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Inspired by Iranian cinema and the poetry of Forough Farrokhzad, a young director from India journeys to Tehran to witness how resistance becomes a daily act of survival in Iranian society. April 12, 2025 at 8:15:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 United States Premiere And, Towards Happy Alleys India, Iran | Documentary 2023 | 75 mins | Persian, English Live Q&A with director Sreemoyee Singh and lead actress Aida Mohammadkhani Preceded by the short film The First Film . TICKETS TICKETS Best Film in the International Competition at BAFICI, Argentina, April 2023 Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari award for Best Debut Director at Mumbai International Film Festival, June, 2024 Best Documentary in World Cinema Festival, Calcutta, 2024 Fascinated by Iran’s film culture and the poetic works of the feminist poet Forough Farrokhzad, Indian filmmaker Sreemoyee Singh sets out in search of the protagonists of Iranian cinema. The numerous interviews she conducts over a period of six years with filmmakers Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Shirvani, and human rights activist Nasrin Sotudeh, among others, show the precarious situation in which critics of the regime find themselves, including the constant threat of imprisonment and being banned from practicing their profession. With a keen eye for unusual situations, she documents the effect of the Islamic Republic’s strict and omnipresent censorship on the daily lives of Iranian women whose uncompromising struggle has put them at the forefront of the protests that are currently rocking the country. And, Towards Happy Alleys is a passionate declaration of love for the cinema and poetry of Iran which also provides a frank view of daily life, and bears witness to a fearless generation raising its voice and implacably demanding its civil liberties. Restoration Process About the Artist Sreemoyee is a filmmaker and producer from Kolkata, India. She has a PhD degree on “The Exiled Filmmaker in Post-Revolution Iran” from the department of Film Studies at Jadavpur University. She learned Persian and traveled to Iran to film her debut documentary And, Towards Happy Alleys which launched at the Berlinale International Film Festival (Panorama section) in February 2023 and has screened at prestigious film festivals such CPH:DOX (Denmark) Thessaloniki (Greece) Sheffield (UK) DMZ Docs (South Korea) Antenna Film Festival (Australia) Jio MAMI (India), Docpoint Helsinki (Finland) winning the ‘best film’ in the International Competition at BAFICI, Argentina. Sreemoyee also won the Best Debut Director award at the Mumbai International Film Festival for her film along with the FIPRESCI (International) Critics Jury award. Sreemoyee has also worked as an Assistant Professor of Film Studies at St. Joseph’s University, Bangalore, and a Guest Lecturer at New York University, Abu Dhabi (NYUAD). She is the recipient of the Golden Globe Foundation Residency for International Filmmakers in Los Angeles in February-March 2024. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Sreemoyee Singh Aida Mohammadkhani Writer: Sreemoyee Singh Producer(s): Sreemoyee Singh Happy Alley Films Film Editor: Joydip Das Pradyatan Bera 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.

"Manthan" is a compelling film about an idealistic veterinarian who sparks a milk cooperative movement in a village, challenging deep-rooted caste hierarchies and exploitation, facing fierce resistance, false accusations, and political strife, but ultimately igniting change and hope for a better future. April 9, 2025 at 11:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase Manthan (The Churning) India | Narrative Feature 1976 | 134 mins | Hindi Virtual Q&A with actor Naseeruddin Shah TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. Cannes Classics 2024 "Manthan”, a fictionalized version of the beginnings of the remarkable dairy cooperative movement that transformed India from a milk-deficient nation to the world’s largest milk producer inspired by Verghese Kurien, the Father of the White Revolution, is also India’s first crowdfunded film produced by 500,000 dairy farmers who contributed Rs. 2/- each towards the production of the film. 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 Shyam Benegal, a pioneer of Indian parallel cinema, is renowned for his socially conscious films tackling caste, gender, and socio-political issues. Born on December 14, 1934, he debuted with Ankur (1974), followed by acclaimed films like Nishant, Manthan, and Bhumika. Manthan was uniquely crowd-funded by 500,000 farmers, highlighting India's White Revolution. Benegal has collaborated with legendary actors like Smita Patil and Naseeruddin Shah and directed the iconic TV series Bharat Ek Khoj (1988). Honored with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and multiple National Film Awards, his work continues to inspire and challenge societal norms. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Shyam Benegal Writer: V. Kurien Shyam Benegal Vijay Tendulkar Producers: Shyam Benegal/Sahyadri Films for Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. Film Editor: Bhanudas Diwkar Featured Cast: Girish Karnad Smita Patil Naseeruddin Shah Anant Nag Amrish Puri Kulbushan Kharbanda Mohan Agashe Sadhu Meher Rajendra Jaspal Abha Dhulia Anjali Paigankar and the people of Sanganva 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 mother sings lullabies to her 12 year-old daughter in order to calm her down. But, when the lullabies end, their reality turns out to be much grimmer and more life-altering. April 15, 2023 at 5:45:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual April 28 - May 1, 2023 Lori Nepal | Short 2022 | 15 mins | Nepali, English Screens with "In Search of Bengali Harlem " TICKETS TICKETS Special Jury Mention - Cannes Film Festival Restoration Process About the Artist Abinash Bikram Shah is a National Award-winning writer/director based in Nepal. An alumnus of Locarno Filmmakers Academy, Berlinale Talents, and Asian Film Academy, he has written, directed, and produced short films that have participated and won at many International Film Festivals. His most recent short film LORI (Melancholy of my Mother’s Lullabies) became the first Nepali film to be officially selected at Cannes Film Festival (2022), where it competed for Palme d’Or Short and was awarded a 'Special Jury Mention'. He has also written several feature films that have premiered in Berlin International Film Festival (2012) and Venice - International Film Critics Week (2015) and went on to become Nepal's Official Entry for the Oscars in Best Foreign Language Film section. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Abinash Bikram Shah Writer: Abinash Bikram Shah Producer(s): Film Editor: Featured Cast: Priti Jha, Sujita Sah, Ankita Yadav 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 middle-aged woman writes letters and phone calls to her younger self while trapped with her aging mother in their ancestral home, both yearning to escape their unfulfilled lives through a vanishing ritual. Eventive Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase North America Premiere Sad Letters of an Imaginary Woman India | Narrative Feature 2023 | 79 mins | Hindi TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. Nidhi (43) and her mother Meera (70) exist in a decaying ancestral house, a physical manifestation of their stagnant lives. Nidhi's childhood was marred by a traumatic event involving her father that left her emotionally isolated and perpetually melancholic. She grapples with her past by writing haunting letters to her younger self, lamenting what could have been and warning her of what awaits. Meera harbors deep regrets over an unrequited love affair that never came to fruition, a wistful yearning that compounds her sense of failure as a mother witnessing Nidhi's profound despair. Yet, a flicker of hope remains – the possibility of Nidhi finding solace. When Nidhi discovers an ancient mystical ritual that promises oblivion through vanishing, the idea takes root. Meera, in a last act of love, decides to join Nidhi on this metaphysical journey into nothingness. As mother and daughter perform the rites, the barriers between past and present dissolve. Memories bleed into the present, echoing their anguished cries long suppressed by society's expectations.On one transcendent night, enveloped in darkness, they disappear - two flightless birds finally freed from their corporeal and emotional prisons. An experimental meditation on the complex struggles women endure. 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 A recipient of the Asian Cinema Fund and Biennale College Cinema, Nidhi Saxena is a filmmaker whose work explores human vulnerability and existential themes through a distinctly poetic lens. With a formal background in sculpture and fine art, she transitioned to filmmaking after studying at the Film and Television Institute of India. Her approach to cinema, influenced by auteurs like Tsai Ming-Liang and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, seeks to transcend conventional narrative in search of the abstract and spiritual. Nidhi has also worked extensively with marginalized women through UN Population Fund initiatives. She is currently working on her next feature film. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Nidhi Saxena Writer: Nidhi Saxena Producers: Vimukthi Jayasundara Ajender Singh Film Editor: Saman Alvitigala Featured Cast: Anamika Tiwari Bhadra Basu Pratiksha Rakesh Bhai Nabanita Chakrabortya Avinash Gupta 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 a quiet night, a lonely man spends an hour engaging in his favorite activities, but soon he must face the consequences of his actions. April 10, 2025 at 11:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase Texas Premiere Lost. USA | Short 2024 | 9 mins | N/A TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. Hyperreal Film Club Official Selection, Reale Film Festival - Best Super Short, Tamizhagam International Film Festival - Best Actor Life Lost is not the same as Life Taken. Lost is a story that explores the themes of loneliness, inner battles, and helplessness. The protagonist has no “name” in the film and is seen going through a series of emotions that feel both rushed and deliberate, each serving a purpose within the narrative. In the opening two minutes, the film symbolizes the struggle and mental turmoil that one experiences in intense situations at a thought level, particularly when grappling with the desire to escape from the reality. As the story progresses, the character becomes both expressive and reactive, engaging in a series of mundane activities that seem to provide some comfort to him. A timer, counting down an hour, heightens the tension as the character grows increasingly anxious as time passes. The film ends with a moment of revelation, where the character's journey becomes clear, tying together the events shown and offering clarity to the emotions and experiences portrayed. 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 Rohit Battepati is a self-taught filmmaker whose passion for storytelling developed from his exposure to a diverse array of films. With a deep appreciation for various genres, he aspires to create genre-driven cinema that resonates with audiences. Born in India, Rohit was profoundly influenced by South Indian films during his childhood, an experience that later fueled his curiosity to explore world cinema after relocating to the United States in 2015. Rohit gained valuable experience as an assistant director on the anthology web series Maranam, a project entirely filmed in Texas. He took a significant step forward in his career by directing his debut short film, Lost. , showcasing his emerging talent. Passionate about pushing creative boundaries, Rohit is eager to make films that span a wide range of genres and explore a spectrum of emotions on screen, solidifying his commitment to versatile and impactful storytelling. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Rohit Battepati Writer: Producers: Film Editor: Santosh Vemula Featured Cast: Raviteja Cherughattu 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!

