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When going on vacation with his self-involved relatives and family friends, a shy and sensitive university student discovers that there is a heavy price to pay. A Death in the Gunj Plano: August 31st 2017 @ 7:15 - 10:00 pm India / 2017 / 110 minutes / Hindi and Bengali with English subtitles SYNOPSIS Set in 1979, A Death in the Gunj is a coming of age story, about a shy student Shyamal Chatterjee. He uses a family road trip to McCluskiegunj, an old Anglo-Indian town, as an escape from his failed semester. At the outset, the makings of a perfect family holiday are in place but something is amiss. In the week that follows, Shutu's quiet unraveling is overlooked by the family revellers, until the holiday ends with an implosion. August 31st 2017 @ 7:15 - 10:00 pm Angelika Film Center - Plano, TX 7205 Bishop Rd, Plano, Texas 75024 Follow event on Facebook Interested in screening this in your hometown? Write to us Tickets TRAILER STILLS DIRECTOR'S PROFILE Konkona Sensharma is an award-winning actor from India. A Death in the Gunj is her first feature film as writer and director. She is the daughter of Aparna Sen, an award winning filmmaker herself, and granddaughter of Chidananda Dasgupta, a film historian and critic and one of the co-founders of the Calcutta Film Society along with Satyajit Ray. Beginning her acting career at the age of 4, Konkona has acted in over 40 films in Hindi, Bengali and English. She has been felicitated with two National Awards and several industry awards. Konkona Sensharma debuted as a director in 2006 at the Kala Ghoda Film Festival in Mumbai in 2006 with her short film ‘Naamkoron ’ The script for A Death in the Gunj was one of the 9 scripts shortlisted by the National Film Development Corporation of India, for their Script Lab and was mentored by Marten Rabarts. ( Creative director.)Konkona was invited to be part of the jury at the Barcelona Film Festival in 2006. In 2013, she also served on the jury of the 15th Mumbai Film Festival. At the Satyajit Ray Memorial Lecture in Melbourne, Konkona gave a lecture on Arthouse vs. Mainstream. The lecture was organised in partnership with the Indian Film Festival (2014). DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT McCluskiegunj has always been a magical place for me. It is an isolated, sleepy town where we used to visit my grandparents in my childhood. It is a place where many stories were born, one such story is the birth of the Gunj. The Anglo Indian community, most of whom never felt that they belonged in either India or England, were forever in search of home or ‘muluk’. That was how McCluskiegunj took birth with 300 Anglo Indian families in 1933. This Utopia began to fade soon after Indian Independence and by the late 70s, most of them had left in search of better economic prospects, leaving the town to its original tribal inhabitants. While these two marginalized groups, the Anglo Indians and Adivasis, struggled to integrate with mainland India, Shutu, our protagonist too, finds himself increasingly alienated from his own world. The search for home and identity is reflected in Shutu who struggles to fit in and belong. This is the story of what happens when he doesn’t. Perhaps it was an attempt to recreate for myself my childhood and my parent’s youth that made me set the film in 1979. Most of my crew were either not born then or too young to remember very much! Our main challenge during pre-production therefore was to re-create a forgotten era. My Cinematographer Sirsha Ray, Production Designer Siddharth Sirohi and I felt it was imperative that we shoot on real location. Even though no other films had been shot there and the infrastructure was so poor, the local residents made everything possible. On our recces, they opened up their hearts and homes to us. Soon we were taking copious notes and pictures and even carting off their furniture to dress our set! Thanks to them, our wonderful cast, Music Director Sagar Desai and the whole team, we were able to create an authentic time and place to tell our story. CAST Vikrant Massey as Shutu, Ranvir Shorey as Vikram, Kalki Koechlin as Mimi, Tillotama Shome as Bonnie, Gulshan Devaiah as Nandu, Jim Sarbh as Brian, Tanuja Mukherjee as Anupama, Om Puri as OP Bakshi, & Arya Sharma as Tani CREW Producers Ashish Bhatnagar - Studioz IDrream Raagii Bhatnagar - Studioz IDrream Vijay Kumar R Swami - Studioz IDrream Honey Trehan – MacGuffin Pictures Abhishek Chaubey – MacGuffin Pictures DOP - Sirsha Ray Editors - Aarif Sheikh and Manas Mittal Costume Designer - Rohit Chaturvedi Sound Designer - Kunal Sharma Production Design - Siddharth Sirohi Music Composer - Sagar Desai Director - Konkona Sensharma Screenplay - Konkona Sensharma Additional Screenplay - Disha Rindani Script Supervisor - Disha Rindani Adapted from – Mukul Sharma FILM FESTIVALS ATTENDED World Premiere at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2016 Asian Premiere at Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) 2016 Indian Premiere and Opening Film at Mumbai Film Festival, MAMI 2016 US Premiere and Opening Film at South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) 2016 Official Selection at International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) 2016 AWARDS Director Konkona Sensharma received the 'MasterCard Best India Female Filmmaker 2016 Award' at the 18th Mumbai Film Festival, MAMI.

