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Having recently arrived in America with her husband and son, Hema finds herself culturally displaced and must redefine her identity as a dependent mother. An encounter with a young Marathi man threatens to upend her already fragile existence. April 12, 2025 at 3:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase Texas Premiere Hema USA, India | Short 2024 | 16 mins | Hindi, English TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. San Francisco Frozen Film Festival (SFFFF) PROOF Film Festival - Gold Jury Award Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) - Audience Choice Award 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. 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 Ritvik Dhavale is a writer and director who has spent half his life in Pune, India, and the other half in Cupertino, California. This bicultural experience deeply influences his storytelling, which often explores themes of cultural assimilation and identity. Ritvik''s journey into filmmaking began in high school theater. He furthered his education by earning a B.A. in Screenwriting from UCLA in 2017. Professionally, he gained experience working as an assistant in the CAA Media Finance Group, served as a coordinator in the Sundance Feature Film Program, and was a creative assistant in the Netflix Original Independent Film Team before fully dedicating himself to filmmaking. Ritvik's unique perspective, shaped by his experiences in both India and the United States, continues to influence his work as he explores narratives that bridge these two worlds. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Ritvik Dhavale Writer: Ritvik Dhavale Producers: Aishwarya Sonar Shaurya Nanavati Film Editor: Raghav Puri Aashish D'Mello Featured Cast: Rajshri Deshpande Kapil Talwalkar Samrat Chakrabarti Neil Iyer 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 schoolboy, Boong, navigates racial tensions and border challenges in Manipur, driven by resilience and determination to reunite his divided family. April 13, 2025 at 10:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase Texas Premiere Boong India | Narrative Feature 2024 | 93 mins | Manipuri Preceded by the short film Chashma . Virtual Q&A with writer-director Lakshmipriya Devi TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature - IMFF 2025, Austin, USA 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. 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 Laksmipriya Devi always wanted to tell stories but chose never to direct one if the story did not come from within. That story organically emerged while seeking closure from an uncomfortable part of her childhood, in Manipur - a place called 'home', in the northeastern corner of India. A graduate in Economics Honours (Mirinda House) and a post-graduate in Mass Communications (MCRC, Jamia), she has drawn from her experience as a First Assistant Director in landmark Indian productions such as Luck by Chance, Talaash, PK, A Suitable Boy, etc. to make her directional debut with 'Boong'. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Lakshmipriya Devi Writer: Lakshmipriya Devi Producers: Excel Entertainment Chalkboard Entertainment Suitable Pictures Film Editor: Featured Cast: Gugun Sanamatum Bala Hijam 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!

It is a poignant journey of eleven-year-old Mithun, as he navigates a challenging path of self-discovery and resilience after a devastating loss shatters his world. April 18, 2024 at 11:15:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 3 - May 5, 2024 International Premiere Mithya India | Narrative Feature 2023 | 98 mins | Kannada, Marathi Virtual Q&A with Filmmaker Sumanth Bhat TICKETS TICKETS Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival - 2023 Bengaluru International Film Festival - 2024 Mithya is a journey along- side Mithun, a 11 year old, who is coming to terms with the loss of his parents. We walk in step with his tottering feet, as they search for solid ground. Can a new house be home, can friendships be forged again or is it all just a search for something long gone! Restoration Process About the Artist A software engineer, turned entrepreneur, turned filmmaker, Sumanth has written & directed 4 of the 7 episodes in Ekam, a yet to release web-series, presented by Paramvah Studios. He is also an active member of the writing team at Paramvah. Mithya is his first feature film. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Sumanth Bhat Writer: Sumanth Bhat Producer(s): Rakshit Shetty Film Editor: Bhuvanesh Manivannan Featured Cast: Athish S Shetty, Prakash Thuminad 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.

