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Azra is worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother. Following a tragedy, Azra finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey to Pakistan - guided by memories of her mother's youth in Karachi and her own coming-of-age in rural Canada. August 4, 2024 at 9:30:00 PM AFS Cinema The Queen of My Dreams Canada, Pakistan | Narrative Feature 2023 | 96 mins | English, Urdu Live ZOOM Q&A with Writer-Director Fawzia Mirza. TICKETS TICKETS Queer Pakistani grad student, Azra, is worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother. When her father suddenly dies on a trip home to Pakistan, Azra finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined; from her mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming- of-age in rural Canada. Restoration Process About the Artist Fawzia Mirza is a Canadian film and TV actress, writer, producer, and director. Her work includes the web series Kam Kardashian and Brown Girl Problems and the 2017 film Signature Move. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Fawzia Mirza Writer: Fawzia Mirza Producer(s): Andria Wilson Mirza, Jason Levangie, and Marc Tetreault Film Editor: Simone Smith Featured Cast: Amrit Kaur, Nimra Bucha, Hamza Haq, Ayana Manji, Ali A. Kazmi 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.

After waking up and finding his wife and baby missing, a worried husband seeks help from community members. Filmocracy Virtual April 28 - May 1, 2023 Learning Not To Drown USA | Short 2021 | 20 mins | English In-Person Q&A with Texas director, Prithvi Raj Karreddula & award-winning composer Mickey J. Meyer TICKETS TICKETS Restoration Process About the Artist Prithvi Raj Karreddula is a Dallas filmmaker from Hyderabad, Telangana, India. He's been a writer and director for both English and Telugu films since 2017. He also possesses a handful of additional skills in film production such as cinematography, editing, and music composition. Prithvi Raj is most known for his short films "Audible Frequency" (2021), "Humans" (2019) and "Bhoomi" (2021). Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Prithvi Raj Karreddula Writer: Prithvi Raj Karreddula Producer(s): Film Editor: Featured Cast: Sri Chilukuri, Corey Pratt, Raymund C. King 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.

Metal, electronic, and rap are not associated with Mumbai because it’s hidden in Bollywood’s shadow, but found in every suburb. The misfits who conspire to pervert the course of pop culture are our protagonists in the nostalgia trip called Back Then. April 13, 2025 at 1:30:00 AM AFS Cinema Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Texas Premiere BACK THEN - The Story of Live Music in Bombay India | Documentary 2024 | 57 mins | English Recorded Q&A with directors Anindita Dutta Roy and Abhishek Chandran Preceded by a 10-minute music set by Specific Thing. TICKETS TICKETS Yellowstone International Film Festival Best Documentary Film Winner 'BACK THEN - The Story of Live Music in Bombay' is a documentary film that takes the viewer back 30 years in time to explore the sounds of the city's musical counterculture as it was. It puts you into the shoes of its mercurial artists, passionate folks behind the scenes, and misfits who went to gigs through the 90s, 2000s, and 2010s. The film puts a spotlight on what happened in the shadowy world of underground live music and answers questions like what it meant to watch an artist live in 1994, what it’s like today, and what kind of underground music was played in 2006. Over the span of 53 minutes, it cruises through real and rare DIY stories all the way from the 1990s, right up to 2023. Restoration Process About the Artist Director: Director Anindita is from Calcutta. She has a Master’s in Journalism and experience in acting/directing student films, and digital films in her advertising career. Her husband’s gig-going stories and her discoveries of counterculture having lived across India inspired this debut. With her background in journalism, she never imagined that her first film would be about the subject of ‘live music.’ In the process of making this film, she has tried to recreate her desired youth days in a way the rebel in her would have wanted to live. The inspiration for this movie comes from attending several alternate and underground live music gigs with her partner. She wanted the entire world to see Bombay through this sub-culture lens and witness the magic of ‘these misfits’ featured in the movie. She is a keen observer of the cultural nuances of India and the world and has absorbed more than most, having lived across India. Next, she will document brown women and their esoteric communities. Co-Director: Director Abhishek Chandran has his roots in a small town in Thrisshur, Kerala but grew up in the maximum city, Mumbai. While pursuing mass communication, he made multiple music-videos and short films. While he’s had a career in advertising, his avocations have been musical. Next, he will archive his family tree of 120+ members across the world.This documentary is hugely inspired from his own coming-of-age story with different forms of live music in Mumbai. Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Anindita Dutta Roy Abhishek Chandran Writer: Abhishek Chandran Producer(s): Ritwik Ghosh Jitin Hingorani 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.