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

When the middle-aged Kamble makes his weekly visit to the neighbourhood barber shop, it's not just for a shave. He can't wait to be touched by Jaan, the new barber-boy he has a crush on. It's the highlight of his otherwise dull existence as a married man leading a dual life in a society that abhors homosexuality. Back to Festival Program Texas Premiere Sunday India I 10 mins I Drama I 2020 I Hindi w/ English subtitles When the middle-aged Kamble makes his weekly visit to the neighbourhood barber shop, it's not just for a shave. He can't wait to be touched by Jaan, the new barber-boy he has a crush on. It's the highlight of his otherwise dull existence as a married man leading a dual life in a society that abhors homosexuality. SUNDAY is the debut short of filmmaker on the rise, Arun Fulara. Indie Meme is excited to introduce you to his work at this opportune moment, as Fulara's debut documentary, WALDEN, chronicling a harsh winter's day in a remote Himalayan village is currently in post-production. The script for his sophomore short, MY MOTHER’S GIRLFRIEND, recently won the KASHISH QDrishti Film Grant and is currently in production. + Screens with SHORTS PROGRAM 3: In Your Head GET YOUR FESTIVAL BADGE VIRTUAL SCREENING : SAT. APRIL 24 - 4:00PM CT About the Artist Arun Fulara is a writer and filmmaker based out of Mumbai, India. His debut short, SUNDAY, travelled widely to world festivals including London India Film Festival, Shorts Mexico, Inside Out Toronto and BISFF Bengaluru. Arun won the prestigious Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Filmmaker for Sunday at Kashish MIQFF in 2020. He’s previously worked as an assistant on award winning films like Ajji & Bhonsle with acclaimed filmmaker Devashish Makhija. His short story – The Leopard of Bageshwar – won an ‘Honourable Mention’ in a contest by publishing firm, Juggernaut, and continues to be one of the most popular stories on their platform. He’s published half a dozen short stories across genres like science fiction and mythology. He’s also a frequent contributor for sites like Huffington Post and Film Companion and was previously the editor of filmmaking website Jamuura.com, which he built along with a young team of writers. Thank you to our community partner(s) for this screening: the Austin Film Society, and the Austin Film Commission! Credits Crew Writer/Director: ARUN FULARA Producer(s): ARUN FULARA, RANGOLI AGARWAL, DARSHANA BINAKAR POOJA CHAUHAN Editor: KAIVALYA KAYANDE Cinematographer: RANGOLI AGARWAL Cast SHRIKANT YADAV - 'Kamble' (The Customer) PRAKASH JOSHI -'Jann' (The Barber Boy) Art Director(s): SWAPNIL UPLEKAR AMANAT ALI Sound Dept: KARTIK KULKARNI ARKA GHOSH DI Colorist: SUNIL KAMAT Background Music: MANGESH DHAKDE

< Our Team Staff Kalpana Jayaraman Festival Operations-Volunteers Kalpana is a long-time resident of Austin and has been enjoying the films at Indie Meme for several years. Professionally, she is a hardware engineer with many years of experience in hardware design and management. She is proud to support Indie Meme's mission of bringing socially relevant cinema from South Asia to the heart of Texas!

Support us in bringing independent films from South Asia to our audience. Your membership goes a long way in building our community. Perks apply. Membership Why Become a Member? Here's why: Support emerging and established filmmakers Engage in cross-cultural conversations through film Early Bird access to festivals, screenings & special events 20% off tickets and Film Festival badges Members-only mixers & networking events Priority registration for Master Classes Super Fan Membership $ 250 250$ Every year Select 20% Off All Screenings 20% Off Four (4) Film Festival Badges Four (4) Invitations to all our Member Mixers Fan Membership $ 100 100$ Every year Select 20% Off Screenings 20% Off Two (2) Film Festival Badges Two (2) Invitations to all our Member Mixers Insider Membership $ 50 50$ Every year Select 20% Off All Screenings 20% Off One (1) Film Festival Badge One (1) Invitation to all our Member Mixers Student Membership $ 35 35$ Every year Select 20% Off Screenings 20% Off One (1) Film Festival Badge One (1) Invitation to all our Member Mixers Email us with any questions at denise@indiememe.org Super Fan Membership $250 /year 20% Off All Screenings Four (4) Invitations to all our Member Mixers throughout the year 20% Off Four (4) Film Festival Badges Fan Membership $100 /year 20% Off All Screenings Two (2) Invitations to all our Member Mixers 20% Off Two (2) Film Festival Badges Insider Membership $50 /year 20% Off All Screenings One (1) Invitation to all our Member Mixers 20% Off One (1) Film Festival Badge Student Membership $35 /year 20% Off All Screenings One (1) Invitation to all our Member Mixers 20% Off One (1) Film Festival Badge BECOME A MEMBER!

