Ugyen, a reluctant young teacher, just wants to finish his final year of service and move to Australia to pursue music. But when he's assigned to the world's most remote village school, he must reconsider his path and ties to his homeland. Back to Festival Program Sun. April 16th @ 10:30AM AFS Cinemas Texas Premiere 1/1 WHILE WE WATCHED United Kingdom I 94 mins I Documentary I 2022 English, Hindi w/ English subtitles BUY TICKETS * Virtual Q&A with director Vinay Shukla Winner of the prestigious TIFF Amplify Voices Award, The Busan Cinephile Award '22, & the Sabeen Mahmud Award for Courage in Fil mmaking '23 (MISAFF). A Special Presentation of DOC NYC Nominated for 'Political Film of the Year (Cinema For Peace '23), 'Right to Know Competition' (One World International Human Rights Documentary Festival), & 'Activist Documentary Award' (The Hague Movies That Matter '23) 'Best International Documentary' Winner - DocPoint Helsinki, 2023 The primetime Indian TV Journalist, Ravish Kumar, is in trouble. Famous for unflinching takedowns of the ruling establishment, his nerves have begun to fray as the Indian media landscape turns toward a new standard of high-decibel, polarizing, blustering TV debates. Ravi's primetime bulletins have long been valued for solid research, verified evidence, and a sharp commentary with a touch of rustic sass. Yet, as press freedom further deteriorates, Ravish finds himself at the receiving end of harassment, intimidation, threats to his life, and even violence against his family. With a growing target on his back, and the looming issue of his network’s imminent closure, Ravish transforms from a spunky troublemaker into a deeply troubled man, worried for himself, his family, and the soul of his nation. About the Artist Vinay Shukla is a filmmaker, producer, and leading figure in the Indian documentary landscape. His debut feature, the non- fiction political thriller, AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN (co-directed with Khushboo Ranka) was internationally acclaimed, set a new anti-censorship precedent, and went on to become the most theatrically successful documentary film in India. His short BUREAUCRACY SONATA (2011), won the HBO 'Best Short Film' Award at the 2012 South Asian International Film Festival. His work has attracted distinguished partnerships with Sundance, DocSociety, NFDC India, Asian Network of Documentaries, IDFA, and IDFA Bertha. His films have been celebrated at Warsaw Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, BFI London, Sheffield Doc/Fest, among other leading world festivals. Vinay also produced the globally renowned political strategy board games 'SHASN’, and its sequel, ‘SHASN: AZADI’. Vinay’s highly-anticipated second feature film, ‘While We Watched’ - a non-fiction newsroom drama - is premiering at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Thank you to our community partner for this screening! Credits Crew Writer/Director: Vinay Shukla Producer(s): Vinay Shukla Khushboo Ranka Luke W. Moody Exec. Producers: Jess Search Maxyne Franklin Beadie Finzi Vijay Vaidyanathan Cinematography: Amaan Shaikh Vinay Shukla Film Editor: Abhinav Tyagi Cast : Ravish Kumar Sushil Mohapatra Swarolipi Sengupta Sushil Bahuguna Saurabh Shukla Deepak Chaubey Writing Credits: Reshma Ramachandran Amaan Shaikh Vinay Shukla Abhinav Tyagi Sound: Renganaath Ravee Bibin Dev Music by: Joaquin Garcia

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Jaalgedi takes her family's animals, to pastures outside her remote village. However, the arrival of a white tourist sends shockwaves among the children of the village. Khujli India | 15min | Hindi with English subtitles 4/21/18, 8:15 pm GET TICKETS SYNOPSIS What happens when Girdharilal and Roopmati decide to scratch a 25-year-old itch? Secret desires come out, hidden fantasies are revealed, long-lost fire is rekindled, and things can't help but get a little...kinky. STILLS KHUJLI-a-TTT-short-film-ft.-Jackie-Shroff-Neena-Gupta download maxresdefault

Kadvi Hawa (Dark Wind) is a powerful and heartrending drama that captures the very real threat of climate change. Kadvi Hawa 95 minutes / India / Hindi with English subtitles GET TICKETS DFW Jan 25th; AUS Feb 11th 2018 GET TICKETS TICKETS AVAILABLE at the venue (AlamoDrafthouse, Village) from 3pm Once famous for farming, the people of the Mahua region have forgotten the earthy scent of rainfall on their soil. Erratic and receding rainfall has led many farmers into debt traps set out as loans offered by banks. Unable to grow food grain anymore and to escape repayments, the only way out is sacrificing their own life and committing suicide. In Dark Wind, the blind father of a farmer fears his depressed son may do the same. Ruthless in his ways to repossess loans, a bank agent arrives with a growing list of suicides attributed to him. People call him a ‘god of death’. The father finds his son’s life threatened by the failure of his crops and the mounting pressure of bank repayment. Each wanting to save their own family, they end up helping one another. Human emotions take over inhuman realities of climate change. Embroiled together, their fates tremble under the pressure of two extreme weather conditions. Dark Wind is not just fiction - it’s an eye-opening portrayal of the suffering of people and it is a wake-up call for the society still unprepared to face the consequences of their actions on climate change. Interested in screening this in your hometown? Write to us Tickets TRAILER AUSTIN SCREENING Sunday, Feb 11th 2018 | 3:15 - 5:15 PM Alamo Drafthouse 2700 W Anderson Ln, Suite #701, Austin, Texas 78757 TICKETS AVAILABLE at the venue (AlamoDrafthouse, Village) from 3pm If the ticket widget does not load, please click here . DFW SCREENING Thursday, Jan 25th 2018 | 7:15 - 9:15 PM Angelika Film Center & Café, Plano, TX *** If the ticket widget does not load, click here *** SALE ENDED COMMUNITY PARTNERS MEDIA PARTNERS DIRECTOR Nila Madhab Panda His first iconic feature film, the highly acclaimed ‘I am Kalam’, has won 32 International awards, one national award. Amongst the most prestigious he won Viewers’ Choice award at IFFLA, People's Choice Award at the Montreal, Best Feature Film and best director award in California, Most Prestigious “The Don Quixote Prize” of the ICCF at Germany, Best film at Frankfurt and Bronze Cairo, The Prize of the International Center of Films For Children & Young People, Best