING THE NEWS (Tribeca), a co-production with ITVS was broadcast on Independent Lens/PBS in February 2024. Chelsea is a Ford Foundation/Just Films grantee, BAVC National Mediamaker Fellow, Firelight Doc Lab Fellow and Tribeca All Access Alum. She is also a member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia and co-founder of Tejanas in Film. Bryan Poyser A two-time Independent Spirit Award nominee, writer/director Bryan Poyser has made 4 features, numerous short films as well as projects for Comedy Central, the USA Network, Ridley Scott Associates and HBO. Bryan’s feature LOVERS OF HATE premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards. His first feature DEAR PILLOW was also nominated for a Spirit Award in 2005. Bryan’s third feature LOVE & AIR SEX premiered at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival and was released by Tribeca Films. His work for television includes directing the pilot OVERANALYZERS for Comedy Central and writing an episode of the Duplass Brothers HBO series ROOM 104. His most recent short film DON'T YOU GO NOWHERE screened at 40 festivals throughout 2022-2023 and won 18 awards and his most recent feature, LEADS, recipient of an Austin Film Society Grant, will have its festival premiere in the late Spring of 2025. Bryan lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and daughter and teaches filmmaking as an Associate Professor of Practice at Texas State University. Celeste Quesada Celeste Quesada is an artist, community builder, real estate professional and a two-term Austin Music Commissioner, appointed by Mayor Kirk Watson. Known for creating community by weaving together 25+ years of working within the cultural arts, social impact and home-building space. Quesada loves to inspire, educate, and share her expertise with others. Quesada received her BFA at the University of Texas, co-founded Cine Las Americas, and has worked with numerous non-profits including Planned Parenthood, I Live Here I Give Here, Austin Film Society, SIMS Foundation, HAAM, American Gateways, El Buen Samaritano, Forklift Danceworks, Creative Action, Austin Music Industry Awards and Austin Music Awards. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Austin Film Society and the leadership council for American Gateways. In 2024, Quesada started getting hands dirty with ceramic art. Her artwork can be found at the Get Lucky Gallery in Lockhart, Texas. Quesada is a proud South Austinite living in District 3. She also owns a second residence in Lockhart, Texas with her husband, grammy-winning producer & musician Adrian Quesada; their daughters, Amelie and Marcelle and their canine toddler, Martiza Chichén Itzá Quesada (or Itzá for short). for short). Documentary Jury Khaula Malik Khaula Haider Malik is an Emmy-Award winning filmmaker and programmer based in New York City. She most recently co-produced Apple TV+'s GIRLS STATE. Her work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, HBO, the Doris Duke Foundation, CAAM, Islamic Scholarship Fund, PBS, The Gotham, and others. She is currently in post-production on her first feature doc, THE NOBLES, which has been supported by DOCNYC and the Catapult Rough Cut Retreat. Khaula’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Sight & Sound, PBS and she has worked with Netflix and HBO. She is a graduate of the MFA program at the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, and served as a programmer for the True/False Film Festival from 2022-2024. Tim Tsai Tim is a Taiwanese American filmmaker whose feature debut SEADRIFT chronicles the racial hostilities that erupted during the early days of Vietnamese refugee arrival on the Texas Gulf Coast. SEADRIFT premiered at Slamdance 2019 and was broadcast on PBS, garnering awards from the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, the Dallas International Film Festival, the Houston Film Critics Society, and others. Recent work includes editing POWERLANDS (AmDocs '22 Best US Feature), about global Indigenous resistance against resource extraction, and directing MI CASA ES TU CASA (2023), a short documentary on the founders of Woodlake Botanical Garden. Tim holds an MFA in film production from U.T. Austin, served as the former executive director of the Austin Asian American Film Festival, and is a Firelight Media Documentary Labs alum. He is now based in California's Central Valley. Shorts Jury Miriam Chandy Menacherry Miriam is a Fulbright scholar and a filmmaker dedicated to creating a brand of documentaries that have won acclaim in India and internationally. She has been chosen as BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Breakthrough Talent from India. She is one of 18 fellows selected in the first cohort of the Global Media Makers Fellowship by Film Independent and US State Department of Education and Cultural Affairs. She is the recipient of the 70th National Film Award for Best Direction for her documentary From the Shadows. Her award-winning films are about everyday heroes, From the Shadows, The Leopard’s Tribe , Lyari Notes , The Rat Race , Robot Jockey, Stuntmen of Bollywood and a 7-part series Back to the Floor. Her films have streamed on Netflix, BBC, National Geographic Channel, Arte France and Al Jazeera. She has done 2 years of research in India on the contribution of Women in Cinema and Collectivism supported by India Foundation for the Arts that has now been supported for further research by the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship. She is currently a visiting scholar at UT, Austin, Texas until July 2025. Jordan Levin Jordan Levin is a highly accomplished media executive, producer, and strategist with over three decades of experience shaping the entertainment industry. He has played a key role in launching and managing major entertainment franchises across television, film, digital media, and sports. Levin has held leadership