2020 official selections

BRAHMIN BULLS

Invited Feature Film
w/post screening Q&A with the Director and Cast

LIVE SCREENING + Q&A

FRIDAY, MARCH 5TH

5 PM PT / 8 PM ET

BUY PASSES HERE

Director: Mahesh Pailoor

Producer: Yoshinobu Tsuji

Cast: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, Mary Steenburgen, Justin Bartha, Michael Lerner, Monica Raymund

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 96 minutes

Year: 2014

FILM SYNOPSIS

When Ashok makes a surprise trip to Los Angeles to visit his estranged son, the two begin a journey to mend their relationship until Sid discovers that his father has actually come in search of an old flame.
Starring Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, Academy Award winner Mary Steenburgen, Justin Bartha, and Academy Award nominated Michael Lerner, BRAHMIN BULLS is a heartfelt and humorous exploration of the ever-evolving relationship between a father and son, the women in their lives, and the powerful secrets they keep.

DIRECTOR BIO

Mahesh Pailoor is an Indian American filmmaker based in Los Angeles whose award winning work has been showcased at festivals and institutions around the world, including SXSW, Cannes Lions, and the Smithsonian. He directed and co-wrote the independent feature film, Brahmin Bulls, starring Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, and Academy Award® Winner Mary Steenburgen. The film won the Audience Award at the San Diego Film Festival, the Jury Prize for Best American Indie at the Sonoma International Film Festival and was released theatrically in the US and UK. The New York Times called it “a warm debut” and the Village Voice praised it as “an accomplished first feature.” Mahesh’s television debut was The Blacklist on NBC (“Brothers”) with guest stars Anthony Michael Hall and Mark Margolis. Along with scripted content, Mahesh has directed documentaries, commercials and branded content for clients such as Best Buy, Microsoft, Nintendo and Yamaha. He is an alumnus of the NBC Emerging Director Program, Disney/ABC Directing Program, Film Independent’s Screenwriting Lab and Project:Involve. Mahesh is a graduate of NYU Tisch, and earned an MFA in directing from the American Film Institute, where he was the recipient of the Franklin J. Schaffner Fellow Award.

Director: Ravi Kapoor

Producer: Megha Kadakia, Meera Simhan, Ravi Kapoor, Saurabh Kikani.

Cast: Tiya Sircar, Hannah Simone, Kosha Patel, Meera SImhan, Bernard White, Satya Bhabha

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 95 minutes

Year: 2015

FILM SYNOPSIS

The very smart eighteen year-old, LILY PRASAD plans on two things; becoming a brain surgeon and marrying her high school sweetheart. But when her boyfriend runs of with the reigning Miss India National beauty pageant queen, she decides that she herself must become the new Miss India National! A comedy where Election and Legally Blonde meets the world of Indian-American beauty pageants.

DIRECTOR BIO

Ravi Kapoor is an actor, writer and director based in Los Angeles, though originally from Liverpool. MISS INDIA AMERICA is his first directorial feature, while his short films VICTOR RAMIREZ, ASESINO and THE 5 played and won awards at various fim festivals. As an actor he has guest-starred in many TV shows and movies and was also a series regular on the shows GIDEON'S CROSSING and CROSSING JORDAN for which he also directed. He is also a playwrite and wannabe novelist! He is currently in development on his second feature FOUR SAMOSAS.

DEFINITION PLEASE
***LA PREMIERE***

Closing Night Feature Film *Los Angeles Premiere*
w/post screening Q&A with the Director and Cast

LIVE SCREENING + Q&A

SATURDAY, MARCH 13TH

5 PM PT / 8 PM ET

BUY PASSES HERE

Director: Sujata Day

Producer: Sujata Day, Cameron Fife, Datari Turner

Cast: Sujata Day, Ritesh Rajan, Anna Khaja, Jake Choi, Lalaine

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 91 minutes

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

A former Scribbs Spelling Bee champion must reconcile with her estranged brother when he returns home to help care for their sick mother.

DIRECTOR BIO

The daughter of a mechanical engineer and housewife, Sujata became involved in the performing arts at a very young age. She began with dance (ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop, and East Indian folk and classical dance) and then became equally interested in acting, singing and musical theater. She continued to study and perform in school and community productions before heading west to pursue a professional acting career in Hollywood.

_HAPPYFACE4

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Prarthana Joshi

Producer: Priyank Thakkar

Cast: Priyank Thakkar

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 6 minutes 28 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

Mysterious events unfolds after Zane starts following an unknown account that he receives a follow from on social media.

DIRECTOR BIO

Born and raised in India, Prarthana, also known as PJ, graduated as an architect with a thesis project, a museum dedicated to the history of Indian Cinema. This sparked her interest in filmmaking. In 2008, PJ was awarded a fellowship from the National Film Archives of India for a research documentary on the Prabhat film company - An Indian film studio founded in 1929. She also worked as an AD in the independent film, Vihir (The Well) that was nominated at the Pusan International Film Festival as best film and screened at several international festivals. In 2009, she then directed her first short film, ‘Vaatsaru’, The Rolling Stone, starring Jyoti Subhash and Akshay Takshale. It was screened at the International film festival of India. In 2013, she earned her MFA in filmmaking from the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. Her thesis short, “Handle with Care”, starring Bill Suplee and Colin Bird, was screened at several festivals all around the world. PJ has an extensive hands-on versatile production experience. Narrative projects including independent features, TV Pilots, web series, commercials, and shorts. She has worked in different departments in film production including production management, production design, and the director’s team. She also worked as a physical production coordinator supervising MFA and BFA thesis projects for the New York Film Academy. In 2016, she produced a short on the topic of the Zika virus in Brazil. It was shot in LA and Rio. In 2017, she worked as an assistant to the director, David Armstrong ( SAW Cinematographer) on the feature, “The Assassins’ code” serving as a coordinator for the director’s office. In 2018, she produced an Indie TV pilot, Vicarious, created by Jeffrey Brown ( Henry Danger - Nickelodeon show) and Scott Speise ( The Tick- Amazon Prime show), Directed by Mandy Fabian. It won the best TV pilot at the Dances with Films festival 2019 amongst other awards and screenings. PJ is based in Los Angeles and continues to work as a Producer.

BLOOD MOON

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Shruti Parekh

Producer: Melissa Scicluna, Shruti Parekh

Cast: Megh Basu, Deepti Gupta, Amber Romero, Shawn Denegre-Vaught

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 9 minutes 46 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

On the afternoon before a rare lunar eclipse, 13-year-old Maya prepares to go to her first high school party with her best friend, Luz, and her friend’s cute older brother, Nico—until she discovers she’s started her period. Navigating shock and embarrassment, Maya must decide how to move forward as she comes to terms with this new rite of passage.

