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2022 Shivamma Narrative Feature Kannada mins 104 United States Premiere In-Person, Virtual 2022 India Drama, Family 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. New Currents award, Busan International Film Festival, Busan, Recorded Q&A with Filmmaker Jaishankar Aryar Tickets 4/18/24, 4:30 PM All Badges, Debut Showcase Ticket AFS Cinema Director Jaishankar Aryar 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). Director: Jaishankar Aryar Producer: Rishab Shetty Writer: Jaishankar Aryar Cast: Sharanamma Chetti, Chennamma Abbegere, Shruthi Kondenahalli, Shivu Abbegere Editor: Chandancm Crew: Vikas Urs, Shreyank Nanjappa This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

2022 Amar Colony Narrative Feature Hindi mins 75 Texas Premiere In-Person, Virtual 2022 India Drama Amar Colony is a desperate tour of the human condition in reality and fantasy. The film is set in a small hill town in the lower Himalayas in India. Meera (20), a lonely pregnant woman is caught in a maze of desires and disappointments. Devki (45), a widow confined to a wheelchair, demands respect for her pigeon. Durga (60), a religious fanatic begins to experience delusions. When mundane lives of these three women intertwine in a lonely chawl in India, we encounter an existential underworld of raw impulses, desires and fears in this human wilderness with no respite and no resolution. Special Jury Prize - Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2022 Best Debutant Director - International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) 2022 Recorded Q&A with Filmmaker Siddharth Chauhan Tickets 4/18/24, 7:00 PM All Badges, Debut Showcase Ticket AFS Cinema Writer / Director Siddharth Chauhan Siddharth Chauhan is a filmmaker based in Shimla/Mumbai. He has continuously taken his locally produced films to festivals in UK, US, Sarajevo, Belarus, Indonesia, New Zealand, Italy, China, Canada and France. His short film 'Pashi' won 6 International Awards including Best Director, Best Film, Audience Choice, Best Actor and Best Cinematography. Indie Film Magazine reviewed and called Pashi – 'India's Finest Short Film'. Amar Colony is Siddharth’s debut feature film. Director: Siddharth Chauhan Producer: Nisheeth Kumar Writer: Siddharth Chauhan Cast: Nimisha Nair Sangeeta Agrawal Usha Chauhan Deepak Sharma Aayush Srivastava Rohit Agrawal Sreejith Vijay Yash Thakur Jasleen Gulati Ishan Azad Anuj Sharma Editor: Paresh Kamdar Crew: Modhura Palit, Marc Marder, Susmit Bob Nath This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

2022 Hajur Short Nepali, English mins 10 Virtual 2022 Nepal Family, Drama Tickets 4/28/23, 5:00 PM Free with IMFF Badge Director LSM & Pinki Sris Rana LSM is a Filmmaker from western Nepal. He is a Gograha workshop attendee for Scriptwriting and Direction. He is a Media Studies Graduate from Kathmandu University School of Arts and has been making his films independently and also in collaboration with Gauthali Entertainment. Pinki Sris Rana is working as a Culture and Arts Reporter for The Kathmandu Post. She is the presenter, researcher and conceptualizer of her show ‘Tarka Bitarka’. She is a Media Studies Graduate from Kathmandu University School of Arts and has a keen interest in understanding society and the norms that construct it. Currently, she is developing her first short documentary. Director: LSM & Pinki Sris Rana Producer: Writer: Sahara Sharma Cast: Prashanti Poudyal, Suraj Dixit, Sahayog Adhikari, Archan Dixit Editor: Crew: This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

2023 Helena Short English, Hindi, Nepali mins 13 North American Premiere In-Person, Virtual 2023 Nepal, United Arab Emirates Drama Helena works in the UAE as a waitress. Her son in Nepal has been asking for a laptop for the last four months and has now stopped going to school. Finally, when she’s saved enough money to buy one, she finds out that she’s lost a small amount of cash. When the son calls her, she lies to him saying that she’s bought the laptop and is sending it with her friend. Deep into the lies, in between the pressure from work and from her family, how will she get through this? Official Selection - Focus South Asia, Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023 Tickets 4/20/24, 6:00 PM All Badges, Individual Tickets AFS Cinema Director Ayarush Paudel Ayarush Paudel was born and raised in Nepal. After high school, Paudel moved to the United Arab Emirates in order to pursue his passion for storytelling while studying undergraduate education at New York University Abu Dhabi. With his interest lying primarily in narrative stories, Paudel has written and directed a number of projects in the last five years revolving around different issues in Nepal such as the schooling system, gender inequality, the impact of the pandemic, and racism. Director: Ayarush Paudel Producer: Sophiya Paudel Writer: Ayarush Paudel Cast: Ayushma Shrestha George Jose Yoshina Gautam Sajil Jimmy Samman Sharma Ramesh Rijal Editor: Ayarush Paudel Crew: Pu Jia, Daniel Nivia, Kate Ezubova This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