2023 Ullarivu Short Malayalam mins 14 Texas Premiere In-Person, Virtual 2023 India Kids, Drama Ullarivu is about a young girl's transformative journey from a carefree child of the earth into a cautious young girl in the world, as she pieces together the hidden meanings and unfair rules of the patriarchal world. Her love for nature and exploration comes to a standstill when she is forced to understand that her access to the world itself is limited due to her gender. Even though she is brought up in a loving, protective family, helmed by her father, the family dynamics are deeply rooted in patriarchal rules and values. In a world that assigns pink for girls and blue for boys at birth itself, it's only a matter of time until the rules of subjugation are inflicted upon even the most hungry, wild souls. Mumbai Film Festival (2023) International Kolkata Short Film Festival (2024) Tickets 4/19/24, 11:15 PM All Badges, Individual Tickets AFS Cinema Director, Writer & Producer Sumi Mathai Sumi Mathai is an advertising professional turned filmmaker based in India. Her debut short film 'Detour' was selected as one of the 10 scripts to be produced by Jio Cinema, from a nationwide submission of 900+ entries. Detour premiered at the Mumbai Film Festival (2017), and won the Special Jury Mention. It was also screened at Indische Filmfestival Stuttgart, Bangalore International Short Film Festival, Bucharest ShortCut Cinefest, and IndoGerman Filmweek, Berlin. Ullarivu (The Awakening) is her second short film which she produced through a crowdfunding campaign, apart from writing and directing it. She is passionate about telling stories that explore lived experiences of young girls and women, with empathy and integrity. It is her hope that her stories can shift existing cultural narratives around womanhood, and also contribute towards building a world that is kinder and more inclusive. She is currently developing her first feature film screenplay which was one of the finalists at the Pitch Fest conducted by Screenwriters Association India. Director: Sumi Mathai Producer: Sumi Mathai Writer: Sumi Mathai Cast: Devananda Shamej, Pradeep Joseph, Nandini Gopalakrishna, Shivarchana Rajesh, Aksa Prasad, Minnu Elsa Joshy, Krishna Raj & Arun Kalabhavan Editor: Abhishikta Kaila Crew: Anand Ravi, Anjo John, Sreejith Sreenivasan This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

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

Doenload our press kit, and logos in a variety of formats for use oline or in print. Indie Meme Press Kit Our logos are available in various formats for websites or print. Contact meghana@indiememe.org to access to our press materials. Press Releases/Resources: 2025 Awards Page 2024 Festival Press Release 2023 Festival Press Release 2022 Awards Page 2021 Awards Page 2021 Festival Press Release 2020 Festival Wrap/Awards 2020 Festival Announcement 2019 Festival Press Release 2017 Press Release

Experience an exclusive preview of Austin's rising stars in the world of cinema, brought to you by Indie Meme. Indie Meme takes pride in championing the fresh voices and untapped potential of our local filmmaking community. Join us for an intimate evening celebrating the works of these promising talents In addition to these outstanding short films, we're thrilled to unveil the title track music video of Where The Stars Are, crafted by another talented Austin filmmaker Kirtana Banskota. The film was shot exclusively in Austin Special Screening of Austin Filmmakers' Short Films with Cast and Crew 0 DAYS TO THE EVENT Austin Short Films Showcase Oct 08, 2023, 3:00 PM Austin Meet South Asian Filmmakers in ATX at a special cast & crew screening Details THE 3 SHORTS RELIEVE Directed by Rajesh Vemula In the rural Texas countryside of 1947, Dhruv and his wife, Tara, encounter Anna while on their way home. They kindly offer her a ride to a nearby village. However, as they resume their journey, they discover that Anna has accidentally left her bag in their car. Returning to the deserted village to return Anna's belongings, as they navigate the abandoned village in search of Anna, they find themselves separated, leading them into a dangerous situation they could never have anticipated. How To Wash The Dead Directed by Asad Kirmani Saif is young, angry, Muslim, American. Vulnerable after his father’s death, and enthralled by online extremist content, he drags himself and his brother into the depths of misplaced vengeance. He is forced to deal with the devastating aftermath Men & The Art of Contemplation Directed by Kumar Mayank While a man shows no recovery from his recent breakup, his friends get fiercely involved in an absurd discourse on a rainy afternoon.