The film follows four young girls that routinely travel from Lyari to a musical school in another area. The travel is long and dangerous, plus the girls' families are not always supportive of their desire to learn music as they feel that it violates Islamic law. Lyari Notes follows the girls over a three-year period. Eventive Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase Lyari Notes India, Pakistan | Documentary 2015 | 70 mins | Urdu ORIGINAL FILM PAGE WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. World Premiere and nominated by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists – EDA Award at the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam – Nov 2015 Winner of the Golden Boddhisattva Award (Patna) at the Bodhisattva International Film Festival – Feb 2017 Winner of excellence in best documentary feature (red category) at the ARY Film Festival (Karachi) – May 2017 In Pakistan a rock star teaches a group of girls to express themselves through music in Karachi’s most volatile district. Hamza Jafri travels in an armed vehicle. He is a musician famous for his hard hitting political lyrics since the 1990s. Since then religious fundamentalism has been on the rise with shops selling music torched, concerts bombed and musicians threatened with death. Seeing the shrinking space for music and artists Hamza opens a music school. Captured over 3 years Lyari Notes is the narrative of four young girls who attend Hamza’s music school and learn what it takes to express oneself despite the cycles of violence. 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 Miriam Chandy Menacherry (Director and Producer from India) – Founder, Director at Filament Pictures a Mumbai based production house. She has pitched and produced award winning films that have been broadcast on international channels like the National Geographic channel, BBC world and Arte. Her last documentary The Rat Race weaves together the narratives of rat killers in Mumbai. It won the Mipdoc Co production Challenge at Cannes, premiered at IDFA and won the audience awards at Florence and Kerala. It is one of the rare documentaries to get theatrical releases in 3 Indian cities winning critical and popular acclaim. Maheen Zia (Director and Producer from Pakistan) – Pakistani film director and editor. She has a degree in radio/tv production from Drake University USA and teaches at the Department of visual studies Karachi University. She is one of the founding members of Pakistan’s young international film festival – The Kara Film Festival and has served as a juror at international film festivals in Tehran, Tampere, Hyderabad and Kabul. She is the winner of the India EU Film initiative- Berlin Today Award- for her film `Match Factor’. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Miriam Chandy Menacherry & Maheen Zia Writer: Miriam Chandy Menacherry Abhijit Kachhap Likokba Sangtam Maheen Zia Producers: Miriam Chandy Menacherry Iikka Vehkalahti Maheen Zia Film Editor: Monisha R Baldawa Sankalp Meshram Featured Cast: 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 young boy convinces a fisherman to take him out to sea, but once they are far from shore, the boy’s true intentions are revealed — leaving us to wonder if his plan succeeds. April 12, 2025 at 3:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 North America Premiere Blue India | Short 2024 | 12 mins | Tamil TICKETS TICKETS Special prize from Arctic Open International Film Festival 2024, Russia A young boy persuades a fisherman to take him out to sea. Once there, he reveals his true intentions, sparking the fisherman’s anger. The film leaves us wondering whether the boy ultimately succeeds in his plan. Restoration Process About the Artist Praveen Kumar Nagendran is an engineer-turned-filmmaker in the Tamil film industry, in India. He worked as the first assistant director in the film Maaveeran (Tamil). In 2024, he directed his first short film "Blue". Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Praveen Kumar Nagendran Writer: Praveen Kumar Nagendran Producer(s): Philomin Raj Film Editor: Tamilselvan Sakthivel Featured Cast: Palani Murugan Hemanathan 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.

