2024 Pooja, Sir Narrative Feature mins 108 Texas Premiere In-Person 2024 Nepal, USA, Norway 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. Tickets AFS Cinema Director, Producer Deepak Rauniyar 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. Director: Deepak Rauniyar Producer: Deepak Rauniyar, Asha Magrati AADI FILMS (Nepal/ US), Rambabu Gurung BAASURI FILMS (Nepal), Alan R Milligan TANNAUSER GATE (Norway) Writer: Deepak Rauniyar, David Barker, Asha Magrati Cast: Asha Magrati, Nikita Chandak, Dayahang Rai, Bijay Baral, Aarti Mandal, Reecha Sharma, Ghanshyam Mishra, Parmeshwor Kumar Jha, Gaumaya Gurung, Pashupati Rai, Niraj Shrestha Editor: J. Him Lee, Alex Gurvits Crew: This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

Ajju's father is turning 90, but his memory is fading and he's lost his dentures. We follow his quest to find them. Eventive Virtual May 3 - May 5, 2024 Battisi (Dentures) India | Short 2022 | 16 mins | Hindi TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL Short Film Market Picks Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, 2023 Official Selection Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, 2023 It is a special day for Ajju: he is celebrating his father's 90th birthday. However, the latter is suffering from dementia. He continually loses his bearings, and has problems recognising his own son. While his party is ongoing, the father embarks on a solitary quest to find his dentures, presumably lost somewhere in the hotel where the celebration is taking place. For him, the hotel is a strangely familiar non-place, completely void of memories, which he wanders through in a disconcerting hallucinatory quest for his missing prosthesis. Dentures is an unusual short film which enjoys gently confusing viewers and thwarting their expectations. Guided by the wanderings of a disoriented father, the film works a discontinuous and ingenious temporality that ends up in an explosive narrative chaos. Restoration Process About the Artist Siddharth Potade is a filmmaker from Ratlam, India, who loves telling stories in different ways. He originally studied mechanical engineering but later moved to Mumbai to work in the Hindi film industry. Since 2015, he's been gaining experience as an assistant and associate director in films and commercials. Siddharth Potade's debut short film, "Dentures," a collaborative effort with co-director Nikhil Lama, made a resounding impact with its world premiere in the International Medium Length & Short FilmCompetition Section at the prestigious Visions Du Réels film festival. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Siddharth Potade & Nikhil Lama Writer: Siddharth Potade & Nikhil Lama Producer(s): Prabhav Sharma Film Editor: Parashar Naik Featured Cast: SreeRam Dive Satish Bhave Dhananjay Kanade Nirmal Kumar Devda Kamal Chiplunkar Mayuresh Bhave 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 Kamal Khan Festival Team Festival Programming Kamal Khan is a Pakistani film producer, director, and editor who found his passion for film while studying at the University of Southern California. He decided to pursue film full-time, and has since produced and directed award-winning music videos and commercials. His debut feature film "Laal Kabootar" was met with critical acclaim and was selected as Pakistan's official entry for the 92nd Academy Awards. Kamal is also known for his work with Coke Studio, including directing the most-watched Coke Studio music video of all time, "Pasoori."

Time & Location October 6, 2025 at 5:30:00 PM ACC - Highland Campus | 6101 Highland Campus Dr, Austin, TX 78752, USA About the Event Acclaimed filmmaker Onir, celebrated for redefining queer and independent cinema, joins Indie Meme for an exclusive live & in-person masterclass. Known for films that challenge conventions, spark dialogue, and resonate globally, Onir will share insights from his creative journey and inspire you to tell bold, meaningful stories. Whether you’re a filmmaker, student, or cinephile, this intimate session is not to be missed. This event is free to Indie Meme members. Thank you to ACC RTF for partnering on this event. About the Artist Born in Bhutan, Onir is an award-winning Indian filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, and editor. His landmark debut My Brother… Nikhil (2005) was one of the first mainstream Hindi films to address AIDS and same-sex relationships. In 2011, his anthology film I AM won the National Award for Best Film (Hindi), becoming one of India’s first major crowd-funded projects, exploring themes of LGBTQ+ rights, displacement, and child abuse. Recent works include Pine Cone (2024), which premiered at BFI Flare and was inspired by his memoir I Am Onir and I Am Gay (Penguin Viking), and We Are Faheem & Karun (2025), also premiering at BFI Flare. Onir additionally directed a story in the Australian anthology My Melbourne, centered on diversity and inclusion. IM Master Class Series: Breaking Boundaries in Filmmaking with Onir Acclaimed filmmaker Onir, celebrated for redefining queer and independent cinema, joins Indie Meme for an exclusive live & in-person masterclass.