positions at The WB (now The CW), Awesomeness, the NFL, Xbox Entertainment Studios, and Rooster Teeth, where he guided content strategy, production, and business operations. He is widely recognized for his expertise in engaging young audiences and driving innovative storytelling across scripted and unscripted formats, documentaries, podcasts, and live events. In 2024, Levin transitioned into academia as a Professor of Practice at the University of Texas at Austin’s Moody College of Communication, where he teaches media production and industry studies while developing a new Sports Production and Broadcasting minor. Alongside his academic role, he continues to serve as a strategic advisor for select entertainment and sports enterprises. Throughout his career, Levin has been a thought leader in media, sports, and technology, contributing to industry boards, speaking engagements, and creative ventures that have left a lasting impact on popular culture. Brad Limov Brad Limov is a postdoc in media, AI, and ethics at UT-Austin. As a scholar, he researches how communities use media to communicate, come together, and take action. In addition to what this means for media industry norms, he has a particular interest in communities of practice and how they interact within online spaces and offline at events. Before making the move to Austin, Brad studied East Asian cinemas at Nagoya University in Japan. His focus on film festivals led him to opportunities as a translator for the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival and as a communicator for Xining FIRST International Film Festival. He was trained in writing and film production as an undergraduate at Colorado College. Brad's academic writing has appeared in media and communication journals like Critical Studies in Media Communication, the International Journal of Communication, and NECSUS European Journal of Media Studies. Jenny Nulf Jenny Nulf is a film distributor and programmer. She currently works as the Theatrical Programs Manager at the American Genre Film Archive, a non-profit focused on film preservation. She has had a dedicated career in film, and previously she has worked as a programmer for Alamo Drafthouse and the Austin Asian American Film Festival, and was nominated four years in a row as Best Film Critic in Austin by the Austin Chronicle. She loves finding audiences for under-the-radar, diverse, and thought-provoking cinema.

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When young Pappu meets a genie,he thinks all his problems will be taken care of but the genie had had other plans for him. Pappu ki Pugdandi Sunday, September 6th 2015 | 2:30pm Southwest Theaters - Lake Creek - Austin TX India — 2014 – 116 mins | In Marathi, Hindi, English & Gujarati with English subtitles Interested in screening this in your hometown? Write to us SYNOPSIS Pappu, a young boy from a lower middle class family living in scenic Manali, felt fortunate enough to get admitted in the prestigious school of his town. But his excitement proved to be short-lived as he started having adjustment issues in his new school. His rich classmates made fun of his humble background and looked down upon the innovative toys and gadgets that he made from waste with the help of his jobless engineer father. The child continued to suffer silently until one day when he came face to face with a Genie in his tree house. Genie indeed had some magical powers at his disposal! Pappu feels that all his troubles are going to be over now, but the Genie expresses his inability, saying that magic is not something permanent and Pappu should work hard. To encourage a disappointed Pappu, Genie tells him that there are so many ways to become popular and there are all types of heroes in this world. If you look around you will find a way but first look within. Ask yourself what you are good at... What special skill you possess and then think how you can use them to help people. Papua ki pugdandi is an adventurous, magical and logical journey that thrills! Pappu realizes there are no shortcuts to happiness and he identifies his own strength. This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department. Tickets Sunday, September 6th 2015 | 2:30pm Southwest Theaters - Lake Creek 13729 Research Blvd #1500 Austin, Texas 78750 TICKETS NOT AVAILABLE TRAILER DIRECTOR'S PROFILE Seemaa Desai has studied advertising and ad film making and is trained semi classical dancer, started her career as assistant director at B.R films (B.R.Chopra) one of the leading production houses making feature films,celebrity ad films and pioneers in television soaps. She was assisting Mr Ravi Chopra went on to direct their daily soap Aurat and few prestigious ad films under B.R ADS BANNER. Combining her direction and dancing skills together she turned independent choreographer in 2005 and went on choreograph for film makers Madhur Bhandarkar ,Rohit Shetty ,and other known directors She directed and produced a few short films including Bolrikatputli -2007 Aambachcha -2010 AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS ‘AamBachcha’ (Winner of Global Film Children Festival Noida 2010) DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT Feeling out of place in a new school is something we have all seen or experienced at some point. In ‘Pappu Ki Pugdandi’ the protagonist goes through this universal situation and the language barrier makes matters even worse. Overcoming these hurdles and making new bonds in a strange place is a challenging task but it also helps children rediscover themselves and their special qualities and strengths. ‘Pappu Ki Pugdandi’ is about that nudge or magical touch which a child needs to bring out the unique talent that makes every child special. Pappukipugdandi gives out a message there is no substitute forhardwork and dedication. It is the only path to reach your dreams and achieve success.