film from the Indian Panorama by the Young Jury at the IFFI, Goa, Best Debut Director Aravindam Purashkaram, and many more. His second feature film “Jalpari”, about female feticide and gender equality, was also well received by audience and was highly acclaimed. It received the prestigious, MIP Junior award at Cannes. His third feature film “Babloo Happy Hai”, was well received, based on Youths and HIV/AIDS. It was also well appreciated by audience and critics in India. His new film “Kaun Kitney paani main, a satire on water crisis in India released last August. The film is highly critically acclaimed. The film talks about the current scenario & how water will become a scarce currency unless we save and manage it. Cast: Sanjay Mishra, Ranvir Shorey, Tilottama Shome and Bhupesh Story and director: Nila Madhab Panda Writer : Nitin Dixit DOP : Ramanuj Dutta Music : Mangesh Dhakde Editor : Jabeen Merchant Sound: Kamod Kharade Producer: Akhshay Kumar Parija, Nila madhab Panda and Manish Mundra Producing company: Akshay Parija Productions and Eleanora

"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 DONATE TO NEPAL 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.

The Threshold details one day in the life of a couple who have been married over two decades. Eventive Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase The Threshold India | Narrative Feature 2015 | 87 mins | Hindi, English ORIGINAL FILM PAGE WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. The Threshold details one day in the life of a couple who have been married over two decades. On this day, the day after their newly married son, and the guests from his wedding party, have left, the wife informs her husband that she is leaving him. For good. Presented with this fait accompli, two people on the verge of an idyllic retirement are forced to confront the truth of their marriage, without the masks. Even as the couple tries to get to the heart of the matter, they find the big questions of their lives beyond their grasp. They are two people, isolated in a house in the hills, preparing for the harsh Himalayan winter, trying to find themselves one last time. This film was an opportunity to explore a corner of our world that never makes it onto screen. The people we don’t normally notice. The people who are always at the edges of the family photograph. Except we know these people. They are our aunts and uncles. They are our parents. They are our grandparents. We will become them. It was an opportunity to examine an existential crisis: The unraveling of the idea of the ideal Indian marriage all of us are familiar with. 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 Pushan Kriplani is a cinematographer and a theater director. He graduated with a degree in English literature and earned his Master’s in Film and TV production from the University of Bristol, with a sprecialization in Cinematography. He has worked on over thirty productions for the stage and for the radio, in capacities ranging from director to actor to designer, musician and producer. He is a founder member of the industrial theater co. As a cinematograpger, he has filmed several features, as well as commercials, documentaries and shorts, working with Shyam Benegal, Ram Madhvani and Zafar Hai, amongst others, as well as for National Geographic, Discovery and the BBC. He has also directed six documentary shorts. He lives and works in Mumbai, India. This is his first feature film as director. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Pushan Kriplani Writer: Nihaarika Negi with Neena Gupta Rajit Kapur Pushan Kriplani Producers: Vishal Dhandhia Akshat Shah Film Editor: Pradip Patil Featured Cast: Neena Gupta Rajit Kapur Dhanendra Kawade 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 tale of love, loss, and cloaked secrets centered on the lives of three women in Pakistan, including a young married woman drawn to a mysterious man who saved her life. Streaming April 28-May 1st, 2023 On Filmocracy Back to Festival Program 1/6 KAMLI Pakistan I 130 mins I Drama I 2022 I Urdu w/ English subtitles WATCH ONLINE 'Best Actress' - Indus Valley International Film Festival (IVIFF) Official Selection of Rotterdam (IFFR) A young married woman, living with her blind sister-in-law, has been waiting eight years for her husband to return home. One day, she nearly drowns but is rescued by a mysterious wanderer named Amaltas, putting her in a dilemma between her husband and her savior. A tale of love, loss, and hidden secrets centered on Pakistani women. About the Artist Sarmad Sultan Khoosat is a Pakistani director, actor, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his feature film, MANTO, which received tremendous critical acclaim locally & internationally. With a career spanning 20+ years, Sarmad has directed some of Pakistan’s most celebrated TV series, such as Humsafar and Shehr-e-Zaat. Films Khoosat has directed and produced have been awarded at renowned festivals from Cannes to Jaipur, Toronto, Busan, and the UK Asian Film Festival. In 2016, he was awarded the prestigious President of Pakistan’s Pride of Performance Award for his outstanding contribution to Pakistan’s Film & TV industry. Trailer Credits Crew Director: Sarmad Sultan Khoosat Screenwriter: Fatimah Sattar Producer(s): Kanwal Khoosat Cinematographer: Awais Gohar Film Editor: Saim Sadiq Nadeem Abbas Art Direction: Majyd Bayg Iram Sana Featured Cast: Saba Qamar Sania Saeed Nimra Bucha Hamza Khawaja Omair Rana Adeel Afzal Music by: Izzat Majeed Saad Sultan Costume Designer: Usama Khan Jalandhar Hair & Make-up: Madiha Qaiser

The 2018 Indie Meme Film Festival is right around the corner! Check out dates, schedules, Films - and get your tickets today! SCHEDULE FILMS ATTEND YOUTH SPONSORS ABOUT PRESS Presented by IndieMeme.org IMFF2018 Films Bhasmasur Ask The Sexpert Ribbon Angamaly Diaries Chumbak Turup ABU Barley_Fields Lock and Key Dhh 5 O Clock Shadow khujli streets-are-ours kunkoo jaalgedi Hakla Follow event on Facebook