Fereshteh, a young student in Tehran, must hide the existence of her illegitimate two-month old baby for the night when her parents announce a surprise visit. She and her resourceful best friend must weigh up their true allies. As they traverse the city, their simple mission proves surprisingly treacherous. Filmocracy Virtual April 28 - May 1, 2023 Until Tomorrow Iran | Narrative Feature 2022 | 86 min | Persian, Farsi TICKETS TICKETS World Premiere Selection: Berlinale 2022 Official Selection: Zurich, Istanbul, Stockholm, Edinburgh, & Sao Paulo International Film Festival Fereshteh is studying and working at a printers’ shop in Tehran. She wants to go to the US but is having trouble finding the time for a language course. This is because she also has a two-month-old baby that her parents know nothing about. When they announce at short notice that they are coming to visit, Fereshteh has to hide illegitimate child and everything that would give away her existence. What at first seems resolvable with a phone call to a few friends soon develops into a difficult undertaking. Fereshteh’s quick-witted friend Atefeh offers her support, but their ensuing odyssey through the city only reveals to the pair how limited their options are. In a society that does not grant everyone the same rights, young women have to weigh up carefully who their allies are. Restoration Process About the Artist Ali Asgari was born in Tehran, Iran. He studied cinema in Italy and began his career as an assistant director. After creating several acclaimed short films, he was selected for the Berlinale Talent Campus 2013. Early in his career his short films, MORE THAN TWO HOURS and THE SILENCE, were both selections at Cannes and nominated for a Palme d’Or. His work has premiered and competed at 600+ world festivals, including leading festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Sundance, Palm Springs, Melbourne, Durban, Stockholm, Montreal, Sao Paulo, BFI London, Leeds, & Festival Tous Courts. His films have won more than 100 international awards. UNTIL TOMORROW is Asgari's second feature film and premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale '22). Trailer For English subtitles, make sure to turn on the YouTube closed captions. Credits Crew: Director: Ali Asgari Writer: Ali Asgari Producer(s): Ali Asgari Raphaëlle Delauche Niki Karimi Nicolas Sanfaute Film Editor: Ehsan Vasegh i Featured Cast: Sadaf Asgari Ghazal Shojaei Amirreza Ranjbaran Nahal Dashti 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.

Norwegian academic Samuel died in Santhali village. Bidu wants to keep Samuel's last wish of burying him in the village. With a broken heart and a broken dream, Bidu's five-year-old son Kherwal started looking for a new way of going to Norway, which Samuel promised. Eventive Virtual May 2 - 4, 2025 Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Indie Meme Special 10th Year Retrospective Showcase United States Premiere Kherwal India | Narrative Feature 2023 | 122 mins | Santhali, Bengali, English TICKETS WATCH ONLINE Limited tickets available on site. 29th Kolkata International Film Festival 28th International Film Festival of Kerala 2023-Best Debut Director Indian Cinema Now 16th Jaipur International Film Festival -Awarded for Best Original Script, Best Released Film, Best Cinematography, Best Actor Lead Norwegian academic Samuel passed away in an Indian tribal village, leaving behind a final wish to be buried there. Bidu, a Santhali man, is determined to honour Samuel’s last request. Meanwhile, Bidu's young son struggles with the painful realisation that his cherished dream of visiting Norway, a promise made by Samuel, may never come true. However, hope flickers anew with the arrival of Samuel’s daughter, Lauren, in the village, rekindling the boy’s aspirations and bringing new possibilities to light. 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 Uttam Kamati is an independent Indian filmmaker and photographer with a strong passion for storytelling. His creative journey began by taking on different roles in filmmaking, where he gained experience as an assistant director, and scriptwriter for independent projects. Recently, Uttam Kamati completed his first feature-length film, Kherwal, which showcases his dedication to exploring diverse narratives. His short films, including Hope, have received international recognition. Hope won awards at the Dresden Sustainability Contest in Germany and the FINI Festival in Mexico. As a photographer, Uttam Kamati has earned several prestigious awards, including the Environmental Photographer of the Year (London, 2015), the DMZ International Half and Half Photography Award, and the DMZ Global Peace Award (South Korea), as well as the FIAP Bronze (Turkey). His work has been exhibited in major cities like New York, London, Turkey, and Boston, as well as at renowned institutions across India. Photo courtesy: Film Heritage Foundation Trailer Credits Crew: Director: Uttam Kamati Writer: Uttam Kamati Producers: Uttam Kamati Film Editor: Featured Cast: Debanshu Saren Rabi Baskey Krista Smligdriva Monimala Saren 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!

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.