A Documentary about a Filmmaker’s aunts, in the spring of their lives Eventive Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase Aunty Sudha Aunty Radha India | Documentary 2019 | 49 mins | Hindi ORIGINAL FILM PAGE WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. Madrid International Film Festival – Spain JIO MAMI 21st Mumbai Film Festival New York Indian Film Festival – NY 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. 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 After receiving a B.A. degree in English Literature in Mumbai, Tanuja Chandra completed further studies towards a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film Direction and Writing in the U.S.A. She returned to India and directed the television shows and co-wrote the scripts of Mahesh Bhatt’s films, Zakhm and Tamanna, both of which won National awards, and Yash Chopra’s Dil Toh Pagal Hai. She began independent film direction in 1998 with Dushman and directed Sangharsh, Sur, Zindaggi Rocks, and the English language, Hope and A Little Sugar in 2008, amongst others. Several of her films received awards and her English film received recognition in international film festivals. In 2017, her most recent film, Qarib Qarib Singlle released, a romcom starring Irrfan Khan and Parvathy, and a collection of short stories by her, called Bijnis Woman was published by Penguin Random House. Two short films by her streamed on Zee5 and Eros Now. She’s working on the script of her next feature, along with developing content for longer format projects. In the past, she has written articles for newspapers and magazines regularly, and is working on her next book. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Tanuja Chandra Writer: Producers: Anupama Mandloi Film Editor: Chandan Arora Featured Cast: Radha Rani Sharma Sudha Garg 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!

On the day of her first open mic performance, Maya struggles to balance her day job, her dreams, and an ask from her mom. April 25, 2026 at 1:00:00 PM AFS Cinema Texas Premiere Showtime USA | Short 2025 | 14 mins | English Live Q&A with writer-director Vivek Menon and producer Aman Bains Followed by the film Letters From Wolf Street TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL Chicago South Asian Film Festival Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival On the day of her first open mic performance, Maya struggles to balance her day job and her dreams when a simple ask from her mom spirals out of control and sends her across New York City. Restoration Process About the Artist Ever since he was a teenager, Vivek Menon has been passionate about telling unfamiliar stories with a comedic heart focused around minority characters in situations that audiences haven’t seen before. His foray into directing began with a 4-episode web series he wrote, directed and produced with his father through a crowdfunding campaign in 2023 (released on YouTube). Now an independent filmmaker based in New York City, his debut short film Showtime was completed in 2025. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Vivek Menon Writer: Vivek Menon Producer(s): Aman Bains Film Editor: Gopal Bala Featured Cast: Shefali Gauri Harsh Milan 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.

An ambitious man loses his phone, which locks him out of his home. With no options, he should survive freezing night in a car running out of gas. April 10, 2025 at 6:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase World Premiere Lost in Concrete Woods USA | Short 2025 | 24 mins | Telugu TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. 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. 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 Pruthvi Teja Anumandla is a budding independent filmmaker from Southern India, driven by a passion for experimental and personal storytelling. Rooted in real-life experiences, his films transform intimate moments into deeply resonant narratives, often exploring themes of isolation, ambition, and the overlooked nuances of everyday life. With a keen eye for authenticity, he crafts stories that are introspective, emotionally raw, and universally relatable. Beyond his reflective storytelling, Pruthvi enjoys experimenting with lighter, more entertaining narratives. His Telugu mockumentary Raatri Em Jarigindante showcases his ability to blend humor with unconventional storytelling. With a natural flair for comedy and a drive to push creative boundaries, he continues to carve his own path in independent cinema, crafting unique narratives that leave a lasting impact. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Pruthvi Teja Anumandla Writer: Pruthvi Teja Anumandla Producers: Dundinath Gunda Prithvi Raj Karreddula Pruthvi Teja Anumandla Film Editor: Praveen Kumar Pinnint Pruthvi Teja Anumandla Featured Cast: Ravi Teja Mukkavalli Henry Okigbo Kerry Graves C. Bala Narasimham Ishaan Telang Coco Penukonda Brenna Spencer God's Power Osa 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!

2023 Chhaya Short Marathi, Konkani mins 18 International Virtual 2023 India Drama Chhaya tells a story of a very poor girl from a remote village in the interiors of Maharashtra. Circumstances there force her & others mature at a young age. The girl is striving to hide certain things from society, but an incident forces her to become stronger to keep her family intact. Tickets 5/2/24, 11:00 PM Eventive Writer/Director/Producer Pushkar Sudhakar Shrotri Pushkar Shrotri is well known writer-director from Marathi Film Industry. His films Haay Kaay... Naay Kaay and Ubuntu have received tremendous appreciation globally. He is known for his simple but thought provoking subjects through his films. Director: Pushkar Sudhakar Shrotri Producer: Omkar Hardikar, Pushkar Sudhakar Shrotri, Fable Factory Writer: Pushkar Sudhakar Shrotri Cast: Editor: Ashish Mhatre Crew: Rajan Sohoni, Mandar Kamlapurkar, Mayuresh Madgaokar This Event is supported in part by a Mini Grant from Humanities Texas. Community Partners for the Film More Films