The film is about the propagation of evil curses in the form of a beautiful ring that invokes greed. The story revolves around a simple man who stumbles upon the ring and steals it. April 12, 2025 at 12:45:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 International Premiere Ouroboros India | Short 2024 | 6 mins | N/A Followed by the film The Glassworker . TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL Birsa Munda international film awards- best horror short film 13th Mumbai shorts international film festival - best student animated film 17th jaipur international film festival - best upcoming film award The film is about the propagation of evil curses in the form of a beautiful ring that invokes greed. The story revolves around a simple man who stumbles upon the ring and steals it. Restoration Process About the Artist Animation Film student at Satyajit Ray film and television institute of India, writer, director, animator, CS Engineer. I make 2d animations and dabble with all aspects of an animated film production pipeline from writing to storyboarding to actual animation and post. A story teller striving to show the world things never seen before! Bringing to light all that shrouded in the realm of thoughts! Films inspire perspectives in me, molded me in more ways than one, perhaps a film can change the world for the better! Ever since I can remember, drawing and doing crafty things with my hands has been a lot of fun and a huge part of my identity. I have dabbled in all kinds of art techniques, from oil paintings to sculptures, from making posters to graphic design, But my life as an artist truly began the day when for the first time I made an animation, seeing my drawings living and breathing, I knew that I wanted more. I wouldn't have known it at the time that it would forever change me. The medium of storytelling has helped me to identify my ultimate goal as an artist- to move the masses for the better. Films and art have a profound effect on the masses, it has the power to bring about real change, like it did with me. I feel that if a story can bring about change from within an individual, perhaps it can change the world for the better as well! I put my heart and soul to every artwork I create. Every film I make, every time my drawings come to life, it always has elements that are a reflection of my own deepest inner self. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Anuj Choudhary Writer: Anuj Choudhary Producer(s): Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute 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.

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 FILMS The 10th Indie Meme Film Festival comes to Austin in-person from April 9 - 13, 2025 and is held at the Austin Film Society Cinema. The virtual festival, streaming May 2 - May 4 , 2025 will bring second screenings of many of our in-person favorites, as well as fresh virtual-exclusive feature and short programs. Narrative Features Narrative Features Boong Texas Premiere India | 2024 | Manipuri 93 mins | Lakshmipriya Devi The story centers on a young schoolboy named Boong, portrayed by Gugun Kipgen, who embarks on a journey to reunite his divided family amidst the backdrop of Manipur's socio-political unrest. Facing challenges such as racial tensions and border issues, Boong's resilience and determination drive him forward. The film delves into themes of childhood innocence, family bonds, and the impact of geopolitical divisions on personal lives. Read More Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature - IMFF 2025, Austin, USA Virtual Q&A with writer-director Lakshmipriya Devi In Theater Only Little Jaffna United States Premiere France | 2024 | French, Tamil 100 mins | Lawrence Valin The district of 'Little Jaffna' in Paris is the heart of a vibrant Tamil community, where Michael, a young police officer, is assigned to infiltrate a criminal group known for extortion and money laundering for the benefit of separatist rebels in Sri-Lanka. But as he works his way deeper into the heart of the organization, his loyalty will be tested, in a relentless pursuit against one of Paris' most hidden and powerful gangs. Read More Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature - IMFF 2025, Austin, USA Recorded Q&A with writer-director Lawrence Valin In Theater Only Puratawn (The Ancient) Austin Premiere India | 2024 | Bengali 100 mins | Suman Ghosh Rittika returns to her ancestral house with her husband Rajeev to celebrate her mother’s 80th birthday. After reaching her house she finds that her mother is not the same as she had always believed her to be. Initially jolted with this realization, she slowly comes to terms with her condition and its irreversibility. Through her mother she comes to change her perspective on life and being. What seemed like an ostensibly routine and ritualistic event turns to a larger metaphysical enquiry into human existence and how the past dictates our current state. The film deftly braids in questions of failing memory, cherishing the past, a fear of obsolescence and reconciliation into a haunting, moving story that is at its heart about burying the ghosts of the past in order to make peace with what has happened so that one can move on. Read More Best Feature film- Washington DC South Asian Film Festival Best Actress (Sharmila Tagore)- Washington DC South Asian Film Festival Best Feature Film- Indian Film Festival at Houston Recorded Q&A with writer-director Suman Ghosh In Theater Only Kennedy Special Screening India | 2023 | Hindi 144 mins | Anurag Kashyap Kennedy is an insomniac ex-cop, long though to be dead... still operating for the corrupt system, while looking for redemption. Read More 1. Festival de Cannes - France 2. Sydney Film Festival - Australia 3. Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival - South Korea (Republic of Korea) Live Q&A with writer-director Anurag Kashyap In Theater Only Manthan (The Churning) India | 1976 | Hindi 134 mins | Shyam Benegal Manthan”, a fictionalized version of the beginnings of the remarkable dairy cooperative movement that transformed India from a milk-deficient nation to the world’s largest milk producer inspired by Verghese Kurien, the Father of the White Revolution, is also India’s first crowdfunded film produced by 500,000 dairy farmers who contributed Rs. 2/- each towards the production of the film. Read More Cannes Classics 2024 Virtual Q&A with actor Naseeruddin Shah In Theater Only Sad Letters of an Imaginary Woman North America Premiere India | 2023 | Hindi 79 mins | Nidhi Saxena Nidhi (43) and her mother Meera (70) exist in a decaying ancestral house, a physical manifestation of their stagnant lives. Nidhi's childhood was marred by a traumatic event involving her father that left her emotionally isolated and perpetually melancholic. She