Shivamma (46) is a mid-day meal cook in a village government school and the sole breadwinner. Her family is in the process of finding a groom for her daughter. Shivamma has her own affair running alongside. AFS Cinema Virtual May 3 - May 5, 2024 United States Premiere Shivamma India | Narrative Feature 2022 | 104 mins | Kannada Recorded Q&A with Filmmaker Jaishankar Aryar TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL New Currents award, Busan International Film Festival, Busan, Shivamma (46), a mother of two and the wife of an ailing bedridden husband, works as a government school mid-day meal cook in a small village. She is the only active working member of her family. Her entire family is in the process of finding a suitable groom for her daughter, though she has her own affair running alongside. Shivamma is introduced to a nutritional product and, looking at it miraculously bettering her husband condition, she tries to explore it further and learns about its network marketing scheme and its financial benefits. Getting highly inspired at a motivational event, she decides to take the risk of setting up her own nutritional club, putting everything at stake. But one unfortunate event derails all her attempts and also threatens her daughter’s wedding. Despite all the opposition and the blame from her own family, Shivamma’s determination stays unaltered. Restoration Process About the Artist Jaishankar is a Filmmaker and an IT engineer from Bangalore, India. “Shivamma” is his debut feature film which was a part of NFDC Film Bazaar Work- in-Progress lab 2022 where it won the Prasad Lab DI Award and Movie buff Appreciation Award. His short film “Lacchavva” won special mention at Mumbai international film festival 2020. It also won Toto awards 2020, Best film in Bangalore international short film festival 2019 and many other awards. The Short film is part of a Kannada anthology “Kathasangama” (available on amazon prime). Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Jaishankar Aryar Writer: Jaishankar Aryar Producer(s): Rishab Shetty Film Editor: Chandancm Featured Cast: Sharanamma Chetti, Chennamma Abbegere, Shruthi Kondenahalli, Shivu Abbegere 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.

While 45 year old @Kalatmakabita is enjoying her newly found fame on tiktok, her teen daughter, @Princessxorimoh, also a micro- influencer is embarrassed by her mother’s social media persona. Filmocracy Virtual April 28 - May 1, 2023 Felt Cute Might Delete Later Nepal | Short 2023 | 12 mins | Nepali, English TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL While 45 year old @Kalatmakabita is enjoying her newly found fame on tiktok, her teen daughter, @Princessxorimoh, also a micro- influencer is embarrassed by her mother’s social media persona. Restoration Process About the Artist The film was conceptualized by Swati Regmi, participant of the ‘stories we tell workshop” conducted in Nepalgunj. Swati’s story was selected out of 6 workshop participants. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Swati Regmi Writer: Sahara Sharma Producer(s): Film Editor: Featured Cast: Swati Regmi, Rabita Regmi 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.

2023 Last Days of Summer Short Boti mins 15 Virtual 2023 India Drama A recurring mysterious sound from Himalaya mountains is only heard by two curious young shepherds. Unable to convince the villagers of the worrying nature of such sound, they journey into the unknown to unravel the mystery. Official Selection of the Rotterdam International Film Festival (IFFR), INTERFILM Berlin, & the Dharamshala International Film Festival Tickets 5/3/24, 11:00 AM Eventive Writer/Director/Producer Stenzin Tankong Born in 1990, Stenzin Tankong is a Film & Television graduate from the Symbiosis Centre of Media and Communication. He’s a director and scriptwriter from Ladakh. He has been working on motion pictures for about five years now, and his one aim is to bring the stories of his people and culture onto the world platform. LAST DAYS OF SUMMER is his first professional film. Director: Stenzin Tankong Producer: Flore Cavigneaux, Jérôme Blesson Stenzin Tankong, Urgain Phunts Writer: Jigmet Wangchuk Cast: Tsewang Chodak, Stanzin Thupstan , Padma Angmo Editor: Crew: Andrea Boccadoro, Bigyna Dahal, Gilles Bénardeau This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom Bhutan | undefined undefined | undefined | undefined TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL Restoration Process About the Artist Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Writer: Producer(s): Film Editor: 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.