2023 Kala Short English mins 12 Virtual 2023 Canada LGBT, Drama Kalã is a film about a mother coming to terms with her only son's sexuality through music, dance, and the help of a healing beautician. It is a journey of self-acceptance for a Pakistani mother. The lead is played by Pakistan's superstar actress Bushra Ansari. Kalã is every South Asian mothers warm embrace of their queer child. Tickets 5/3/24, 4:00 AM Eventive Writer/Director/Producer Arshad Khan Arshad Khan is a Montreal-based filmmaker. Khan’s internationally acclaimed, award-winning autobiographical documentary Abu (2017) has played at film festivals around the world and won the INSPIRIT Foundation grant for 2018/19. Abu documents his rocky relationship with his father after Khan came out as a gay man. It also chronicles the wider story of young gay people fighting homophobia and invisibility within South Asian and Muslim cultures. Khan is developing two fiction features, FARA and ANYONE BUT HIM about the tribulations of second generation immigrants to Canada. Director: Arshad Khan Producer: Bobby Bajaj, Arshad Khan Writer: Arshad Khan Cast: Bushra Ansari Editor: Crew: This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

2023 Footprints on Water Narrative Feature English, Malyalam mins 108 Texas Premiere In-Person 2023 United Kingdom Drama, Thriller Away from the glitz and glam of Birmingham resides an illegal immigrant community who are always in hiding, leaving no proof of their existence, not even their footprints. Raghu, an illegal immigrant in Birmingham - UK, believes that he has finally struck gold as his daughter, Meera, is all set to marry a wealthy groom, a legal resident in the UK. Raghu was a small-scale business owner in India who fled to the UK with his wife and daughter after being mired in a financial scam. The life that awaited them in the UK was far from perfect – they were dumped into shared accommodation, they did not have legit visas, and they were all expected to work for a meagre wage. Raghu regrets this move, but he is left with no choice but to stay on in the UK, make enough money to pay off his debts, and return home with dignity. Six years on, Raghu now works for a fraudulent solicitor who mints money making fake passports and visa appeals. Raghu is his trusted employee, and his boss has paid back his loyalty by finding the perfect groom for Meera. Following a heated argument with Raghu, Meera storms out of the home and never returns. Raghu worries, knowing Meera's habit of making hasty extreme decisions in the spur of the moment. Raghu sets on a mission to find her all by himself without coming under the police radar. Raghu's search for Meera unveils a different side of her life that he never knew existed. Raghu realizes that in his race behind the materialistic riches, he has lost everything and everyone that mattered to him the most. Now, the only priority in his life is to see his daughter safe. But is he too late? World Premiere - New York Indian Film Festival, Winner - Best Debut Award UK Premiere - UK Asian Film Festival In-Person Q&A with Director Nathalia Syam & Lead Actor Adil Hussain Tickets 4/19/24, 11:15 PM All Badges, Individual Tickets AFS Cinema Director Nathalia Syam Nathalia is a London based debutant feature film director of Footprints On Water. Between the British and Indian film industries, she has experience working as an associate director/ 1st AD and has broadcast credits for her previous short-films and commercials. Nathalia is also a Film Practitioner at a Film School in London. Her previous short film, Lehenga, was nominated for the 'Best of British' award at the BAFTA qualifying 'Iris Prize' Award in Cardiff. Director: Nathalia Syam Producer: Mohaan Naadar Writer: Neetha Syam Cast: Adil Hussain, Nimisha Sajayan, Antonio Aakeel, Lena Editor: Suresh Pai Crew: Tuomas Kantelinen, Resul Pookutty This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

2023 Bandar Short Hindi, English mins 15 Virtual 2023 India Romance, Drama Neil eagerly anticipates his reunion with his girlfriend, Hiya, after a year spent long distance. However, when he picks her up at the airport he’s taken aback to find a workaholic version of his once carefree partner. 

As he spirals down memory lane, Hiya accidentally ruins a surprise he’d had planned for them. This comical mishap brings back the Hiya he once knew and reignites the spark they once had. Tickets 5/3/24, 4:00 PM Eventive Writer/Director Geet Gangwani A copywriter turned filmmaker, Geet is driven to human stories and waves ideas out of the fabric of his surroundings and beyond. 

In 2021, he created PNG Films, a media house dedicated to storytelling through a variety of formats through which he directed, produced, and wrote his debut film, PAV BHAJI, which was very well received at the film festival circuit and has garnered more than 10 awards and been an official selection of 14+ festivals, including CSAFF, MUMBAI INDE FF, & VISAFF. 