grapples with her past by writing haunting letters to her younger self, lamenting what could have been and warning her of what awaits. Meera harbors deep regrets over an unrequited love affair that never came to fruition, a wistful yearning that compounds her sense of failure as a mother witnessing Nidhi's profound despair. Yet, a flicker of hope remains – the possibility of Nidhi finding solace. When Nidhi discovers an ancient mystical ritual that promises oblivion through vanishing, the idea takes root. Meera, in a last act of love, decides to join Nidhi on this metaphysical journey into nothingness. As mother and daughter perform the rites, the barriers between past and present dissolve. Memories bleed into the present, echoing their anguished cries long suppressed by society's expectations.On one transcendent night, enveloped in darkness, they disappear - two flightless birds finally freed from their corporeal and emotional prisons. An experimental meditation on the complex struggles women endure. Read More Virtual Only, Virtual Kherwal United States Premiere India | 2023 | Santhali, Bengali, English 122 mins | Uttam Kamati Norwegian academic Samuel passed away in an Indian tribal village, leaving behind a final wish to be buried there. Bidu, a Santhali man, is determined to honour Samuel’s last request. Meanwhile, Bidu's young son struggles with the painful realisation that his cherished dream of visiting Norway, a promise made by Samuel, may never come true. However, hope flickers anew with the arrival of Samuel’s daughter, Lauren, in the village, rekindling the boy’s aspirations and bringing new possibilities to light. Read More 29th Kolkata International Film Festival 28th International Film Festival of Kerala 2023-Best Debut Director Indian Cinema Now 16th Jaipur International Film Festival -Awarded for Best Original Script, Best Released Film, Best Cinematography, Best Actor Lead Virtual Only, Virtual Pooja, Sir Special Screening Nepal, USA, Norway | 2024 | Nepali 108 mins | Deepak Rauniyar 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. Read More Live Q&A with director Deepak Rauniyar and lead actress Asha Magrati In Theater Only The Glassworker Texas Premiere Pakistan, Spain, USA | 2024 | English, Urdu 98 mins | Usman Riaz A young, gifted Vincent and his father Tomas run the finest glass workshop in the country and find their lives upended by an approaching war in which they want no part. The arrival in their town of an army colonel and his young aspiring violinist daughter, Alliz,shakes their reality and tests the relationship between father and son. As the love develops between Vincent and Alliz, they will need to gather up their courage to confront their fathers. Read More International South Asian Film Festival of Canada Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival Hong Kong Kids International Film Festival Recorded Q&A with writer-director Usman Riaz In Theater Only Documentary Features Documentary Features Agent of Happiness Bhutan, Hungary, USA, Czech Republic | 2024 | Dzongkha, Nepali, English 94 mins | Arun Bhattarai & Dorottya Zurbó How can you measure happiness? The country of Bhutan invented Gross National Happiness to do just that, and Amber is one of the agents who travels door to door to meet people and measure how happy they really are. He is still living with his elderly mother at the age of 40, but is nevertheless a hopeless romantic who dreams of finding love: a happiness agent who is in search of his own happiness. We embark with Amber on a cross-country road trip meeting citizens from all walks of life, reminding us of the fragility and beauty of our own happiness. No matter where we live. Read More Jury and Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary - IMFF 2025, Austin, USA Sundance Film Festival 2024 71st Sydney Film Festival 2024 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 Recorded Q&A with Director Arun Bhattarai In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Land of Dreams Texas Premiere USA, India | 2025 | Punjabi, Hindi, English 40 mins | Ambarien Alqadar 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. Read More Virtual Only, Virtual And, Towards Happy Alleys United States Premiere India, Iran | 2023 | Persian, English 75 mins | Sreemoyee Singh Fascinated by Iran’s film culture and the poetic works of the feminist poet Forough Farrokhzad, Indian filmmaker Sreemoyee Singh sets out in search of the protagonists of Iranian cinema. The numerous interviews she conducts over a period of six years with filmmakers Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Shirvani, and human rights activist Nasrin Sotudeh, among others, show the precarious situation in which critics of the regime find themselves, including the constant threat of imprisonment and being banned from practicing their profession. With a keen eye for unusual situations, she documents the effect of the Islamic Republic’s strict and omnipresent censorship on the daily lives of Iranian women whose uncompromising struggle has put them at the forefront of the protests that are currently rocking the country. And, Towards Happy Alleys is a passionate declaration of love for the cinema and poetry of Iran which also provides a frank view of daily life, and bears witness to a fearless generation raising its voice and implacably demanding its civil liberties. Read More Best Film in the International Competition at BAFICI, Argentina, April 2023 Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari award for Best Debut Director at Mumbai International Film Festival, June, 2024 Best Documentary in World Cinema Festival, Calcutta, 2024 Live Q&A with director Sreemoyee Singh and lead actress Aida Mohammadkhani In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual BACK THEN - The Story of Live Music in Bombay Texas Premiere India | 2024 | English 57 mins | Anindita Dutta Roy, Abhishek Chandran '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. Read More Yellowstone International Film Festival Best Documentary Film Winner Recorded Q&A with directors Anindita Dutta Roy and Abhishek Chandran In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Shorts Program Short Films A Lazy Noon United States Premiere Bangladesh | 2025 | Bangla 15 mins | Monon Muntaka Nira, a highly educated 38-year-old woman who comes from an upper-middle-class family. Her husband is a senior executive at a corporate