Sthal explores the tradition of arranged marriage in rural India, where a girl's marriage overshadows the very sustenance of life. Narrated from the perspective of a young girl, Savita, it highlights the patriarchy rooted in society. Eventive Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Sthal (A Match) India | Narrative Feature 2023 | 104 mins | Marathi TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL 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) 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. Restoration Process About the Artist Born in a village in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, Jayant Digambar Somalkar is an engineering graduate, but his creative bent of mind made him veer towards filmmaking. His debut short film, ‘Iyatta - Class,' showed at many film festivals and won many awards. He has co- written and co-directed the critically acclaimed Amazon Prime Video Original Series 'Guilty Minds’. ‘Sthal - A Match’ marks the director's debut feature, showcasing his talent for storytelling and commitment to presenting social issues in an authentic and compassionate manner. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Jayant Digambar Somalkar Writer: Jayant Digambar Somalkar Producer(s): Shefali Bhushan Karan Grover Riga Malhotra Jayant Somalkar Film Editor: Abhijit Deshpande Featured Cast: Nandini Chikte Taranath Khiratakar Sangita Sonekar Suyog Dhawas Sandip Somalkar Sandip Parkhi Swati Ulmale Gauri Badki Mansi Pawar 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.

In a small town of 1960's India, where cinema is forbidden for women, a 14-year-old embarks on a quest to watch her first film. April 12, 2025 at 3:15:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Texas Premiere The First Film India | Short 2023 | 19 mins | Hindi Followed by the film And, Towards Happy Alleys . TICKETS DONATE TO NEPAL 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 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. Restoration Process About the Artist Piyush Thakur is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). His student short film The Real Millionaire was nominated for the International Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and traveled globally to more than 75 film festivals, winning multiple awards. He was selected from India for the International Student Film Camp in Serbia. After FTII, he worked as an assistant director to Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the film Bajirao Mastani. He was also selected for the Kyoto Filmmakers Lab in Japan and Platform Busan at the Busan International Film Festival. His latest short film, The First Film, had its world premiere at the Festival de Cortos de Bogotá - BOGOSHORTS in Colombia and was recognized as a 'Short Film Market Pick' by the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and 'Film Bazaar Recommends' by NFDC Doc Film Bazaar. It won The German Star of India – Audience Award at the Indian Film Festival of Stuttgart and Best Short Narrative International Award at the Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Piyush Thakur Writer: Piyush Thakur Deepak Lohana Producer(s): Piyush Thakur Film Editor: Piyush Thakur Featured Cast: Priyanka Beriya Vasudev Nishad Tony Chawada Usha Athaley Yuvraj Singh Shibanee Mukherjee Rajveer Mukherjee Ajay Athaley Thank you to our community partners for this screening! This program was made possible in part with a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

< Our Team Mugdha Mahalanabish Festival Team Festival Programming Mugdha is a writer based in the US. Her debut feature screenplay won the 2025 Writers Ink Screenwriting Lab competition. She is currently using the awarded grant money to write and direct her first short film.

< Our Team Staff Carissa Savage Social Media Specialist Carissa is a social media and email marketing specialist specializing in promoting films and events through digital platforms. Since joining Indie Meme, she’s enjoyed connecting audiences to South Asian cinema through engaging posts, newsletters, and community-driven storytelling.

< Our Team Staff Madhavi Deshpande Film Festival Coordinator Madhavi Deshpande is a long-time "Memer" and has been part of the Indie Meme team for several years. She joined the IM staff in 2023 as the IMFF 2023 Coordinator, and has continued to serve in that position again in 2024.

< Our Team Devang Pathak Festival Team Festival Programming Devang Pathak is a professional screenwriter, researcher, and script consultant based in Mumbai. He started his writing journey on Anurag Kashyap’s feature film adaptations of Suketu Mehta’s Maximum City. He has also been a journalist and writer whose work has been published in publications such as Quartz, Film Companion, BuzzFeed and The Hindu. A lifelong cinephile and advocate for the big screen experience, he started an offline forum and Substack newsletter in 2025 called Revival Cinema Project, which promotes community solutions for systemic issues and challenges in Indian cinema.

< Our Team Staff Denise Garza Steusloff Executive Director Denise Garza Steusloff is a seasoned professional with expertise in project management, event planning, and travel coordination. She earned her bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director of Indie Meme, a non-profit organization based in Austin that promotes independent South Asian cinema. Steusloff has been actively involved in the Austin film community for many years. She began volunteering with Cine Las Americas in 1998 and eventually became the Festival Director. Her dedication to the organization led her to serve on its board, where she contributed significantly to its mission of supporting Latinx, Latin American, and Indigenous filmmakers. Denise is also a member of Women in Film & Television, Austin, and Tejanas in Film, reflecting her commitment to supporting women in the industry.

< Our Team Anjali Kaul Zutshi Executive Board Past President Anjali Kaul Zutshi is the Chief Development Officer for the Texas Historical Commission (THC), and Executive Director of the Friends of the THC. She has over 28 years of fundraising, organizational development, and strategic planning experience in the non-profit sector in Texas – as an independent consultant from 2007 – 2016, collaborating with land conservation, youth, children, and aging services focused non-profits, and for 12 years before that as the Associate State Director and Texas Development Director for the Trust for Public Land’s Texas State Office. Through her work over the last 28+ years, Anjali has established a successful track record of working with non-profits on building sustainability through effective management, and with funders on building partnerships for effective mission support and delivery. Anjali is an architect by training, and also earned a Master of Science degree in Community and Regional Planning from UT-Austin. She also holds a Certificate in Fundraising Management (CFRM) from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. A graduate of Leadership Austin, Anjali has served on multiple national, state, and local boards. Anjali currently serves as a member of the Advisory Council for the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the University of Texas at Austin, and on the Advisory Board of the University of North Texas Department of Linguistics.