A young girl unwittingly learns the rules of existence in a patriarchal world. April 19, 2024 at 11:15:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 3 - May 5, 2024 Texas Premiere Ullarivu India | Short 2023 | 14 mins | Malayalam TICKETS TICKETS Mumbai Film Festival (2023) International Kolkata Short Film Festival (2024) 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. Restoration Process About the Artist 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. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Sumi Mathai Writer: Sumi Mathai Producer(s): Sumi Mathai Film Editor: Abhishikta Kaila Featured Cast: Devananda Shamej, Pradeep Joseph, Nandini Gopalakrishna, Shivarchana Rajesh, Aksa Prasad, Minnu Elsa Joshy, Krishna Raj & Arun Kalabhavan 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.

Mariam, mother & breadwinner for her migrant family in Mumbai, decides to become an illegal surrogate to support her children. However, as the pregnancy progresses she faces unexpected challenges with the family awaiting the child. Filmocracy Virtual April 28 - May 1, 2023 Mariam India | Narrative Feature 2021 | 78 min | Hindi TICKETS TICKETS Official Selection of Busan International Film Festival MARIAM follows a rural family, newly arrived in Mumbai and trying to make ends meet as migrant workers. The breadwinner is Mariam, who has to look after her three daughters and their education during the COVID pandemic. Soon, she finds an unexpected path to earn for her family - serving as an illegal pregnancy surrogate. However, when problems with the potential parents arise the issue of who will ultimately raise the child is called into question. Restoration Process About the Artist Born in Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, Arvind Pratap is a self-taught screenwriter, editor and director based in Mumbai. After completing an MBA in marketing, he decided to pursue a career in film making. THE RELUCTANT CRIME (2020), Pratap's first feature, won 'Best Director', 'Best Actress', and 'Best Supporting Actor' at Antakya International Film Festival. His second experimental feature LIFE IS SUFFERING DEATH IS SALVATION had its world premiere at International Film Festival of Kerala. MARIAM, his third feature, received support from Asian Cinema Fund and was selected to world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Arvind Pratap Writer: Arvind Pratap Producer(s): Abhishek Yadav Sanjay Bhutiani Shubhashish Bhutiani Awanish Kotnaal Arvind Pratap Sajida Sharma Film Editor: Arvind Pratap Featured Cast: Chitrangada Satarupa Bhupesh Singh 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.

Sheila and Imran haven’t seen each other since college, but when Imran moves back to Austin, an opportunity arises for the pair to get acquainted once more. AFS Cinema Virtual May 3 - May 5, 2024 So, That Happened USA | Short 2024 | 9 mins | English, Urdu In-Person Q&A with Filmmaker Neha Aziz TICKETS TICKETS Sheila gets a phone call from her mom letting her know that a family friend, Imran, is moving back to town. Her mom is adamant that Sheila should do her duty as a good daughter to extend a hand and makes sure he feels welcome. Eventually, Shelia relents to her mom’s request. When she hangs up the phone, she goes to Imran’s Facebook page and reminisces about her college days. The pair meet at a wine bar in the early evening, and their hangout lasts for several hours. They talk about how the city has changed, what they are both up to, their dating lives, and finally their one night stand in college. Imran said that Sheila ghosted him, and Sheila insists they just fell into different social circles. After this discussion, Imran asks, “and now?” They have a very affectionate and passionate moment, but Sheila abruptly pulls away. Imran asks if he did anything wrong, and Sheila tells him a secret. The film ends on an ambiguous note. Restoration Process About the Artist Neha Aziz is a Pakistani-born writer, filmmaker, festival programmer, and podcaster living in Austin, TX. From 2017 - 2020, Neha worked at SXSW as a member of the Communications team. She currently works as the Artistic Director for Austin Asian American Film Festival, Film Programmer for rePRO and the Cleveland International Film Festival, in addition to being the Communications Manager for the Asian American Documentary Network (A-Doc).In 2021, she was named an iHeartRadio NextUP fellow for their inaugural podcast program; her show, PARTITION (limited series) debuted in August 2022 and has been featured on Apple Podcasts, Forbes, NPR, The Austin Chronicle, The 19th News, The Austin American - Statesman, The RepresentASIAN Project, Asian Founded, and more. In 2023, Neha was one of five recipients of the WAVE Grant from Wavelength Productions, a grant and one year mentorship given to first time female/non-binary directors of color. Her short, SO, THAT HAPPENED marked her directorial debut and will premiere in the Spring of 2024. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Neha Aziz Writer: Neha Aziz Producer(s): Mase Kerwick, Alifya Ali Film Editor: Anna Romano Featured Cast: Anu Mysore, 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.