DIRECTOR BIO

Shruti Parekh is a filmmaker, journalist, and photographer from Atlanta, currently pursuing her MFA in Film Directing & Production at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television. She is a recipient of the Jack Nicholson Distinguished Student Director Award for 2020. Before attending UCLA, Shruti worked in film and video production in New York City for eight years. She was the assistant to acclaimed director Mira Nair on her 2013 film The Reluctant Fundamentalist, and has worked on multiple award-winning documentaries as an Assistant Editor. As a freelance video producer, Shruti created digital video content for clients such as Food & Wine Magazine, NYLON, and WIRED as well as nonprofit organizations. Most recently, she was a Video Producer for Gizmodo Media Group’s news website, Splinter (formerly Fusion), focusing on social justice-driven digital news and features. Shruti has also directed, shot, & edited more than 15 music video. Shruti is interested in amplifying stories at the margins of American society and culture with creativity, heart, and wit.

BROWN GIRLS AND HAIR

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Neamah Hussein

Producer: Neamah Hussein

Cast: Neamah Hussein, Amanda Nordquist

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 8 minutes 43 seconds

Year: 2018

FILM SYNOPSIS

Maya, a 20-something desi in San Francisco, finds herself in a hairy situation the day before a much-anticipated date.

DIRECTOR BIO

Neamah Hussein is a Yemeni-Indian Computer Scientist and software engineer. She grew up in Dubai, where she first developed her interest in entertainment through musical theater and improv. She now pursues her passion for filmmaking and writing alongside her career in tech. Brown Girls and Hair is her first short film.

BURNER

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Mukilan Thangamani

Producer: Mukilan Thangamani, Gabriel Lunte, Jonathan Potton, Milon Tesiram, Chris Graham

Cast: Kiri Naik, Britta Brandt, David Van Horn, Mel Odedra

Language: English

Country: Australia

Runtime: 20 minutes 15 seconds

Year: 2019

FILM SYNOPSIS

A victim of domestic abuse is offered an intriguing solution to her suffering: access to an underground app that allows users to anonymously trade murders.

DIRECTOR BIO

Mukilan was born in India, raised in Botswana and New Zealand, and now lives in Australia. He credits his Third-Culture background for inspiring his love of cultural diversity and passion for wanting to see South-Asian diasporic voices reflected more in mainstream media. He's won various screenwriting contests, received development funding on multiple projects from the New Zealand Film Commission, and was also featured in The Tracking Board's annual Young & Hungry List.

DAWAT

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Juhi Sharma

Producer: Suswana Chowdhury

Cast: Sita Sarkar, Shireen Bakul, Nafiul Bahri, Reshma Chowdhury

Language: Bengali

Country: United States

Runtime: 15 minutes 43 seconds

Year: 2019

FILM SYNOPSIS

Dawat is the story of a young Bengali-American woman struggling against her family's expectations to follow her dreams. Told over the course of a classic Bengali family dinner party, Dawat explores the intergenerational relationship between a mother and her daughter as they come to terms with their pride and traditions in the face of a huge decision.

DIRECTOR BIO

Juhi Sharma is a New York, Dallas and Chennai based filmmaker working in documentaries, fiction films, music videos and branded content. She has an MFA in Cinematography and a Diploma in Digital Photography. Her film "Walk of Fame," with Dir. Blaine Morris premiered at the Oscar Qualifying NY Shorts International Film Festival. Her directorial debut, "Skinny Love" premiered at the Alternative Film Festival in Toronto and was the Official Selection at the Newark International Film Festival and Adirondack International Film Festival. Films she has directed and shot have been nominated for National Film Awards of India, and have premiered at the Kolkata International Film Festival, Oaxaca Film Festival, Filmmakers without Borders, NewFest and DocNYC amongst others. Her focus drives her to understand the universal thread of emotion that unites us all and she is passionate about retelling stories of the under-appreciated from her community.

DOORI

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Sumit Judge

Producer: Sumit Judge, Darshan Dorka, Gurshaan Pabla

Cast: Ishaval Gill, Kashif Abbas

Language: Punjabi

Country: Canada

Runtime: 10 minutes 25 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

In a strange, unfamiliar place, Gurjit tries to navigate life with 'the man'. Homesick, isolated, yet hopeful, Gurjit tries tackling a mundane existence, and at the same time tries to appease a companion she knows nothing of. What is greater, the distance between her new home and the life she previously lived, or the distance between her and 'the man'?

DIRECTOR BIO

Sumit Judge has directed and wrote two short films.. His first short Vishal, dealt with the plight of the south Asian international student in Canada. Vishal was screened on Air Canada flights, Zee TV USA and at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Sumit’s second short Doori, centres around a female protagonist who moves to Canada with her husband, who she was arranged to marry. The film focuses on the isolation she feels in an unknown land with a complete stranger..
In addition, Sumit Judge directed and wrote commercials for products and websites like SelfieBroom and TakeMySari. Both commercials garnered over a million views combined. SelfieBroom went on to fulfil its Kickstarter ask. Sumit Judge has also acted as an assistant director, and script supervisor on numerous shorts, including Valerie’s Suitcase and Sun, both of which had successful runs on the festival circuit.

DRY LEAVES

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Ali Sohail Jaura

Producer: Dheeraj Jindal

Cast: Samina Ahmed, Dr. Durdana Butt

Language: Urdu

Country: India

Runtime: 9 minutes 23 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

Zahida arrives at a home for the old, believing her son will take her back after a week. Hesitant and apprehensive, she meets Farhat, who is full of hope but as the story unfolds she realizes that the future might be different from her expectations.

DIRECTOR BIO

Ali Sohail Jaura is an Independent filmmaker from Karachi, Pakistan with a penchant to evolve emotions through his stories. In 2017, he made a travel short film "Arz e Pakistan" (Land of Pakistan) based on Northern Areas of Pakistan which went into a winning streak received several accolades at various International tourism film festivals around the globe. It also ranked among Top-10 tourism films of 2018 by CIFFT (Comité International des Festivals du Film Touristique). His narrative short titled "Nanu Aur Main" (Grandpa and I) featuring Saboor Ali and Qavi Khan, has been selected in some of the largest South Asian film festivals of USA in 2018. His recent B&W short film "Dry Leaves", starring veteran actresses Samina Ahmed and Durdana Butt is currently doing its festival run and has been selected in more than twenty international film festivals. The film also marked his first collaboration with Indian producer Dheeraj Jindaal, who served as an executive producer for Dry Leaves.
He also co-founded a commercial venture, titled Wide Angle Films. The company is well known in advertising market for story based television and digital commercials and since its inception in 2019, the venture has thrown twenty successful campaigns in the market. All of them were well received by the industry, while some of them even caught the attention of international advertising reviewers.

EK KADAM

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Rajeev Upadhyay

Producer: Amrita Dodani

Cast: Renuka Shahane, Rajesh Tailang

Language: Hindi

Country: United States

Runtime: 22 minutes

Year: 2019

FILM SYNOPSIS

Anuradha Solanki is a middle-aged submissive housewife
who has not stepped out of her house for many years
without her husband, Mahendra Solanki. But things
change when Mahendra meets with an accident and
fractures his left leg. Now Anuradha has to go out to
do the work. At first, Anuradha is nervous; she is
scared that she might make some mistakes. And so she
does... Mahendra scolds her too. But slowly she regains
her confidence and begins to re-discover her lost self.