company, and she is a homemaker. She married with the intention of enjoying a modest and peaceful life. She was going about her regular activities. But, as time passes, she becomes increasingly aware of the emotional abuse she is subjected to. She made the decision to stand up and protect her dignity and self-worth. Read More 23rd Dhaka International Film Festival - Best Short Film Fipresci Award In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Blue North America Premiere India | 2024 | Tamil 12 mins | Praveen Kumar Nagendran A young boy persuades a fisherman to take him out to sea. Once there, he reveals his true intentions, sparking the fisherman’s anger. The film leaves us wondering whether the boy ultimately succeeds in his plan. Read More Special prize from Arctic Open International Film Festival 2024, Russia In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Da'Lit Kids International Premiere India | 2024 | Malayalam 6 mins | Appu Soman A school boy being questioned by his teacher- his first bitter lesson in social discrimination. As he struggles to understand this silent injustice, he begins to see the world through new, questioning eyes. Read More In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Fragments of Us World Premiere USA | 2024 | Telugu, English 24 mins | Sushanth Nallapareddy Fragments of Us follows Drithi and Arjun, a south asian couple navigating the intricate challenges of love, marriage, and self-discovery. As cultural expectations and personal ambitions collide, they confront the fragile nature of their bond through a non-linear narrative that reveals defining moments from their past, present, and possible future. Each fragment of their journey invites reflection on whether there is ever a "right" time to address issues within a relationship, or if it ultimately comes down to resilience and choice. Read More In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Lost. Texas Premiere USA | 2024 | N/A 9 mins | Rohit Battepati 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. Read More Hyperreal Film Club Official Selection, Reale Film Festival - Best Super Short, Tamizhagam International Film Festival - Best Actor In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Pyaar Andaaz (Love Undoes) International Premiere India | 2024 | English, Hindi 6 mins | Laksh Banthia A man tries to keep himself together as he waits in a university canteen for his beloved from yesteryear. "Pyaar Andaaz" is a short experience attempting to capture the ephemeral nature of love and human connection in a single continuous take. Read More In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Taak North America Premiere India | 2024 | Hindi 40 mins | Udit Khurana When a security breach shakes the foundations of a Delhi nightclub, the management enforces a new policy: mandatory tracking smartwatches for all staff members. Senior among the staff is Shalini, a bouncer who is a single mother. They are told that the smartwatches are tools for safety and efficiency. However, the watches soon reveal a darker purpose—constant surveillance. As the smartwatches begin to intrude on personal lives, harvesting data and controlling movements, the nightclub faces opposition from Komal - a young recruit from Shalini’s village who is extremely resistant to wearing the smartwatch. Berated for her team’s incompetence, Shalini must ensure that her colleagues wear the smartwatch or face severe consequences. In a world where every move is tracked, Shalini and Komal’s fight becomes one of autonomy, dignity, and the right to be unseen. Read More Film Critics Guild's Critic's Choice Award for Best Actress MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, Dharamshala International Film Festival, FILMKUNSTFEST MV (Germany) Virtual Only, Virtual Waterman United States Premiere India | 2023 | Marathi, Kannada 24 mins | Vishwas K In a low-income neighborhood in Pune, 'Kitty', an eight-year-old boy, lives with his mother 'Saroja' amidst severe water shortages. During Kitty's summer vacation, Kitty fills his days playing with his imaginary friend while Saroja struggles to manage household tasks and water collection alone, due to her husband's absence. Their neighbor Gullamma suggests Kitty should grow-up quickly to help his mother. Meantime Kitty becomes intrigued after encountering a stiltwalker and playing with Gullamma's son, Dasthgir. He convinces Dasthgir to get him a pair of stilts. Later, Kitty discovers that whenever he walks on stilts, all the taps around him start running with water. When he shares this news with other people, he gets laughed at. His own mother gives him a scolding. Angered, Kitty runs away but is found and brought back home by Dasthgir. Saroja reassures Kitty that they will use his ability to bring water to the neighborhood. Soon after, in the middle of the night, stilts emerge from Saroja's house, and wherever Kitty's shadow passes, taps and containers start running with water, flooding the lanes and roads. Kitty continues to walk as his stilts echoes through the neighborhood. Read More 16th IDSFFK - Best Film Award in Short Fiction Category 14th Bengaluru International Short Film Festival 2024 - 1st Runner Up in Kannada category Virtual Only, Virtual Aloo Poori Texas Premiere USA | 2025 | English, Hindi 13 mins | Aditi Sridhar 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. Read More Chicago South Asian Film Festival Red Rose International Film Festival Planet Female Global StoryFest (Best Student Film) In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Chashma International Premiere India | 2024 | Hindi 20 mins | Nitin Baid An 11-year-old boy with poor vision must confront more than his physical limitations when a school conflict forces him to make a difficult decision. Set against the backdrop of 1992 amidst India's rising sociopolitical tensions, Supriyo's journey boldly explores the emotional and societal blind spots around him. Read More In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Dadresi (The Claimant) Texas Premiere Iran | 2024 | Persian 20 mins | Nadereh Sadatserki “Claimant" is about a father who discovers that his teenage daughter was assaulted and raped, so he decides to confront and punish the rapist, but since the culprit is a very proficient lawyer he uses laws in a way that he not only escapes from justice but also legally make the father the criminal. Read More Fajr International