After receiving a scholarship to study at NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY, Get has been working in NYC and expanding PNG films. PNG Films is now a close-knit team of dedicated collaborators, united by a love of cinema and advertising. Director: Producer: Ghalib Datta Writer: Geet Gangwani Cast: Ria Nalavade, Jai Khadilkar Editor: Ranjabati Sarkar Crew: Leslie D'Souza, Kartikeye Ojha, Yash Soni, Yash Shinde This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

2022 The Leopard's Tribe Documentary English, Hindi, Marathi mins 40 In-Person 2022 India Documentary Mumbai authorities plan to axe thousands of trees to expand a mass transit system. Home to the 10,000-strong Warli tribe, a scuffle unfolds to protect the forest and the leopard the tribe worships. The Bhoir family finds they are at the forefront of a battle to save the green lungs of India’s financial capital, the last natural forest in a megapolis. In-Person Q+A with Director Miriam Chandy Menacherry Tickets 10/27/24, 8:00 PM AFS Cinema Director Miriam Chandy Menacherry Miriam Chandy Menacherry is a Keralite documentary filmmaker and producer based in Mumbai, India. She founded Filament Pictures in 2005, a production house that creates socially relevant feature-length documentaries. Director: Miriam Chandy Menacherry Producer: Writer: Cast: Editor: Crew: This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

2022 Birdsong Documentary Hmong, English mins 18 Virtual 2022 Laos Drama Tickets 4/28/23, 5:00 PM Free with IMFF Badge Directors Sparsh Ahuja & Omi Gupta Omi Gupta and Sparsh Ahuja are filmmakers based between London, Melbourne and New Delhi. Their first collaboration, 'Child of Empire', a VR experience of the 1947 Partition of British India, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. The film opened to glowing reviews in The Economist, and was also the front page article of The Hindu weekend following Sundance. Sparsh is lead producer on 'Lost Migrations', a series of three animated shorts on postcolonial South Asia. Omi has written one episode in this series, called ‘Seabirds’, which follows the story of the Tamil exodus from Burma following the Japanese occupation in the Second World War. Their work has exhibited at the BFI and V&A, London. Director: Sparsh Ahuja & Omi Gupta Producer: Writer: Sparsh Ahuja & Omi Gupta Cast: Neng Chue Vang, Neng Chi Lee, Chia Por Lee Editor: Crew: This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

When a mowing man comes to cut down the grass in a field, he finds a girl is sleeping there - determined to protect the insects who call it home. U.S Premiere Back to Film Program Virtual Exclusive WATCH ONLINE: April 22-25th, 2022 Navozande, Le Musicien France I 15 mins I Romance, Historical Drama I 2021 I No Spoken Dialogue BUY & WATCH ONLINE At the time of the attack of the Mongols, a young musician and the love of his life are separated from each other. A story of love, war, and hardship in 13th-century Persia. This film plays with the A MATTER OF SURVIVAL shorts program online. About the Artist Born in Tehran, Iran in 1988, Reza Riahi studied studying Fine Arts in Iran and France while actively collaborating on several cartoon magazines and series. He completed his Masters at the Ecole de la Poudrière in Bourg-Les-Valences for animation. Reza is the writer/director of several award-winning animated shorts: including the highly acclaimed ENTRE CHIEN ET LOUP (Between Dog and Wolf). Broadcast on ARTE in 2014, the short film was selected by festivals in Annecy, Paris, Brussels, Morocco, Hungary. Reza served as artistic director on Nora Twomey’s film The Breadwinner, nominated for major awards including The Oscars®, Golden Globes & Annies and winning both the Audience and Jury Prizes in Annecy. His latest short NAVOZANDE, LE MUSICIEN, premiered at Toronto Int'l Film Festival and has been selected by 70+ world festivals including SXSW, Anima, Aspen Shortfest, Palm Springs and Sonoma. The film won 'Best Animated Short' at Tribeca, Nashville and Ficie. Reza is working on his next short, Songs of the Valley , as well as on the script for his 1st animated feature. Parallel to his activity in animation, Reza Riahi collaborates on fine art & illustration projects, as well as mentoring animation talent in France. He is preparing his next exhibition in Paris for 2022. Trailer

A circus facing extinction due to competition with new modern forms of entertainment tries its luck with a new act. Indian Circus 22:11 | with English Subtitles 4/27/2019 | 10:00 am This short film will be screened prior to INDUS BLUES ATTEND SYNOPSIS A circus facing extinction due to competition with new modern forms of entertainment tries its luck with a new act.

< Our Team Elizabeth Avellán Advisors Advisor Elizabeth Avellán is a Producer of bold narrative diversified content. She is the Co-Owner and Vice President of Troublemaker Studios. In addition to producing family and genre films that have collectively grossed over a billion dollars at the box office, she has played a primary role in developing Austin, Texas, as a thriving film community.