EKAANT (SOLITUDE)

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Swapnil Pagare

Producer: Arti Pagare, Sanjeev Kuwadekar

Cast: Sukanya Kulkarni-Mone, Pradnya Kuwadekar

Language: Marathi

Country: India

Runtime: 6 minutes 4 seconds

Year: 2019

FILM SYNOPSIS

Manasi' a poet and 'Sudha' a housewife are deeply in love with each other but the restrictions of the society has put chains around their relationship. Ekaant (Solitude) is expression of their secluded extramarital lesbian affair and poetic recital of first moment of closeness.

DIRECTOR BIO

Swapnil Pagare, an aspiring filmmaker based in Cleveland (previously in Los Angeles) has worked on various Short Films, Marathi Stage Plays and Music Videos. In 2014, he Wrote and Directed his first Marathi Short Film ‘Kumpan (The Fence)’ which was World Premiered in Louisville International Film Festival and travelled other film festivals. In 2015 BMM Los Angeles Convention he conducted ‘La-Cinema’ film seminar which brought notable personalities from Marathi and Hollywood industry on same stage and facilitated discussion around filmmaking techniques in both industries. In 2018, he also assisted renowned Marathi Filmmaker Dr. Samruddhi Porey (Dr. Prakash Baba Amet Writer and Director) in her first Hollywood Short film.

GOT GAME?

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Fatimah Asghar

Producer: Todd Reynolds

Cast: Kausar Mohammed, Aasia LaShay Bullock, Natasha Forouzannia

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 14 minutes 38 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

After a long period of sexual drought, Khudejha is awkward as hell and desperately wants to hook up with someone again. Newly single and with the help of her wing-woman Natasha, their new adventure at a kink party awaits.

DIRECTOR BIO

Fatimah Asghar is a poet, filmmaker, educator and performer. Her work has appeared in many journals, including POETRY Magazine, Gulf Coast, BuzzFeed Reader, The Margins, The Offing, Academy of American Poets and many others. Her work has been featured on new outlets like PBS, NPR, Time, Teen Vogue, Huffington Post, and others. In 2011 she created a spoken word poetry group in Bosnia and Herzegovina called REFLEKS while on a Fulbright studying theater in post-genocidal countries. She is a member of the Dark Noise Collective and a Kundiman Fellow. Her chapbook After came out on Yes Yes Books fall 2015. She is the writer and co-creator of Brown Girls, an Emmy-Nominated web series that highlights friendships between women of color. In 2017 she was awarded the Ruth Lily and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation and was featured on the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. Her debut book of poems, If They Come For Us, was released One World/ Random House, August 2018. Along with Safia Elhillo, she is the editor of Halal If You Hear Me, an anthology that celebrates Muslim writers who are also women, queer, gender nonconforming and/or trans.

I KNOW HER

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Fawzia Mirza

Producer: Fawzia Mirza

Cast: Fawzia Mirza, Kausar Mohammed

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 2 minutes 55 seconds

Year: 2019

FILM SYNOPSIS

In the afterglow of a seemingly fated hookup, two women realize that perhaps they have a little too much in common.

DIRECTOR BIO

FAWZIA MIRZA is a writer/creator/director who believes in the power of comedy & personal storytelling to tackle divisive topics and breakdown stereotypes. She was named one of '10 Filmmakers to Watch' by Independent Magazine, a White House ‘Champion of Change’ in Asian American Art & Storytelling, a 3Arts Acting Grant Recipient, a ‘Top 10 Creative’ by Indiewire magazine, and a Djerassi Program Writing Resident and one of the Chicago Deptartment of Cultural Affairs inaugural ‘Esteemed Artist’ grantees. She's made award-winning short films/web series/documentaries. For her one-woman-play-turned-screenplay, ME, MY MOM & SHARMILA was named an SFFILM Society Rainin Fellow, is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and is one of eight writers in the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Writer's Studio. Her first feature, SIGNATURE MOVE, which she co-wrote, produced and stars in, world premiered at SXSW has screened at over 150 film festivals around the world, won 14 awards (Outfest Grand Jury Prize, Best US Narrative) and available on Amazon/itunes. She wrote on the CBS limited series The Red Line, executive produced by Greg Berlanti and Ava Duvernay. She has 2 new short films in festivals that she wrote/directed SAYA and I KNOW HER with a new short NOOR & LAYLA shooting 2020 in association with CBC/Gem. She’s collaborating on several features with some of her favorite people, in development on several projects for TV.

MA'S BUTTON BOX

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Anubhav Singh

Producer: Anubhav Singh

Cast: Achintya Malviya, Pranayam Pundir, Sushma Pundir

Language: English, Hindi

Country: India

Runtime: 3 minutes 30 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

‘Ma’s Button Box’ is a poetic reminiscence of a son’s childhood memories with his mother through her closest possession.
The film captures this relentless passing of time and the prevailing of a bittersweet nostalgia.

DIRECTOR BIO

Anubhav is a film director based in Toronto. With education in fine art and film making, Anubhav thrives on understanding of both artistic and technical aspects of filmmaking. Experience of living and working in one of the oldest cities like Delhi as well as a growing global city like Toronto helps him in tastefully bringing the best of both worlds in his films. While 'Ma's Button Box' makes round in film festivals around the world, his upcoming directorial works include a webseries called 'Get Up Aisha' which is based on issues around mental health in south asian community in Canada.

FILM SYNOPSIS

MONOGAMISH follows Sagar and Nishi, a sexually fluid, Indian pair who are not in a 'typical' relationship. Although the intimacy and connection they have are undeniable, they are not partners and they are not cheating. Sagar is already in a committed relationship and all three parties are aware. Monogamish explores the dynamics and strength of these two non-traditional couples, where agreements are made and boundaries are challenged.

DIRECTOR BIO

Nardeep is an award-winning filmmaker hailing from the ‘burbs of Philly by way of Switzerland. His work spotlights underrepresented communities, and he splits his time between creating thought-provoking socially relevant narratives and absurdist comedy pieces. His most recent short film, Pagg, about a Sikh-American’s response to a hate crime on the 4th of July, has screened at over 40 film festivals internationally, including 4 Academy Award Qualifying Festivals, netting a slew of awards and even garnering some Oscar buzz. His short film Monogamish, which explores sexual fluidity in a non-monogamous relationship, has screened at over 20 festivals worldwide. He also directed, shot, and produced a Youtube Vlog style adaptation of the novel “Flowers for Algernon” which has netted close to 300,000 views as well as the web series The Achiever which is currently streaming on YouTube and Amazon. In addition to writing and directing, Nardeep is an accomplished actor. His recent credits include "911," "SWAT," "The Odd Couple," and recurring roles on "Jane the Virgin" and "The Bold and the Beautiful." He is currently recurring on the Disney animated show "Mira, Royal Detective," he voices more than 10 characters. www.nardeepkhurmi.com

MOST LIKELY TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Rohan Chatterjee

Producer: Rohan Chatterjee, Carly Oscar

Cast: Auvray Stephenson, Will Meyers, Rohan Chatterjee, Debbie Gomez, Nick DeMasi

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 17 minutes 46 seconds

Year: 2019

FILM SYNOPSIS

Nikhil loves scary movies almost as much as he secretly loves his best friend Ava. Failing to tell her how he feels, he goes stag to a prom night after-party hosted by her handsome new date at his secluded lake house - a frighteningly familiar premise for a horror movie fan like himself. As the party rages on, Nikhil comes to terms with his deepest fears: Expressing his feelings to the girl of his dreams and potentially finding himself inside of a slasher film.