Former wrestling champion Shalini works as a bouncer at a Delhi nightclub where, after a fatal security lapse, invasive smartwatches are introduced. As tensions rise and personal lives are increasingly monitored, Shalini must navigate the dangerous waters of suspicion and surveillance. Eventive Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase North America Premiere Taak India | Short 2024 | 40 mins | Hindi TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. Film Critics Guild's Critic's Choice Award for Best Actress MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, Dharamshala International Film Festival, FILMKUNSTFEST MV (Germany) When a security breach shakes the foundations of a Delhi nightclub, the management enforces a new policy: mandatory tracking smartwatches for all staff members. Senior among the staff is Shalini, a bouncer who is a single mother. They are told that the smartwatches are tools for safety and efficiency. However, the watches soon reveal a darker purpose—constant surveillance. As the smartwatches begin to intrude on personal lives, harvesting data and controlling movements, the nightclub faces opposition from Komal - a young recruit from Shalini’s village who is extremely resistant to wearing the smartwatch. Berated for her team’s incompetence, Shalini must ensure that her colleagues wear the smartwatch or face severe consequences. In a world where every move is tracked, Shalini and Komal’s fight becomes one of autonomy, dignity, and the right to be unseen. 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 Udit Khurana graduated from Hansraj College, Delhi University, with a degree in Mathematics. His journey in storytelling started in a university theater environment and naturally progressed to filmmaking. After training at L.V. Prasad Film Academy, Chennai, Udit worked as the cinematographer on numerous documentary and fiction projects, collaborating with directors from diverse regions and languages. His notable projects include 'Ghaath' (Berlinale 2023), 'For the Love of a Man' (Venice International Film Festival 2015), and 'Chronicles of Hari' (Busan International Film Festival). Recently, he worked on Netflix's 'The Hunt for Veerappan'' and 'Mithya', a FIPRESCI-nominated Kannada feature film. For his work, he was selected as an Emerging Talent at the Berlinale Talents Camera Studio in 2023. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Udit Khurana Writer: Udit Khurana Producers: Mathivanan Rajendran Ishan Hendre Shilpa Kumar Film Editor: Bhamati Sivapalan Featured Cast: Jyoti Dogra Ambika Kamal Anoop Ghosh Kapil Pal 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!

The continuous surprising and endless playful visual animation accompaniment to the lively and taboo-busting discussion of a group of young women. April 20, 2024 at 3:30:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual May 3 - May 5, 2024 This is TMI India | Short 2023 | 6 mins | Bengali, English, Hindi, Nepali In-Person Q&A with Filmmaker Vidushi Gupta TICKETS TICKETS Toronto International Film Festival South by SouthWest (SXSW) Big boobs vs. small boobs, who has it worse? A group of women, over a drink, discusses in what ways being a part of a conservative society affects how we feel about our own breasts- which, at the end of the day, are just lumps of fat. Restoration Process About the Artist Subarna Dash is an animation filmmaker based in India. She pursued her studies in Animation Cinema at the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata. She was awarded as one of the “75 creative minds” by the Ministry of I&B, at IFFI, Goa in 2022. Her films have been screened and awarded at prestigious festivals such as Berlinale, TIFF, SXSW, Annecy, etc. Vidushi Gupta is an animator, filmmaker, and storyteller from India. With a background in Animation Cinema from Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute and a current Master's in Visualization at Texas A&M University, she focuses on animated short films, both fictional and documentary. Her animated documentary "This Is TMI" has been screened at prestigious festivals like TIFF, SXSW, Kaboom Animation Festival, and Animafest Zagreb. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Subarna Dash, Vidushi Gupta Writer: Producer(s): Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute Film Editor: Featured Cast: Sneha Das Priyadarshini Subba Rituparna Saha Monjima Mullick Vidushi Gupta Subarna Dash 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.

Chaoren, an eleven year-old boy from a rural fishing village, fights to attend and excel in school, amidst the threats of poverty and displacement. April 16, 2023 at 5:45:00 PM AFS Cinema Virtual April 28 - May 1, 2023 International Premiere Eikhoigi Yum (Our Home) India | Narrative Feature 2022 | 87 mins | Manipuri LIVE, IN-Person Q&A with Director Romi Meitei TICKETS TICKETS Official Selection of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival FIPRESCI Award for 'Best International Film' at IFFK Belonging to an isolated fishing community at Loktak lake, a young boy, Chaoren, seeks to defy his family's marginalization by excelling in school. When the canoe he uses every day must be sold due to his father’s illness, his spirit is not dampened. He beats the long distance to school by swimming. However, when the Government issues an eviction notice against Chaoren’s family, his strongly held dreams may be dashed by displacement. Restoration Process About the Artist Romi Meitei is prolific filmmaker who has produced several box-office hits. Besides notching up commercial successes, his films have been screened in world-renowned film festivals including IFFI, MIFF, IFFK, and others. He is recipient of the prestigious FIPRESCI and NETPAC awards, and well as the 'Best Director' Prize at the Sailadhar Film Awards in Assam. His projects have also received several Manipur State Film Awards, including 'Best Feature Film', 'Art Director', 'Child Artiste', and 'Best Editor' for EIKHOIGI YUM at the MSFA 22 award ceremony. He is the Chairman of Mami Thawan Foundation, which aims to render services for the welfare of Manipur. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Romi Meitei Writer: Romi Meitei Producer(s): Chingsubam Sheetal, Romi Meitei Film Editor: Johni Meitei 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.

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!