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

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. Turup (DFW Screening) 1h 12min | 2017 | Hindi with English subtitles Thu 4/26/18, 7:15-9:15 pm Angelika Film Center - Plano 7205 Bishop Rd., Plano, Texas 75024 Film maker in attendance GET TICKETS SYNOPSIS 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. COMMUNITY PARTNERS MEDIA PARTNERS TRAILER TICKETS Turup DFW Tickets DIRECTOR'S PROFILE Ektara Collective is an independent, autonomous, non-funded group of people who seek to combine creative efforts and imagination and collaborate with trained and untrained people to make films that are content wise and aesthetically located in people’s subjective, contextual realities and experiences. Through this process, Ektara has made and produced 2 short fiction films earlier (Chanda Ke Joote, 22mins, 2011; Jaadui Machchi, 38mins, 2013). This is our first fiction feature film. DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT Turup (Checkmate) looks at the contemporary issues of caste, class, gender and growing right wing vigilantism prevalent in the country (India) today. It also brings out resistance and solidarities existing within these realities that quietly yet resolutely subvert the growing repression in their own manner. This film has been made collectively by Ektara Collective over a period of a year. It was made along with the residents of different working class settlements living in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. All of the cast and much of the crew were from the settlements. Other technical and non-technical people came from across the country to become a part of the film. The process of making the film was a collaborative and evolving one where ideas about the script, dialogues, shoot, edit and music were shared, finalised and eventually executed. The film thus is a product of collective effort where each person involved has contributed her/his own unique vision, skill and perspective to it, guiding and often maneuvering it to reach its logical conclusion. FILM CREDITS Producer: Ektara Collective Story, Script, Screenplay: Rinchin and Maheen Mirza Cinematography: Maheen Mirza Editing: Puloma Pal Sound Design: Bigyna Bhushan Dahal Production Design: Sanjay Raraiya, Priyanka Gaikwad, Tina Sharma Music: Dev Narayan Saroliya, Kaluram Bamniya, Narayanji Delmia, Sangeeta Lahiri Shrivastav Direction: Ektara Collective Principal Cast: Moulina Midde, Anil Singh, Madhu Bhagat, Syed Saim Ali, Nidhi Qazi, Hariram Darshyamkar, Aakash Jhamra, Kuldeep Arakka, Sheela Rawat, Abhinav Kumar, Deepak Nema, Hasanuddin, Madhu Dhurve, Geeta Dhrve, Preeti Jagat, Bali Jagat, Neelam Borkar, Seema Deshmukh, Pushpa Yadav, Tushar Pawar STILLS Turup_2 Turup_3 Turup_1

Nestled in the Kashmir valley, lies a small village on the India-Pakistan border, always caught in the crossfire between the two warring nations. One night an eight-year old girl, Nooreh, discovers that the gun battle rages when she sleeps and the bloody duel stops when she keeps her eyes open. Back to Festival Program Texas Premiere Nooreh India I 22 mins I Drama I 2019 I Dogri w/ English subtitles Nestled in the Kashmir valley, lies a small village on the India-Pakistan border, always caught in the crossfire between the two warring nations. One night an eight-year old girl, Nooreh, discovers that the gun battle rages when she sleeps and the bloody duel stops when she keeps her eyes open. Director's Note : Children dream of a beautiful world, unaware that its divided, fragmented and determined to self-destruct Against the wishes of these uncertain times, I gather courage to dream and strength to create. I will continue my quest, to seek truth; truth which is not definite. I will continue to find unheard marginal voices; not to silence others, but to keep them alive. + NOOREH screens with the feature film, NASIR GET YOUR FESTIVAL BADGE VIRTUAL SCREENING : SAT. APRIL 17 - 7:00PM CT About the Artist Ashish Pandey's films have been screened at major festivals and exhibited at art galleries. His latest short, NOOREH, had special success connecting to critics and audiences, winning 'Best Short' at the prestigious Busan International Festival, as well as awards for story & directing at festivals in Australia, Russia, France, Iran, Nepal, India, & Germany. Ashish's work is diverse in form and subject matter. His first short THE CABIN MAN, dealt with the loneliness of an old railway man guarding an abandoned cabin. His second, OPEN DOORS, nestled the plot within the stillness of time and space. NOOREH, set in a border village, was shot in a true border village with locals as actors. Ashish is a graduate from Satyajit Ray Film & Television institute, Kolkata with specialization in Sound. Thank you to our community partner(s) for this screening: the Austin Film Society, and the Austin Film Commission! Credits Crew Writer/Director: ASHISH PANDEY Producer(s): RAJA SHABIR KHAN Cinematography: SUSHEEL GAUTAM Editor: PALLAVI SINGHAL Cast SAIMA LATIEF as 'Noor' SANIA MANZOOR as 'Sania' S AFREEN RAFIQ as "Afreen' Music : DANIEL B. GEORGE Associate Director: RAJA SHABIR KHAN