DIRECTOR BIO

Rohan Chatterjee is a filmmaker, writer, and actor based in New York City. Rohan has been obsessed with storytelling since childhood behind and in front of the camera. Born in Mexico and brought up near Chicago by Indian parents, he graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Film & Television and strives to make films with a unique perspective on the nature of being an American. He is fascinated with genre and discovering exciting ways to unearth inclusive, personal, and empathetically human stories by playing with cinematic conventions within science fiction, comedy, horror, etc. Occasionally, Rohan will wear glasses even though his vision isn’t all that bad in order to appear smarter and more distinguished.

FILM SYNOPSIS

After her husband dies, 60-year-old Nima embraces a new life working as an Indian threading artist at an American salon. She learns to come to peace with the loss and to find the beauty in the messiness of life.

DIRECTOR BIO

Her TV pilot, "Welcome to Shakti" was on the 2020 We For She List and featured in Deadline.
https://deadline.com/2020/02/weforshe-reveals-2020-list-of-best-unproduced-female-written-tv-scripts-1202858383/
In August 2015, Silk Road Rising Theater in Chicago produced four sold-out workshops of her one-woman-play, “A Great Dive.”
Puja earned a fellowship awarded by the "Chicago Reader" and the Academy for Alternative Journalism, during which she developed and wrote a 3810-word feature, titled “Doing The Rite Thing.” The piece earned a spot as a "Chicago Reader" cover story.
She co-wrote and co-edited the book, “Dost Thou Keep Memory,” about the living saint, Dada J. P. Vaswani and served as an associate producer on the documentary, “Two Weeks With Dada.” This title can be found on Amazon.com.
TV acting credits include: recurring on "Chicago Med,"“Chicago Fire,” “"Crisis," Undercovers,” “CSI: Miami ,” “Three Rivers,” “Miami Medical,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “All My Children,” “Valentine,” and the HBO pilot, “1%.She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, the A.C.T. MFA Acting program in San Francisco, and the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting.When she's not writing, she likes to cook, hit the gym, relax at the pool, and spend time with her nieces and nephew.

NOW THAT WE'VE MET

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Nitya Turaga

Producer: Miriam Sachs

Cast: Simran Jehani, Pranshu Mishra, Lakshmi Turaga, Geena Lovato

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 4 minutes 54 seconds

Year: 2019

FILM SYNOPSIS

Nina, set up on a blind date, immediately decides the only thing in common she has with her date, Jay, is that they're both Indian. Jay, a hopeless romantic, begs to differ.

DIRECTOR BIO

Nitya Turaga recently graduated from USC's School of Cinematic Arts, earning a degree in Film & Television Production. She has been creating films since middle school, and hopes to create content that would make her younger self proud, perhaps a romantic comedy with some witty one-liners and a love-triangle.

Denmark, and TV host and co-producer for the show, InScene (ARY TV). Favorite theatre credits include: Truth Be Told (EST), Acquittal (Theatre Row), and select readings with Second Stage Theatre, Cherry Lane Theatre, Intar Theatre, and the Indo-American Arts Council. Shetal is also a performance poet, having performed at Lincoln Center, Nuyorican Poets Café, and the Bowery Poetry Club. www.shetalshah.com

PASSAGE

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Asavari Kumar

Producer: Siddharth Zutshi, Asavari Kumar

Cast: Madame Gandhi, Asavari Kumar

Language: English

Country: India

Runtime: 5 minutes 15 seconds

Year: 2019

FILM SYNOPSIS

Finding herself in a state of limbo, an Indian woman revisits her immigration journey and voyages through a tempestuous emotional landscape of memory, identity, belonging and the illusion of the American Dream.

DIRECTOR BIO

Asavari is an Animation Director from New Delhi, India currently based in Los Angeles. She owns and operates the collective - Supernova Design through which she creates commercial and personal projects while collaborating with POC and women artists. Her client list includes - Google, Youtube, Slack & Disney amongst others.
Asavari’s films, installations and graphic narratives have been showcased at national and international film festivals and exhibition spaces including the Los Angeles Zine Fest, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Pune International Film Festival, La Gaîté Lyrique and Maison des Metallos. Her projects have also been featured in Kyoorius Design Magazine, Cartoon Brew, STASH and Animation Reporter Magazine.
Through her body of work, Asavari uses character driven storytelling to parse cultural and political identity and generate a discourse surrounding ideas of ‘home’ and ‘belonging’ and find where her own narrative intersects with those around her.
Asavari holds a BFA in Animation Film Design from the National Institute of Design (Ahmedabad), and an MFA in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts.

SAMSKARA

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Venk Potula

Producer: Skylar Schock, Venk Potula, Jamie Hill

Cast: Aarti Mann, Shawn Singh, Rajiv Satyal

Language: English, Gujarati

Country: United States

Runtime: 9 minutes

Year: 2019

FILM SYNOPSIS

After the sudden death of their father, two estranged Indian-American siblings must reconcile their trauma as they throw him an impromptu Hindu funeral.

DIRECTOR BIO

Venk Potula is a first generation Indian American filmmaker based out of Los Angeles, CA. He is a graduate of UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television where he studied Theater and English. While in school, Venk studied filmmaking with professors James Franco, Peter Weller and Charles Haid. After graduating, Venk started a production company where he edits and directs digital branded content for various brands including Bai, Vice Golf, Fnatic, and Warner Sisters. Venk recently shadowed Peter Weller as he directed episodes of TNT's The Last Ship. He is continuing his screenwriting education and practice at UCLA's Writing for Television Professional Program.
He recently directed and starred in "Woke," an indie short film which has played in over 20 film festivals across the US including Urbanworld Film Festival and CAAM Film Festival. Woke was nominated for the Grand Jury Award for Best Short film at the 13th Disorient Asian American Film Festival and won for Best Short Narrative at the Sacramento Asian Pacific American Film Festival. The film was also nominated for Best Actor and Best Screenwriter at the 2018 Asians On Film, Festival of Shorts and won for Best Actor at the Atlanta Comedy Film Festival. Woke is currently available exclusively with SEED & SPARK’s distribution arm.

THANK YOU, COME AGAIN

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Nirav Bhakta

Producer: Kelsey Fordham, Keertana Sastry, Alexcina Figueroa

Cast: Nirav Bhakta, Asit Vyas, Rohan Singh

Language: English, Gujarati

Country: United States

Runtime: 11 minutes 11 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

After the trigger of a hate crime, an undocumented Indian American convenience store clerk comes crashing into his subconscious as he grieves the passing of his father during an attempted border crossing.