April 24, 2026 at 5:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Texas Premiere Shape of Momo India 2025 Hybrid Q&A with writer-director Tribeny Rai and writer-editor Kislay TICKETS BUY A BADGE Busan International Film Festival (Vision Section) - Songwon Vision Award and Taipei Film Commission Award Kolkata International Film Festival - Best Film Singapore International Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Jury & Audience Choice Award - Indie Meme Film Festival 2026 Bishnu, 32, returns to her ancestral Himalayan village after quitting her city job, only to face mounting family pressures and rigid societal expectations. Awaiting her are her grandmother, who hopes her son will return from Dubai; her mother, eager to see Bishnu settled and married and her pregnant sister Junu, who has come seeking refuge due to tensions at her in-laws’ home. As old conflicts resurface with Junu’s arrival and a tentative relationship develops with Gyan, a “suitable” local architect, Bishnu is caught between tradition and her desire for independence. Navigating this fragile web of expectations and defiance, she must choose whether to conform or forge her own path. Restoration Process Film restoration process Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation About the Artist Tribeny Rai is a filmmaker from Sikkim. Her work explores female experience within the layered landscapes of the Eastern Himalayas. ‘Shape of Momo’ is her debut feature. --- Kislay is a freelance filmmaker and alumnus of Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He has made the feature Aise Hee (Just Like That) and three shorts and co-written the much acclaimed ‘Soni’ (directed by lvan Ayr). Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Tribeny Rai Writer: Kislay Tribeny Rai Producer(s): Dalley Khorsani Productions Kathkala Films Film Editor: Anil Aalayam Kislay Featured Cast: Gaumaya Gurung Pashupati Rai Shyamashree Sherpa Bhanu Maya Rai Rahul Mukhia Thank you to our community partners for this screening!

In a Himalayan school, the lives of a fifteen-year-old boy and a widowed vice principal quietly intertwine after he’s bullied for cross-dressing in a folk dance. April 22, 2026 at 6:15:00 PM AFS Cinema Texas Premiere Hills Don't Dance Alone India | Short 2025 | 24 mins | Hindi, Pahari Live Q&A with lead actor Sangeeta Agrawal Followed by the film Vimukt (In Search of the Sky) TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival Mosiac International South Asian Film Festival - Best International Short TOTO Awards 2026 - Best Short film At a school in the Himalayas, fifteen-year-old Sachin is bullied for cross-dressing in a folk dance performance. Anju, the middle-aged vice principal of the school, steps in, but it unravels more than she anticipated. As both quietly navigate their secret struggles, their lives begin to intertwine, forming a bond that neither can name but both need. Restoration Process About the Artist Shubham Negi is a poet, writer, and director from Himachal Pradesh. He was one of the winners of Netflix and Film Companion's TakeTen grant in 2024, through which he made his debut short film 'Hills Don't Dance Alone', which had its world premiere at the Academy-Award qualifying Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival in competition. It went on to screen at Tasveer, and emerged the winner of Best International Short at MISAFF ‘25. It is having its Indian Premiere at the Kolkata People’s Film Festival in Jan ‘26. His feature 'Soma Helang' was selected to be a part of the NFDC Co-Production Market 2024. The same project was developed through his fellowship at the Writer’s Ink Lab and emerged as one of the winners, securing him a mentorship from Vikramaditya Motwane (Udaan, Un Certain Regard, Cannes). He is also a two-time fellow of the QueerFrames Screenwriting Lab. His short film script ‘Makeup Room’ won the QDrishti short film grant 2025 at the Kashish Queer Film Festival and is currently in preproduction. It is being produced by Neeraj Churi (Cactus Pears), Vikramaditya Motwane, Yashasvi Juyal, among others. His short documentary ‘How Much Space Does a Firefly Take?’ won the Nagari Short Film Production Grant and is streaming on YouTube. His web show ‘Tuition’ was an official selection at the SWA Pitch Fest ‘25 and CineVesture Film Market ‘25. He also worked as a writing intern on Black Warrant's Season 2. In 2024, Netflix sent him to the Busan International Film Festival as a part of its Fund for Creative Equity cohort. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Shubham Negi Writer: Shubham Negi Producer(s): Udit Raj Somani Anupama Chopra Neeraj Churi Shubham Negi Film Editor: Amit Kulkarni Udit Raj Somani Featured Cast: Sangeeta Agrawal Tanishq Chaudhary Palvi Jaswal 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.