Film Festival, Iran - Winner Best Short Film Tehran International Short Film Festival, Iran - Winner Best Direction Accolade Global Film Competition, United States - Winner Best Woman Filmmaker Virtual Only, Virtual Hema Texas Premiere USA, India | 2024 | Hindi, English 16 mins | Ritvik Dhavale 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. Read More San Francisco Frozen Film Festival (SFFFF) PROOF Film Festival - Gold Jury Award Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) - Audience Choice Award In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Nirmalya Texas Premiere USA | 2024 | Marathi, English 18 mins | Aniket Chandrakant Dhavale An Indian family in the USA is confronted with a difficult decision regarding the future of their newborn child. What choice will they make, and what factors will influence their decision? Read More In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Smoke Cheyyaku Bro (Don't Smoke Bro) Austin Premiere USA | 2024 | Telugu 13 mins | Prithvi Raj Karredula Anirudh, devastated by job loss, finds comfort in the advice of gas station clerk Sai Santosh. But when a seemingly innocent whistled tune triggers a sudden emotional outburst, the night takes an unexpected turn. Read More Audience Choice Award for Best Short - IMFF 2025, Austin, USA Oakcliff International Film Festival, Dallas Dallas International Film Festival Shorts, Dallas In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual The First Film Texas Premiere India | 2023 | Hindi 19 mins | Piyush Thakur In a small town in 1960s India, deep-rooted in orthodox traditions, cinema is believed to corrupt young minds, and women are forbidden to watch films. Devi, a 14-year-old girl, is obsessed with films and dreams of watching one in a theater. Her neighbor, Mohan, a 14-year-old mute cinephile boy, narrates stories from his favorite films to her at night. When an unforeseen incident shakes their world, Devi has one last chance to pursue her dream. The First Film celebrates friendship, courage, and the magic of cinema. Read More Audience Choice Award for Best Short - IMFF 2025, Austin, USA Festival de Cortos de Bogotá - BOGOSHORTS Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival South Asian Film Festival of Montréal – Montréal In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual An Orphanage of Memories Austin Premiere India | 2024 | Kashmiri 21 mins | Rayit Hashmat Qazi 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. Read More Tasveer Film Festival Jakarta Film Week - Winner (Global Short Award) Izmit International Short Film Festival (Finalist) Virtual Only, Virtual Cowboys and Hindus World Premiere USA | 2025 | English 16 mins | Tejal Desai A depressed, affluent, middle aged Hindu woman, ASHA, accompanies her domineering husband to a Texas cattle ranch. While there, she befriends a cattle woman who takes the Hindu woman under her wing and teaches her all about cowboy culture. Asha soon finds purpose on the ranch and in her life. She discovers the meaning of true American grit. Read More In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Flowering Man North America Premiere India | 2023 | Hindi 24 mins | Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar In The Flowering Man, a middle-aged man experiences an inexplicable transformation when a delicate flowering plant begins to sprout from his mouth. As the phenomenon takes hold, he struggles to understand its significance while navigating his relationship with his teenage daughter. What begins as a surreal affliction soon becomes a profound metaphor for growth, acceptance, and the silent emotions that often go unspoken between loved ones. Through striking visuals and an evocative narrative, the film explores themes of metamorphosis, human connection, and the quiet resilience found in embracing change. Read More "Paridrishya" International Festival of Short Films and Documentaries Karnataka Symbiosis Film Festival International Festival for Short Documentary & Fiction Films- Best Director Award in the Short Fiction category JIO MAMI year Round Programme, Goa Virtual Only, Virtual Lost in Concrete Woods World Premiere USA | 2025 | Telugu 24 mins | Pruthvi Teja Anumandla Ram, an ambitious man consumed by his routine, oblivious to the world around him. When he gets locked out of his home on a freezing night, he is forced to navigate an unfamiliar reality—one without comfort, technology, or control. As the long night unfolds, every passing hour presents new challenges—physical, emotional, and existential. Unexpected encounters and moments of isolation begin to shift his perspective, nudging him toward a realization that had always been waiting in the shadows. Read More In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Ouroboros International Premiere India | 2024 | N/A 6 mins | Anuj Choudhary The film is about the propagation of evil curses in the form of a beautiful ring that invokes greed. The story revolves around a simple man who stumbles upon the ring and steals it. Read More Birsa Munda international film awards- best horror short film 13th Mumbai shorts international film festival - best student animated film 17th jaipur international film festival - best upcoming film award In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know India | 2023 | Kannada 15 mins | Chidananda S Naik 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. Read More 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 In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Virundhu (The Feast) Texas Premiere India | 2024 | Tamil 25 mins | Rishi Chandna A fisherwoman takes on a powerful local politician by hosting a feast for him using an unforgettable secret dish that could save her dying lake. Read More Jury Award for Best Short - IMFF 2025, Austin, USA Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, February 2024, World Premiere - Special Jury Prize Winner, International Competition Sydney Film Festival, June 2024 In Theater & Virtual, In Theater, Virtual Retrospective Showcase In honor of Indie Meme Film Festival's 10th anniversary, we are bringing back audience favorites for our virtual festival May 2 - 4, 2025! Aunty Sudha Aunty Radha India | 2019 | Hindi 49 mins | Tanuja Chandra 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. Read More Madrid International Film Festival – Spain JIO MAMI 21st Mumbai Film Festival New York Indian Film Festival – NY Virtual