DIRECTOR BIO

Nirav Bhakta is an award winning Director/Actor/Writer. While growing up as an undocumented immigrant in motels, Nirav utilized the restraints of his environment and geographical boundaries to create with what he had. Nirav's background in story telling extends from architecture to the North Indian classical dance form of Kathak. Due to the lack of authentic roles and experiences as an actor, Nirav began creating zero budget short films focusing on the immigrant experience, including a portrait documentary short revolving around an immigrant sex worker who was human trafficked by a drug cartel. In 2019, Nirav and his co-director Gayatri Bajpai were announced as the winners of the HBO Visionaries Short Film Competition for their film HALWA, which is now streaming on HBO. Halwa became the first South Asian short form content on HBO. Nirav currently is in the Academy sponsored Armed With A Camera Fellowship by Visual Communications, as well as the director of the the CBS Leadership Pipeline Challenge film 'The Last Of The Stars'.

THE COLOR OF ME

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Sreejith Nair

Producer: Sreejith Nair, Shettima Webb, Fahima Mohamood, Esha Tewari, Rohit Gupta

Cast: Terrell Pierce, Jennifer Lenius, Norma Chacon, Eva Shah, Pearl Paramadilok, Tayler Turner, LJ Flora

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 19 minutes 35 seconds

Year: 2018

FILM SYNOPSIS

An adopted African-American named Lewis Clark, falls in love with a young woman named Lisa Adams, who has an unusual condition. Every hour, her skin magically changes color and she turns into 5 different races. Lewis and Lisa struggle with their relationship as Lisa continuously changes skin color, and the two of them explore their own opinions about race and how much it really matters in their relationship.

DIRECTOR BIO

Born and raised in Forest Park, Illinois, Sreejith Nair has had a passion for film ever since he watched his first movie, Disney’s Dinosaur, at the age of five. His family is from Kerala, a southern state in India.
Sreejith grew up loving monster movies like Godzilla and King Kong, but realized he could never be a part of those films because there are no roles for Indian actors or filmmakers.
He started making short videos in high school and went on to attend Columbia College Chicago to study film, graduating in the class of 2016.
In his junior year of college, Sreejith started making short films starring only Indian actors and helped program Chicago South Asian Film Festival. Since then he has dedicated his work to give South Asians, and other people of color, a spotlight.
Currently, trying to make it in the Hollywood Film Industry, Sreejith’s ultimate goal is to make big monster films like Godzilla one day, with people of South Asian background.

THE FALLEN

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Ananth Agastya

Producer: Ananth Agastya and Chaitra Bangalore

Cast: John Yancey, Nolan Harper, Matthew Pettigrew, Amy Massey, Averly Belle Burns

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 10 minutes

Year: 2019

FILM SYNOPSIS

Genre: War
"The Fallen" is a shock-and-awe story about the choices our soldiers make in the midst of battlefield-chaos, before they fall. What are the moral stakes when we go to war? No answers. Only more questions.

DIRECTOR BIO

Ananth Agastya, based out of Dallas, is an avid lover of the cinema. He immersed himself in filmmaking after one-on-one writing tutorials from an Oscar winner. By collaborating with artists from various disciplines and backgrounds, Ananth hopes to work on all genres of film to bring to light, matters that are rarely part of our current discourse. For his debut effort, Ananth created a short war film, set in an unknown enemy land. Ananth found the collaborative journey of filmmaking thrilling and gratifying - and hopes the audience find the short film engaging. Ananth continues to develop entertaining yet provocative projects while working as a full-time IT Team Lead at a Fortune 10 enterprise. Ananth graduated with a Masters in Diplomacy from Norwich University, VT and prior to that, studied Politicial Science and Economics in Indianapolis, IN. Ananth did his schooling in The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, India.

THE SHOWER

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Mahesh Pailoor

Producer: Pia Shah, Adil Chamakh

Cast: Pia Shah, Emily C. Chang

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 14 minutes 12 seconds

Year: 2019

FILM SYNOPSIS

Maya’s baby shower brings her oldest friend, June, back into her life for a day of unexpected reckonings.
NOTE: Pia Shah acted, produced and wrote this short while 8 months pregnant. This film grapples with the choices and anxieties of modern life and parenting as well as the complexities of female friendship.

DIRECTOR BIO

Mahesh Pailoor is an Indian-American writer/director based in Los Angeles. Raised in a small town in Maine, Mahesh studied film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. His first short film, Little India, premiered at SXSW and screened at festivals around the world. He then furthered his training as a Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute, where he was awarded the Franklin J. Schaffner Fellow Award for the direction of his thesis film, Still Life.

Mahesh’s feature debut was the independent film, Brahmin Bulls, starring Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, and Academy Award Winner Mary Steenburgen. The film won the Audience Award at the San Diego Film Festival, the Jury Prize for Best American Indie at the Sonoma International Film Festival, and was released theatrically in the US and UK.

Along with scripted content, Mahesh has directed award-winning documentaries, commercials and branded content for clients such as Best Buy, Microsoft, Nintendo and Yamaha. He is an alumnus of the Disney/ABC Directing Program, Film Independent’s Screenwriting Lab and Project:Involve.

Recently Mahesh was accepted into the NBC Emerging Director Program and will be directing an episode of The Blacklist this season.

unmothered

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Urvashi Pathania

Producer: Ayesha Nadarajah

Cast: Sharayu Mahale, Ivan Rodrigues, Ankur Varshneya, Sarika Singh, Paromita Chatterjee, Arianna Sharda, Kanchan Sharda

Language: English, Hindi

Country: United States

Runtime: 17 minutes 55 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

A tragicomedy about the lies we tell the ones we love. When Priyanka, an iconoclastic American, goes back to India to immerse her mother's ashes, she discovers her funny family has kept a serious secret.

DIRECTOR BIO

Urvashi Pathania received her B.A. with Honors in Film Studies from Columbia University and her M.F.A. at the School of Cinematic Arts at USC. She has screened short films at Hollyshorts, Austin Film Festival, and more. In 2019, Urvashi was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan grant for filmmaking.
Urvashi’s docu-series, The Turmeric Project, which follows queer South Asians in the USA, was featured in The New York Times in 2018. She is interested in unconventional, honest and human stories that change hearts and minds. In May, she completed her latest film, “Unmothered” (17 min), which was shot in Rajasthan, India.
Urvashi has lived in Mumbai, New York, Los Angeles, and West Windsor, New Jersey. She loves all of her homes dearly.

untouchability

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Haresh Narayanan

Producer: Dilani Rabindran

Cast: Agathiyan, Gopalakrishnan, Suruki, Rajasekar, Vijaishri

Language: Tamil

Country: India

Runtime: 6 minutes 40 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

When carrots become a rare commodity in their Chennai suburb, Moorthy learns what his longtime neighbor & acquaintance, Ragavan, really thinks of him.