Ordinary people navigate societal constraints in a series of vignettes. April 21, 2024 at 2:00:00 AM AFS Cinema Texas Premiere Terrestrial Verses Iran | Narrative Feature 2023 | 77 mins | Farsi Live, ZOOM Q&A with Filmmaker Alireza Khatami TICKETS TICKETS Cannes Film Festival BFI London Film Festival Terrestrial Verses follows everyday people from all walks of life as they navigate the cultural, religious, and institutional constraints imposed on them by various social authorities, from school teachers to bureaucrats. These stirring vignettes, humorous and affecting, capture the spirit and determination of people amidst adversity, offering a nuanced portrait of a complex society. Restoration Process About the Artist Ali Asgari is a prominent Iranian cinema figure with more than 200 awards to his name. Two of his short films, More Than Two Hours (2013) and The Silence (2016), were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Festival de Cannes. The Baby was featured in the short film competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2014. Ali's films focus on the precarious lives of individuals living on the margins of society in his native country, Iran. His debut film, “Disappearance”, was developed at the Cinéfondation Residency of the Festival de Cannes and had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in 2017. "Until Tomorrow," his second feature film, at the Berlinale in 2022. Ali is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Alireza is an award-winning Iranian-American filmmaker based in Canada. Born into the indigenous Khamse tribe in Iran, he is influenced by his heritage's rich storytelling traditions. His films poignantly investigate the interconnection of memory, trauma, and power dynamics, often through filmmakers such as Asghar Farhadi. His debut feature, "Oblivion Verses," developed at the Cinéfondation Residency of the Festival de Cannes, premiered at the Venice Film Festival, winning three awards, including the Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay and the FIPRESCI Prize. Alireza also co-wrote "Until Tomorrow," which premiered at the Berlinale Film Festival. He is currently working on an auto-fictional psychological thriller in Turkey. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Alireza Khatami, Ali Asgari Writer: Alireza Khatami, Ali Asgari Producer(s): Ali Asgari, Milad Khosravi, Alireza Khatami, Cyrus Neshvad, Reyhaneh Rad Film Editor: Ehsan Vaseghi Featured Cast: Bahram Ark, Arghavan Shabani, Servin Zabetian, Sadaf Asgari, Faezeh Rad, Hossein Soleymani, Majid Salehi, Farzin Mohades, Gouhar Kheir Andish, Ardeshir Kazemi 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.

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. October 27, 2024 at 8:00:00 PM AFS Cinema The Leopard's Tribe India | Documentary 2022 | 40 mins | English, Hindi, Marathi In-Person Q+A with Director Miriam Chandy Menacherry TICKETS TICKETS 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. Restoration Process About the Artist 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. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Miriam Chandy Menacherry Writer: Producer(s): 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.

Living in a small village in Himachal, Jyotsana is still in denial of her husband’s demise. Her endless search for her husband proves futile every time and the turmoil of living a life between the past and the present make her more hostile towards motherhood. Filmocracy Virtual April 28 - May 1, 2023 What Are You Searching For? India | Short 2022 | 35 mins | Hindi, English TICKETS TICKETS Restoration Process About the Artist Princy Pal is filmmaker based out of Delhi. She is an alumnus of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, 2019, where she completed a postgraduate degree in cinema, specializing in direction and screenwriting. Pal's is deeply interested in exploring film as a medium of narrative, non-narrative, imagery, sound, and vision that can transcend the world of the audience's experience. Pal also has hobbies in photography, creative writing, and music. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Princy Pal Writer: Princy Pal Producer(s): Film Editor: Featured Cast: Indira Tiwari, Shabnam Thakur, Jaivanti Devi 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.