Only, Virtual In Flames Pakistan,Canada | 2023 | Urdu 98 mins | Zarrar Kahn Mariam lives with her younger brother and their mother, Fariha, in a tiny apartment in Karachi. When Mariam’s maternal grandfather passes, his brother tries to manipulate them into signing over their apartment to him, a common occurrence in Pakistan, where women’s property rights are fragile. Mariam’s mother, grieving and isolated, is easy to influence. Mariam, distraught by her mother’s foolishness, finds solace in a secret romance with a fellow student, Asad. When their relationship takes an unexpected turn, Mariam becomes consumed by nightmares. Meanwhile, her mother, caught between her coercive Uncle and a murky legal system, is oblivious to her daughter’s deteriorating mental state. Mariam’s nightmares begin to bleed into reality. Mother and daughter must come together if they hope to overcome the real and phantasmal forces that threaten to engulf them. Read More Golden Yusr at Red Sea FF, TIFF, Cannes Virtual Only, Virtual Pebbles India | 2021 | Tamil 75 mins | Vinothraj P S A hot-tempered alcoholic father drags his reticent son to a distant village to fetch back his wife whom he had chased away. But when the encounter turns ugly, the journey home through unforgiving Tamil Nadu barrens is fraught with the sweat and smudge of the deserted terrain where the land and human emotions lay brazenly palpable in the scorching heat. Read More Winner of the 'Tiger Award' at the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam 2021, Netherlands, held in February 2021 Winner of the PREMIO SNCCI “Best Feature Film” adjudged by the National Syndicate of Italian Film Critics at ShorTS International Film Festival 2021, Italy held in July 2021 Winner of the 'Audience Award' at Burgas International Film Festival 2021, Bulgaria held in July 2021 Virtual Only, Virtual Turup India | 2017 | Hindi 72 mins | Ektara Collective In the neighbourhood, chess is a popular pass time 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. Read More Virtual Only, Virtual Barah x Barah (12x12) India | 2021 | Hindi 118 mins | Gaurav Madan Sooraj is the last remaining death photographer at the burning banks of Manikarnika in Banaras. Kashi, one of the most ancient towns in the world, is undergoing a cosmetic facelift. Old heritage is being demolished to build beautified modern structures. The death photographer is going through the same ordeal as the town. People aren’t availing his services thanks to the advent of fancy smartphones with exquisite cameras. Sooraj has an ailing father, a beautiful caring wife and a young son whom he wants to keep away from the burning banks. He is struggling to make ends meet but still isn’t giving up on dummies. There are many who capture the living but only a few who click the departed. Unable to sight a future for his family in Banaras Sooraj is forced to look for greener pastures beyond the singed banks of Manikarnika. He knows he is a migrant amidst a great many migrants in this ancient town stuck in time bubble.Life will soon give him a chance to experience death and yet another shot at life as well! Read More IFFK, Kerala 2021 Shanghai International Film Festival 2021 IFF Stuttgart 2021 Virtual Only, Virtual Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom Bhutan | 2019 | Dzongkha 109 mins | Pawo Choyning Dorji A reluctant young teacher, Ugyen, finds himself assigned to the world’s most remote village school. Situated in Northern Bhutan, Lunana is an 8-day trek into the Himalayas - an alienating experience for the city-dwelling Ugyen, who plans to move to Australia to pursue music as soon as possible. He arrives to find a welcoming community amid the beautiful but forbidding surroundings - and an especially eager student body, whose access to teachers and materials from outside has been inconsistent. Filmed using cameras operating on solar-powered batteries, and starring primarily villagers from the real Lunana in child & adult roles, this charming drama transports us to a rarely seen part of the globe. Read More 2022 Academy Award Nominee for 'Best International Feature' Virtual Only, Virtual Sthal (A Match) India | 2023 | Marathi 104 mins | Jayant Somalkar In a village in the Vidarbha region of India, a determined young girl, Savita, yearns for education and a brighter future. However, as her farmer parents anxiously struggle to find a suitable match for her, societal expectations place immense pressure on her to prioritize marriage over personal aspirations. Being dark-complexioned and short in height, Savita is seen as an added ‘burden’ on her parents and ‘marrying her off’, as difficult as finding fair price for their crop. Facing countless rejections from potential suitors, she must navigate a world where the pursuit of marriage overshadows the very sustenance of life. Shot on real locations with real people from the village, all non-actors, Sthal (A Match) is the director's debut feature film that explores the tradition of arranged marriages in rural India while highlighting patriarchy, colorism and social evil deeply rooted in society. Read More Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival 2024 (Best Film, Best Actress) Third Eye Asian Film Festival 2024 (Best Film, Best Actress) Pune International Film Festival 2024 (Sant Tukaram Award - Best Marathi Film, Best Screenplay) Virtual Only, Virtual Eikhoigi Yum (Our Home) India | 2022 | Manipuri 86 mins | Romi Meitei Belonging to an isolated fishing community of the Loktak lake, Chaoren makes the best use of his exclusive existence by excelling in school. When the canoe he uses every day to attend school has to be sold off because of his father’s illness, his spirit is not dampened. He beats the long distance from his shanty floating hut to his school by swimming his way through. But when the Government issues an eviction notice demanding Chaoren’s family to leave their home, his dreams are left with an angst of a displaced person. Read More IMFF2023 - Audience Choice Award for the Best Narrative Feature at IMFF, Austin, USA 69th National Film Awards, Best Manipuri Film, India Best Director at Kazan International Muslim Festival, Russia FIPRESCI Award for the Best International Film at 27IFFK, Kerala/India Virtual Only, Virtual Lyari Notes India,Pakistan | 2015 | Urdu 70 mins | Miriam Chandy Menacherry & Maheen Zia In Pakistan a rock star teaches a group of girls to express