DIRECTOR BIO

Haresh Narayanan is an Engineer from Chennai, who founded ThinkerNuts Studio along with his 2 closest friends, Balaji and Sundar. ThinkerNuts has shot corporate advertisements since 2014, including ones for Volvo Inc, Allison transmissions, and the Tamil Nadu Police Department to name a few. “Theetu” is Haresh’s first foray into narrative scriptwriting and his first short as a director.

align

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Music Video <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Karishma Dube

Producer: Shilpa Ananth

Cast: Shilpa Ananth

Language: English, Malayalam

Country: India

Runtime: 3 minutes 40 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

Align' intends to explore an artist’s performative intentions, both internally and externally. The visual ideas represent the ways in which thoughts clash, overlap and define a performance. It may be perceived as simply as a portrait, but also a presentation of the vulnerabilities, conversations with one self, and the constant wrestle between real self and stage self and how all of these entities finally align, to make an artist.

DIRECTOR BIO

Karishma Dev Dube is award-winning filmmaker based in New York. She was introduced to film while working as a production assistant on several documentaries and independent features in Mumbai, including TED fellow Shalini Kantayya's documentary Catching the Sun. A recipient of the Dean's fellowship for full-time attendance, Karishma recently received her MFA from NYU's Film Program. Her short film Devi (Goddess), an award winning short film has played in 58 festivals worldwide including BFI London Film festival, Edinburgh FF and Outfest LA where it won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Short.

bindis & bangles

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Music Video <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Nisrin Aziz

Producer: Adil Aziz

Cast: Raja Kumari, Ishaan Gumber, Elvis Brown

Language: English, Hindi

Country: United States

Runtime: 3 minutes 26 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

An exploration of cyberpunk retro-futurism inspired by the art of Sam Madhu & hung over the distinctive music from the incredible hip-hop star, Raja Kumari, this film speaks of opening your third eye and connecting yourself to a past-future world drawn from spiritual cyberspace.

DIRECTOR BIO

Nisrin Aziz

Nisrin grew up in Bangalore City on a healthy diet of World Cinema and Wildlife Documentaries, and took off with her family to the forests of South India every chance she got as a child.

Studied in Human Psychology, Literature and Media with a post-graduate degree in Communication, she moved from Bangalore to Bombay City to further her career as an entrepreneur in the Arts. She has worked in Wildlife Conservation, learned to sell ideas as a Copywriter in 2007, and has since plunged into the world of filmmaking.

Today, she runs The Fictionary, a film production house and a creative hotspot that delves in crafting the perfect voice for both Art & for Advertising.

echoes

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Music Video <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Achint Sidhu

Producer: Raaginder

Cast: Raaginder, Lovlean Mann

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 2 minutes 39 seconds

Year: 2019

FILM SYNOPSIS

Echoes is a song that explores deep emotions. The video focuses on a woman who struggles with mental health after losing her partner. She has a difficult time getting through the day without breaking down and often remembers the good times with her love.

error 404

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Music Video <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Joel D'souza (JD)

Producer: Gully Gang Entertainment

Cast: Aavrutti (Frenzzy, Saifan, Sammohit, Sledge)

Language: Hindi

Country: India

Runtime: 4 minutes 10 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

JD paints a vivid picture for upcoming rap quartet Aavrutti’s track ‘Error 404’ which is reflective of how in today’s technologically pivoted times a shortcoming can be transformed into an opportunity very effortlessly, either through scrupulousness or through one’s hustle. Complete with a splitting bass-backed breakdown in the hook, ‘Error 404’ is a strong showing not only of the young quartet’s talent but of their ability to evolve and captivate on screen.

DIRECTOR BIO

Hailing from the streets of Mumbai, Filmmaker and multi-genre DJ, Joel D’souza (aka JD) has established himself as one of the leading Music Video Directors to emerge from the the burgeoning Indian music industry. Having started his career with DIVINE’s breakthrough Hindi debut in ‘Yeh Mera Bombay’ which went on to win Music Video of Year from Rolling Stone India in 2014, JD really announced himself through his work on ‘Mere Gully Mein’ the hit track from DIVINE and Neazy which went onto inspire a Bollywood Film and an entire cultural movement from Mumbai. Having followed it up with videos for ‘Farak’, ‘Teesri Manzil’ and ‘Junoon’, Joel joined in his colleague and friend DIVINE on his entrepreneurial venture Gully Gang Entertainment to lead Content & Production division of the company in early 2019. The past two years have seen him level up his creative skills and output, delivering ground breaking films for many-a-track released through Gully Gang, including ‘Kohinoor’, ‘Gully Gang Cypher’, ‘Nahi Pata’ with the last three months of 2020 seeing the 28-year-old film-maker deliver perhaps his best work yet, in ‘Error 404’ & ‘Naya Zamana’ (for Aavrutti) and ‘Mirchi’ (for DIVINE). It’s safe to say that JD has played a crucial role in pushing the Hip-Hop movement in India through his visual storytelling and is now actively working towards helping break new artists in the industry using his skillset and experiece.

fake news freestyle

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Music Video <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Taizu

Producer: Pranna

Cast: Taizu, Trump Administration

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 3 minutes 34 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

Enough fake news.
This is life and death.

DIRECTOR BIO

High energy instrumentation, thought provoking lyrics, and bass heavy vocals work in harmony to produce music that hopes to redefine the status quo without sacrificing replay value. Sexuality, religion, politics, pop culture, spirituality are all open topics of discussion and Zu does not shy away.

gaslight

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Music Video <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Trish Hosein

Producer: Trish Hosein

Cast: Trish Hosein, Kalbe Isaacson, Friidom Dunn, Alyse Rockett

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 5 minutes 15 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

Based on the psychological phenomenon named after the 1944 movie, "Gaslight" is an emotionally raw ballad that I wrote in Los Angeles hungover the day after I was ignored at a party by someone I loved while they were with someone else.

It was recorded with UK producer and bassist Andy Lewis in a small town a few hours outside of London where we used a cello, squeaky doors and one take of lead vocals to create something that I think accurately captures this type of heartache, shame and confusion.

The music video was shot by me and 4 dancers, all separately in our own homes, during quarantine. It pays homage to the original film in which a man convinces his wife she is crazy by moving objects around their home, and telling her that the lights aren’t flickering when they are.

Eventually the woman locks herself in her house thinking she is a danger to herself and others. The isolation takes a toll on her psyche, which the dancers and I related to and channeled into the video, as we were 2 months into “safer at home” measures.

Gaslight, the song and video, premiered on NPR's All Songs Considered.

DIRECTOR BIO

TRISHES is a project by Trinidadian-American Trish Hosein, created to express Freud's constructs of self (the primal, conscious and spiritual) through spoken word, live looping and vocal effects. Her undeniably original songwriting, fleshed out by hip-hop beats and pop hooks, examines human struggle through an anthropological lens.

Hosein began touring the U.S. and abroad after graduating from the Berklee College of Music, and has opened for acts like Damian Marley, Vic Mensa, K. Flay, and Neon Hitch. She’s played festivals like SXSW, CMW, Women’s Red Rock Festival, Cannabis Cup, NAMM, Tune In Tel Aviv and Pyramid Yoga Festival, and her performance has garnered critical acclaim from Knoxville, Tennessee to Bangkok, Thailand. Her dynamic live show awes audiences as Hosein takes them into her museum-like mind and creates a sonic blanket with her unique sound. Hosein was named one of Music Connection Magazine’s 2019 Hot 100 Unsigned Live Artists, as well as School Night’s Top 25 Artists of 2019.