A New York actor & playwright investigates the pasts of his Bangladeshi immigrant parents, unearthing a lost history in which South Asian Muslims, African Americans, and Puerto Ricans forged an extraordinary multiracial community in mid-20th century Harlem. April 15, 2023 at 4:45:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual April 28 - May 1, 2023 Texas Premiere In Search of Bengali Harlem USA, Bangladesh | Documentary 2022 | 85 min | English, Bengali In-Person Q&A w/ directors Alaudin Ullah & Vivek Bald TICKETS TICKETS Official Selection of DOC NYC & CAAMFest 2022 As a teenager in 1980s Harlem, Alaudin Ullah was swept up in the revolutionary energy of hip-hop. He rejected his working-class Bangladeshi parents and turned his back on everything South Asian and Muslim. Now, as an actor and playwright contending with the Islamophobia of post-9/11 Hollywood, Ullah wants to tell his parents' stories - but he has no idea who they really were. In Search of Bengali Harlem follows Ullah from the streets of New York to the villages of Bangladesh to uncover the pasts of his father and mother. In doing so, he discovers a lost history - in which South Asian Muslims, African Americans, and Puerto Ricans forged an extraordinary multiracial community in the tenements of mid- 20th century Harlem. Restoration Process About the Artist Alaudin Ullah is a playwright, actor, and the son of one of the first Bengali Muslim men to settle in Harlem. Ullah is the author of the acclaimed one-man show, "DISHWASHER DREAMS," based on his father’s life in New York City in the 1930s-60s. Ullah premiered the show at the New Works Now! Festivalat New York’s Joseph Papp Public Theater, and was subsequently awarded one of the Theater’s prestigious Emerging Writers Group Fellowships. Ullah has since performed DISHWASHER DREAMS across the US, including most recently a 2021-22 run at Chicago's Writers Theater and at Connecticut’s Hartford Stage. Ullah’s three-act play "HALAL BROTHERS" centers on the interactions between African American and Bengali Muslims in a Harlem halal butcher’s shop on the day of Malcolm X’s murder in 1965. This emotionally charged ensemble drama is in development for stage production in 2022. --- Vivek Bald is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, digital media producer, and scholar. His work over the past twenty-five years has explored the stories and experiences of South Asians in the U.S. and Britain. Bald’s first documentary TAXI-VALA/AUTO-BIOGRAPHY (1994) which examined the lives and activism of New York City taxi drivers from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, was showcased by the Whitney Museum, the San Francisco Int'l Asian American Film Festival and PBS. His second documentary MUTINY: ASIANS STORM BRITISH MUSIC (2003) focused on South Asian youth, music, and anti-racist politics in 1970s-90s Britain. It premiered in New York as part of Lincoln Center’s Independents Night series and screened at two dozen film festivals in thirteen countries. In 2020, Bald consulted upon and appeared in the Peabody Award winning PBS documentary series, ASIAN AMERICANS. He is the author of Bengali Harlem and the Lost Histories of South Asian America (Harvard University Press, 2013) and the faculty Director of MIT’s Open Documentary Lab, a unit devoted to the analysis and incubation of new forms of documentary: including VR & AR projects. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Alaudin Ullah & Vivek Bald Writer: Alaudin Ullah & Vivek Bald Beyza Boyac ioglu Producer(s): Susannah Ludwig Film Editor: Beyza Boyac ioglu 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.