During a politically unstable time, a young girl tries to escape Yangon by relying on her friend. However, things may not work out as planned. Eventive Virtual May 3 - May 5, 2024 See-zar Tain (Evening Clouds) Myanmar | Short 2022 | 18 mins | Burmese TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL Singapore International Film Festival - Singapore, Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival - India, Mini Kino Film Week - Indonesia, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival Since their factory closed down, San Kyi (18) and her close friend Theint Theint Oo (25) are out of work. San was set up for an arranged marriage by her mother, but since Theint planned to return to her hometown to work, San decided to run away with her. But can the two rely on one another in their plan? Restoration Process About the Artist Aung Phyoe is a writer, director and film editor. He was born in Pakokku, Upper Myanmar. He is a B.Eng graduate from Nanyang Technological University Singapore, where he developed a strong interest in cinema entering the cinema club at the university. He also began to take film classes and attend screenings at the Film Society in Singapore, which reinforced his passion for cinema. Later, he earned a Diploma in Editing from Mumbai-based film school, Whistling Woods International. His first short film ''Seasonal Rain'' was screened for Open Doors Screening at 71 st Locarno Film Festival and he edited a feature film ''Murder on the Road to Kathmandu'' (2018). In 2018, he participated in the Autumn Meeting's Director Workshop mentored by Tran Anh Hung. His second short film ''Cobalt Blue'' was selected to Pardi di domani - International Competition at 72nd Locarno Film Festival, which became the first Myanmar short film to be selected for competition. His feature film project "Fruit Gathering'' won the Main Jury Prize at Myanmar Script Fund (2017), the Autumn Meeting's Grand Prix in Vietnam (2018) and CNC Development Prize at Locarno's Open Doors Hub (2020). In 2018, he co-founded ''3-ACT Cinema Magazine': which promotes film education and national cinematic heritage and is actively involved in the Myanmar Independent film scene. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Aung Phyoe Writer: Aung Phyoe Producer(s): Thu Thu Shein Thaiddhi Claire Marquet Vit Janecek Claire Marquet Vit Janecek Film Editor: Thu Thu Shein Featured Cast: Nandar Myat Aung Thiri May Thu May Paing Soe Mg Bhone 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.

 A lonely laundry worker from the suburbs of Kolkata finds companionship in an unclaimed red dress, which triggers memories from the past. Back to Festival Program U.S. Premiere Laali India I 35 mins I Drama I 2020 I Hindi w/ English subtitles A lonely laundryman from the suburbs of Calcutta finds companionship in an unclaimed red dress, which triggers esoteric memories from the past. Featuring perennial favorite actor Panjak Tripathi (Gangs of Wasseypur , Mango Dreams, Newton) in the leading role, alongside rising star Ekavali Khanna (What Will People Say , Veere Di Wedding), the film is an atmospheric, masterfully performed tale of memory, loneliness, and the ache of other, possible lives. In it's short running time, Laali will will 'tug the unknown strings of your heart"(Indian Express) with it's unusual yet carefully unravaled tale of the connection that ensues between a man and a dress. + S creens in SHORTS PROGRAM 3: In Your Head GET YOUR FESTIVAL BADGE VIRTUAL PREMIERE : SAT. APRIL 24 - 4:00PM CT About the Artist Abhiroop Basu is an award-winning director and screenwriter based out of Calcutta, India. A student of South Point High School and St. Xavier's College Calcutta, Abhiroop went on to study at the prestigious Prague Film School in the Czech Republic. His award-winning shorts include AFTERNOON WITH JULIA, THE PAPERMAN, and THIS IS WHEN WE FIRST MET, which went on to win accolades overseas. His recent short, MEAL (starring Adil Hussain) earned great acclaim and won Best Actor & Best Screenplay at the Pune Int'l Film Festival. LAALI has it's premiere at the prestigious Dharamshala International Film Festival. Thank you to our community partner(s) for this screening: the Austin Film Society, and the Austin Film Commission! Credits Crew Writer/Director: ABHIROOP BASU DOP : DEEP METKAR Producer(s): ABHIROOP BASU AAKASH GHOSHAL SUSHILA JAIN SHIREESHA KADIYALA SAMIR SARKAR MADHU SINGHEE Exec. Producer: TUSHAR TYAGI Screenplay: ABHIROOP BASU KUNAL MITRA Art Direction: RANAJIT GHORAI Cast: PANKAJ TRIPATHI EKAVALI KHANNA Associate Director: KUNAL MITRA Chief Asst. Director: SREECHETA DAS Sound : JUGAL BAG KINKINI DEB AAKASH GHOSHAL KALESH LAKSHMANAN ANINDIT ROY Music Editor: AAKASH GHOSHAL Costume Stylist : AMRITA MITRA VIJAYA KUMARI Production Companies: YouthInMotion Pictures Owlz Neck Studio