Hosein's debut multimedia EP "EGO" focuses on the entities that define humanity while addressing the current cultural and political climate. Each focus track is aided by an art collection, video and spoken word piece. In lieu of a traditional promotional tour, Hosein held a series of experiential art and performance pop ups throughout the US called the “Ego Experience.” When not working on music, Hosein volunteers with refugees and asylum seekers, studies anthropology, and works on visual art projects like the 2019 Adidas Nite Jogger mural displayed in Los Angeles.

hit list

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Music Video <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Priya Minhas

Producer: Priya Minhas

Cast: Rehma

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 2 minutes 39 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

A music video for Rehma’s most recent single “Hit List” inspired by the voice in our head that tells us we deserve better.

DIRECTOR BIO

Hosein began touring the U.S. and abroad after graduating from the Berklee College of Music, and has opened for acts like Damian Marley, Vic Mensa, K. Flay, and Neon Hitch. She’s played festivals like SXSW, CMW, Women’s Red Rock Festival, Cannabis Cup, NAMM, Tune In Tel Aviv and Pyramid Yoga Festival, and her performance has garnered critical acclaim from Knoxville, Tennessee to Bangkok, Thailand. Her dynamic live show awes audiences as Hosein takes them into her museum-like mind and creates a sonic blanket with her unique sound. Hosein was named one of Music Connection Magazine’s 2019 Hot 100 Unsigned Live Artists, as well as School Night’s Top 25 Artists of 2019.

Country: India

Runtime: 3 minutes 15 seconds

Year: 2018

FILM SYNOPSIS

The film is about 3 working class ladies of Mumbai, India. It's a fantasy day in their lives where irrespective of the economic strata they come from, they are out to have fun and enjoy life on their own terms.

late nights

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Music Video <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Amrit Singh

Producer: Amrit Singh

Cast: RAJAN ft. SIM

Language: English 

Country: Canada

Runtime: 3 minutes 16 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

A claymation music video for the single "Late Nights" by RAJAN & SIM

DIRECTOR BIO

Amrit Singh is a visual artist and brand owner from Brampton. He has been in the filmmaking industry for several years as a freelancer and owns a multimedia entertainment company called HYRE in which he produces his own music videos, products and much more. He is currently studying at Ryerson University.

mirchi

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Music Video <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Joel D'souza and Ruel Dausan Varindani

Cast: Divine Feat. Stylo G, MC Altaf & Phenom

Language: English, Hindi

Country: India

Runtime: 3 minutes 17 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

Mirchi is a global collaboration between DIVINE, Stylo G, MC Atlaf and Phenom which really sees Brazilian Funk-inspired beats meet Indian Rap with a touch of Dancehall. The unapologetically fierce and flamboyant music video produced by Gully Gang Entertainment, directed by Ruel Dausan Varindani and Joel D'souza and choreographed by Ruel Dausan Varindani is an invitation to join the party and dance the weekend away with reckless abandon.

DIRECTOR BIO

About Joel Dsouza:
Hailing from the streets of Mumbai, Filmmaker and multi-genre DJ, Joel D’souza (aka JD) has established himself as one of the leading Music Video Directors to emerge from the the burgeoning Indian music industry. Having started his career with DIVINE’s breakthrough Hindi debut in ‘Yeh Mera Bombay’ which went on to win Music Video of Year from Rolling Stone India in 2014, JD really announced himself through his work on ‘Mere Gully Mein’ the hit track from DIVINE and Neazy which went onto inspire a Bollywood Film and an entire cultural movement from Mumbai. Having followed it up with videos for ‘Farak’, ‘Teesri Manzil’ and ‘Junoon’, Joel joined in his colleague and friend DIVINE on his entrepreneurial venture Gully Gang Entertainment to lead Content & Production division of the company in early 2019. The past two years have seen him level up his creative skills and output, delivering ground breaking films for many-a-track released through Gully Gang, including ‘Kohinoor’, ‘Gully Gang Cypher’, ‘Nahi Pata’ with the last three months of 2020 seeing the 28-year-old film-maker deliver perhaps his best work yet, in ‘Error 404’ & ‘Naya Zamana’ (for Aavrutti) and ‘Mirchi’ (for DIVINE). It’s safe to say that JD has played a crucial role in pushing the Hip-Hop movement in India through his visual storytelling and is now actively working towards helping break new artists in the industry using his skillset and experiece.

About Ruel Dausan Varindani:
Filipino Director & a Dance Choreographer Ruel Dausan Varindani is an artist originally from the Philippines who started dancing professionally in the year 1996 and took to Hip Hop from the very beginning. In the year 2000 he shifted to India and started his career in the Bollywood Industry. First as a dancer to then becoming an assistant choreographer to some of the biggest names in Bollywood and then taking the industry by storm as an independent choreographer specializing in television dance reality shows, events and stage shows. After mastering the art of choreography for television he made his debut into the world of film as a Dance Director with his hit song Galti Se Mistake from Jagga Jasoos which bagged him awards from Film Fare, IIFA and Zee Cine Awards as Best Choreographer of The Year and there was no stopping there! He went on to give the film industry multiple hit songs with some of the biggest names in the industry today. He has worked his way to being one of the most sort after director/dance director today.

misery

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Music Video <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Amrit Singh

Cast: A'Donzo

Language: English 

Country: Canada

Runtime: 3 minutes 21 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

A music video for the record "Misery" by A'Donzo

DIRECTOR BIO

Amrit Singh is a visual artist and brand owner from Brampton. He has been in the filmmaking industry for several years as a freelancer and owns a multimedia entertainment company called HYRE in which he produces his own music videos, products and much more. He is currently studying at Ryerson University.

regardless

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Music Video <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Priya Minhas

Producer: Sacha Noelle, Averi Smith

Cast: Anik Khan, Robin Dey

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 3 minutes 25 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

Directed by Priya Minhas, the video is inspired by Anik's experience in the U.S. and the paradox of being both invisible (underrepresented and counted out) and hypervisible (policed as an immigrant) at the same time. In the video, we see Khan moving through his city, balancing success and surveillance - a wider commentary on how people of color are treated with suspicion when they begin to claim any kind of success, “Regardless" is a song about succeeding despite the odds but it's also a love letter to the pockets of spaces and communities we make for ourselves in spite of it all.

DIRECTOR BIO

Priya is a director from London intent on telling authentic and inclusive stories that emerge from the margins. Her work has been featured in The Fader, Billboard and Teen Vogue among others.
Priya’s background as a writer is integral to her narrative-focused directorial style. She was also a contributing writer to The Good Immigrant USA (Little, Brown 2019), an American edition of an award-winning best-selling anthology exploring race. Her essay “How Not to Be”, explores some of the unspoken rules of brown girlhood.
Priya is currently based in New York where she produces and directs original content at Vevo. This includes live performances and short films for artists such as Billie Eilish, Yungblud, Doja Cat and Ella Mai. She is working on her first short film as well as a narrative portrait series, “Comfort Food,” exploring food as a love language in non-western cultures.

the dance song

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Music Video <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Jasper Tan

Cast: Yung Raja, Fariz Jabba, Huda

Language: English, Tamil

Country: Singapore

Runtime: 3 minutes 22 seconds

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

‘The Dance Song’ bears Rajinikanth and Tamil cinema influences. Over a phone call from Singapore, Raja asserts that he chooses to promote this multilingual brand of music. “It is a song that people can watch and totally forget about what is going on around the world”, he says, describing it as a track that celebrates owning one’s identity.