In a remote Kashmiri village, Karun, a reserved security guard, forms a forbidden bond with Faheem, a man torn between tradition and desire. Through stolen glances, online flirtation, and secret visits, their connection forces them to confront their beliefs and loyalties. Faheem’s angry brother and a society drowning in conflict clash with their tenderness, embodying the tension of a conservative culture and challenging their love in ways they never expected. But Karun’s hope shines in his eyes, just as his love does. October 5, 2025 at 6:00:00 PM AFS Cinema We Are Faheem & Karun India | Narrative Feature 2024 | 75 mins | Kashmiri Q&A with filmmaker Onir The film will be proceeded by a live musical performance by Ramesh Srivastava (of Voxtrot). TICKETS TICKETS Best Director, UK Asian Film Festival 2025 Onir and co-writer Fawzia Mirza venture into the complex terrain of Kashmir with this quiet love story that finds poetry in the most unlikely circumstances. Set in Gurez, a remote border region of Kashmir, We Are Faheem & Karun follows an unexpected connection between Karun, a young security officer from Kerala on his first posting, and Faheem, a local student. Their romance develops through lingering glances and shared moments against the backdrop of one of the world's most militarized regions. Rather than sensationalizing its setting, Onir captures Kashmir as a place where people live, love, and dream despite ever-present tensions. Anchored by emotionally rich performances from Akash Menon and Mir Tawseef, this groundbreaking film treats its characters as people first, not symbols. Produced by Deepa Mehta, We Are Faheem & Karun offers a work both intimate and political, proving that the most personal stories often carry the deepest universal truths. Restoration Process About the Artist Onir is an Indian filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, and editor born in Bhutan. He is best known for his film "My Brother... Nikhil" (2005) , based on the life of Dominic D'Souza, starring Sanjay Suri, Juhi Chawla, and Purab Kohli. It was one of the first mainstream Hindi films to deal with AIDS and same-sex relationships. He won the Indian National Film Award for Best Film (Hindi) in 2011 for the anthology "I AM". This film is considered one of the first and largest crowd-funded and crowd-sourced films through social media in India. The film dealt with single motherhood, child sexual abuse, displacement, and LGBTQI+ rights. In March 2024, Onir’s "Pine Cone" screened at BFI Flare, a queer love story written by Ashwini Malik and Onir. It is loosely based on Onir’s memoir "I Am Onir and I Am Gay", which he co-wrote with his sister Irene Dhar Malik and was published by Penguin Viking. Onir’s directed one of the 4 stories of the anthology “My Melbourne” which was shot in Melbourne by 4 Indian film makers with an Australian cast and Crew telling stories of diversity and inclusion. Onir’s "We Are Faheem & Karun” had its international premiere at BFI Flare (March 2025) Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Onir Writer: Onir Fawzia Mirza Producer(s): Onir Deepa Mehta Film Editor: Irene Dhar Malik Onir Featured Cast: Akash Unimenon Mir Tawseef Bashir Lone Mir Salman Sana Javeid 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.

Kennedy is an insomniac ex-cop, long though to be dead... still operating for the corrupt system, while looking for redemption. April 11, 2025 at 10:00:00 PM AFS Cinema Special Screening Kennedy India | Narrative Feature 2023 | 144 mins | Hindi Live Q&A with writer-director Anurag Kashyap TICKETS TICKETS 1. Festival de Cannes - France 2. Sydney Film Festival - Australia 3. Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival - South Korea (Republic of Korea) Kennedy is an insomniac ex-cop, long though to be dead... still operating for the corrupt system, while looking for redemption. Restoration Process About the Artist The most influential Indian filmmaker of recent times with a superlative career including more than 50 films as a Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Editor and Actor. He was awarded the Knight of the order of Arts and Letter by the French government, in 2013, when India was the guest country at Cannes Film Festival, to commemorate 100 years of Indian Cinema. He is also one of the Directors of Netflix's first India show called Sacred Games, and also various films like Choked, and short films for the anthologies - Lust Stories & Ghost Stories, for them. He was voted as one of the top 50 influential Indians by India Today, a leading Indian current affairs magazine, and continues to bring change to the Indian Film Industry. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Anurag Kashyap Writer: Anurag Kashyap Producer(s): Ranjan Singh Kabir Ahuja Film Editor: Tanya Chhabria Deepak Kattar Featured Cast: Rahul Bhat Sunny Leone Mohit Takalkar Abhilash Thapliyal Megha Burman 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.