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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

2023 Sultana's Dream Narrative Feature Basque, Spanish, English, Italian, Hindi, Bengali mins 83 US Premiere In-Person, Virtual 2023 Spain, Germany, India Fantasy, Animation, Drama Inés, a Spanish artist, lives in India and stumbles upon Sultana's Dream a science fiction story written by Rokeya Hossain in 1905. It describes Ladyland, a utopia in which women rule the country while men live in seclusion and are responsible for household chores. Fascinated by the story Inés embarks on a journey across the country to search for the one place where women can live in peace. World Premiere - San Sebastián International Film Festival, Spain Screens with So, That Happened & A Road Not Taken Tickets 4/17/24, 11:15 PM All Badges, Individual Tickets AFS Cinema Director, Producer Isabel Herguera Isabel Herguera is a Spanish animation film director with an international background. She studied fine arts at the Universidad del País Vasco and continued her studies at the Art Academy in Düsseldorf. She later earned a master's degree from Calarts in Los Angeles, where she directed Los Muertitos (1993), an animated short about the wall separating Mexico and the United States. In 1997 she founded her own studio Loko Pictures (1996-2004), with which she produced numerous commercials and her animated short The Balloon (2003). In 2003, Isabel returned to Europe, where she became director of Animac, the Catalonia International Animated Film Festival (2003-12) and coordinator of the Laboratorio de imágen en movimiento at Arteleku in San Sebastian (2003-14). She directed various animated short films that won awards and were nominated for the Goya Prize. Isabel has been a professor at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, since 2005, at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing since 2012 and has been a professor in the animation department at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne since 2017. She has held workshops on animation in many places around the world such as Ethiopia, China, Cuba, Australia, Korea, Colombia, Mexico and Italy, although this is the place where she has most recently developed her work, in India, which gave rise to the Sultana's Dream project, is her first feature film. Director: Isabel Herguera Producer: Isabel Herguera, Chelo Loureiro, Mariano Baratech, Fabian Driehorst, Iván Miñambres Writer: Isabel Herguera, Gianmarco Serra Cast: Miren Arrieta, Dedjani Mukherjee, Miren Gabilondo, Nausheen Javeed, Ranjitha Rajeevan, Mary Beard, Paul Preciado, Roberto Bessi, Manu Khurana Editor: Gianmacro Serra Crew: Eduardo Elosegi, Gianmacro Serra, Simon Bastian This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

2023 Sona Short Farsi, English mins 15 Virtual 2023 Iran Drama Tickets 4/28/23, 5:00 PM Free with IMFF Badge Director Zahra Torkamanlou Zahra Torkamanlou is a filmmaker from Iran whose work has screened at numerous international film festivals. Director: Zahra Torkamanlou Producer: Writer: Zahra Torkamanlou Cast: Zahra Torkamanlou Editor: Crew: This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

2021 Junko Short Nepali, English mins 15 Virtual 2021 Nepal Drama 'Best Cinematography' - Linz Int'l Short Film Festival Tickets 4/28/23, 5:00 PM Free with IMFF Badge Director Minsho Limbu Minsho Limbu is an Independent filmmaker based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He holds graduation in screenplay writing and direction from Everest Film Academy. JUNKO is his directorial debut short film. It has been screened at film festivals including; Fribourg, Torino, POFF Shorts Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Washington DC Film Fest, Anchorage Int'l Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, Ajyal Film festival, Tel-Aviv Int'l Student Film Festival, VGIK Int'l Student Film Festival and Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival. It won best film, best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography Award at VGIK, Early Bird, Inter-University and Linz International Short Film Festival,2022; Director: Minsho Limbu Producer: Writer: Minsho Limbu Cast: Garima Singh, Sarita Giri Editor: Crew: This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

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, 4:00 PM 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

2022 Wheels on the Bus Short Nepali, English mins 16 In-Person, Virtual 2022 Nepal Drama Best Director - Short Film at Hanoi International FF Tickets 4/15/23, 3:30 PM Free with IMFF Badge AFS Cinema Director Surya Shahi Surya Shahi received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) and a BA in International Studies from Elon University, USA in 2018. Since graduating, he has been in Nepal building a school and hostel in his home region of Humla, where WHEELS ON THE BUS was shot. He works part time as an acting teacher at Oscar International College of Film Studies in Kathmandu, Nepal. Surya worked on the Nepali short film A CURIOUS GIRL (2017) as a casting director, acting coach and assistant director. He was the creative producer and an actor in the musical short RATO TALO (2019) and also worked as an acting coach on the short FILAM (2020). He is currently working on his second short film as director, THE CURTAIN. Director: Surya Shahi Producer: Writer: Surya Shahi Cast: Man Bahadur Tamata, Damaru Bhatta, Suman Bohara Editor: Crew: This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

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