themselves through music in Karachi’s most volatile district. Hamza Jafri travels in an armed vehicle. He is a musician famous for his hard hitting political lyrics since the 1990s. Since then religious fundamentalism has been on the rise with shops selling music torched, concerts bombed and musicians threatened with death. Seeing the shrinking space for music and artists Hamza opens a music school. Captured over 3 years Lyari Notes is the narrative of four young girls who attend Hamza’s music school and learn what it takes to express oneself despite the cycles of violence. Read More World Premiere and nominated by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists – EDA Award at the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam – Nov 2015 Winner of the Golden Boddhisattva Award (Patna) at the Bodhisattva International Film Festival – Feb 2017 Winner of excellence in best documentary feature (red category) at the ARY Film Festival (Karachi) – May 2017 Virtual Only, Virtual The Threshold India | 2015 | Hindi,English 87 mins | Pushan Kriplani The Threshold details one day in the life of a couple who have been married over two decades. On this day, the day after their newly married son, and the guests from his wedding party, have left, the wife informs her husband that she is leaving him. For good. Presented with this fait accompli, two people on the verge of an idyllic retirement are forced to confront the truth of their marriage, without the masks. Even as the couple tries to get to the heart of the matter, they find the big questions of their lives beyond their grasp. They are two people, isolated in a house in the hills, preparing for the harsh Himalayan winter, trying to find themselves one last time. This film was an opportunity to explore a corner of our world that never makes it onto screen. The people we don’t normally notice. The people who are always at the edges of the family photograph. Except we know these people. They are our aunts and uncles. They are our parents. They are our grandparents. We will become them. It was an opportunity to examine an existential crisis: The unraveling of the idea of the ideal Indian marriage all of us are familiar with. Read More Virtual Only, Virtual Shorts Program Narrative Features Documentary Features Retrospective Showcase

A recent Sri Lankan immigrant begins another day at her job stacking shelves at the local supermarket. With her limited grasp of English, she struggles to understand or be understood by colleagues and customers alike. Streaming April 28-May 1st, 2023 On Filmocracy Back to Festival Program 1/6 PERIYANAYAKI New Zealand I 11 mins I Drama I 2022 I Tamil, English w/ English subtitles WATCH ONLINE 'Best Short Film' & 'NZ’s Best Audience Award' - New Zealand Int'l Film Festival 'Creative New Zealand Emerging Talent Award' - Director Bala Murali Shingade A recent immigrant from Sri Lanka, 56-year-old Perianayaki’s days always begin at her dead-end job stacking shelves at the local supermarket. As a result of her inability to speak English, she struggles to fit in and build meaningful relationships.Today, on her wedding anniversary, Perianayaki is forced to reconcile with the bittersweet realities of her life. Perianayaki is a slice of life character study that provokes audiences to pause, take notice, and rethink their assumptions about immigrants, particularly those in the service industry who are often rendered invisible. About the Artist Since graduating from the University of Auckland in 2018 with an MA in Screen Production, Bala Murali Shingade has been working as a writer, director and actor for screen and theatre. For his MA thesis film, Bala was awarded the Geoff Evans Prize for Screen Excellence. In 2019, he wrote, directed, and edited 800 LUNCHES, a short film commissioned and funded by the Outlook for Someday. In 2020, Bala was one of six recipients of the Arts Foundation’s Springboard award, which recognizes emerging artists with outstanding potential. PERIYANAYAKI is Bala’s second short film, funded throughScript To Screen and NZFC’s competitive Fresh Shorts program. Credits Crew Director: Bala Murali Shingade Screenwriter: Shreya Gejji Producer(s): Shreya Gejji Exec: Producer: Shuchi Kothari Featured Cast: Jeyagowri Sivakumaran DOP: Tim Flower Editor: Shailesh Prajapati

A fusion of stories where the protagonists share a common dream – a desire to regain their lives, to regain an identity which has been taken away from them. I am 110mins/2011/India - US limited theatrical release in November 2013 SYNOPSIS I AM is about issues and dilemmas that bruise the modern Indian society. Unraveling and exploring these tribulations, the film unfolds many a tale of individuals struggling to find their identity, and uphold their dignity in a world that is callous, cold and unsympathetic. Shot in four different cities across India, I AM is a fusion of stories where the protagonists share a common dream – a desire to regain their lives, to regain an identity which has been taken away from them. I AM AFIA is the story of a single woman who feels her identity will be made whole through the singularly feminine experience of motherhood. Unable to trust or even wait for a man, she is frustrated by a society that demands a “husband” to have a child. Thus her search is defined – does motherhood necessarily require the burden of a man? I AM MEGHA is a story of two friends - a Kashmiri Pandit woman and a Muslim woman - separated by conflict. Against the backdrop of the ethnic cleansing in Kashmir in early 90’s, this story tells of loss of home and identity. If your own home rejects you, where do you go and where are you “from”? I AM ABHIMANYU is the story of a broken man, with a proud mask. Abhimanyu is trapped by the demons of his past, a past of sexual abuse. To move forward he must first go back, into a world where his childhood was stolen from him. I AM OMAR is a horrific tale of sexual discrimination; blackmail and prejudice is part of the torrid fabric. It reveals how the police use Article 377 (law under Indian Penal code which criminalizes homosexuality) to harass and blackmail gay men. In the current climate of media sensationalism, perhaps this story gains even more poignancy. Directed by Onir and Produced by Sanjay Suri & Onir I Am website : http://www.iamthefilms.com/ Interested in screening this in your hometown? Write to us Tickets TICKETS NOT AVAILABLE TRAILER PICTURES