DIRECTOR BIO

Jasper Tan, also known as Vadbibes is an alternative filmmaker and producer based in Singapore. Known for his unconventional and off the wall visual direction, possesses the versatility to single-handedly film, edit and produce.

Never one to limit himself from trying out new concepts, Jasper’s conceptual and creative style is a derivation of the ideals from established filmmakers and directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson.

His collaborations with the local art and music scene includes the production and directing of videos for musicians and bands like Yung Raja, Fariz Jabba, The Sam Willows, Charlie Lim, Gentlebones and his unconventional advertising campaigns for brands like Martell, Louis Vuitton and Lazada has allowed him to garner a relatively huge fan base.

He also starred in his own short film series, ICECREAMKIA; a three part series that is a visual conundrum of his quirky personality together with his tongue-in-cheek humour.

ANIK KHAN: STREET LEVEL

Available On-Demand until March 21st
In-Competition Short Film Doc <cast your vote post screening>

Director: Sofian Khan, Joseph Patel

Producers: Sofian Khan, Joseph Patel, Jessie Motts

Cast: Anik Khan

Language: English

Country: United States

Runtime: 14 minutes

Year: 2019​

FILM SYNOPSIS

Filmmakers Sofian Khan and Joseph Patel explore the music of Anik Khan, the Bangladesh-born, Queens, New York-raised hip-hop artist whose music sketches the immigrant experience with rare poetic flare, incisive depth and a whole masala of influences at his fingertips.

DIRECTOR BIO

Sofian Khan is an Emmy-nominated director, producer and founder of Capital K Pictures. His feature documentary “The Interpreters” had its national broadcast premiere on PBS Independent Lens in the fall of 2019. Following the lives of Afghan and Iraqi interpreters targeted by insurgents for their work with American forces, it was made with support from the MacArthur Foundation and ITVS, and was nominated for an Emmy in the News & Documentary category. Sofian is a 2019-2020 Sundance Institute Creative Producing Fellow and was included on the 2019 DOC NYC 40 Under 40 list. His short work has appeared on Field of Vision, Al Jazeera, NBC Digital, American Masters and The Atlantic Selects, and his 2018 short “Do We Belong?” was shortlisted for an IDA Award. In 2020, he produced “I Walk on Water”, which was shortlisted in the feature category for IDA as well. Sofian is currently developing a number of nonfiction and narrative projects under the Capital K Pictures banner. Joseph Patel is a producer, director, writer and executive with over two decades of experience in tv, film, digital and print journalism. He was most recently the Head of Content at Vevo, the world’s largest music video platform, and has held similar positions at Vice Media, The Fader, and MTV News & Docs. He recently won two Clio Awards for films produced in partnership between The Fader and YouTube (2018 Gold, “Stormzy: Gang Signs & Prayer” and 2017 Silver “Aurora: Nothing is Eternal”). While with Vice, Patel was showrunner for the TV series, The Vice Guide to Everything, producer of the “Vice on HBO” weekly news series pilot, and helped launch the Noisey and Creators Project platforms. At MTV, Patel created and directed the Hip-Hop documentary show, My Block, and oversaw the network’s Choose or Lose coverage around the 2008 Presidential Election. Patel currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Kari, and adorable pup, Gucci.

She has laid the foundation for scientific discovery, impacted legislation beyond the borders of her country, and has made a significant contribution towards health equity. With over 150 surgeries in 4 countries and over 100 research citations in her repertoire, the ‘Muller Effect’ has only just begun.

DIRECTOR BIO

Komal Kumar is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University (BA‘13), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (MPH ‘16), and Fulbright Scholar (2017-2018). Komal is currently a medical student and a first-time director. She is uniquely suited to direct this story due to her exceptional qualifications and intimate understanding of these HIV-positive to HIV-positive transplants and their respective teams in both the USA and South Africa.

DIRECTOR BIO

Tony Sehgal is a documentary filmmaker from the San Francisco Bay Area. His work focuses on telling stories that inspire us to actively participate in the development of a more compassionate and empathetic world. Much of Tony's documentary work addresses issues of environmental and wildlife preservation, animal welfare, and social justice in an effort to create awareness and change in systems of oppression. Tony is a graduate of the Stanford Documentary Film Video Program and works in corporate video production and internet broadcasting.

her latest film “Broken Drawer,” starring Richa Moorjani (Never Have I Ever). Not having gone to film school, Rippin spent ten years working at the Directors Guild of America, learning from prominent directors, and simultaneously made her first hit short film, “The Hideout,” which she wrote, directed, acted in and produced. She was then hired to pen a feature adaptation of Kavita Daswani’s "The Village Bride of Beverly Hills." Her romcom digital pilot was a finalist for the Sundance New Voices Lab and the AFI Directing Workshop for Women. In the documentary space, Rippin’s anti-hate film entitled "SEVA," about xenophobia in America and Sikhs, earned Congressional recognition and won the Outstanding Documentary Award at the Micheaux Film Festival in February 2020. Rippin is a member of the Women in Film’s INSIGHT community for women of color filmmakers and recipient of the UCLA Women Leaders Award for service. In 2017, DissDash named her Top 50 Influential South Asian Artists. In 2019, she was a featured guest speaker at the annual Fresno Women’s Summit and launched KAUR Creative, a mentoring initiative for South Asian women and teen girls. She is currently developing "182," based on a true story.

Country: England

Runtime: 8 minutes

Year: 2019

FILM SYNOPSIS

Jay, a modern British Indian who can't speak Punjabi is invited to meet his girlfriend Simran's traditional Punjabi parents for the first time leading to comic misunderstanding.

DIRECTOR BIO

Viraj is a writer/ actor from London, England. 'Fuddu' was his first short film that he: wrote; directed and played the lead in, whilst also making the tea for the other cast members! He continues to make short sketches on his social media profiles.

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

When a rickshaw driver picks up a passenger, he always starts his journey with a prayer to Ram, but an assault carried out in the name of Ram changes everything.

DIRECTOR BIO

Yashwardhan Goswami is a writer-director from Jaipur. He is a Mass Communications graduate. He currently works at Disney+ Hotstar as a Creative Director. His award winning films have been screened at the MAMI Film festival, Filmfare awards, and UKAFF.

He directed and designed the short musical film Mad About The Boy which has won several awards at film festivals internationally including Best Director and Best Costume Design Awards. He is the winner of the 2016 Arts and Culture Award and two high commendations for his work in Design, he developed his skills at the National Theatre where he was mentored by Nelson Fernandez OBE and seconded to Royal Shakespeare Company to work on the World Shakespeare Festival. He shadowed Gregory Doran on The Orphan of Zhao and was an associate artist on the Indian adaptation of King Lear for Sky Arts.

Director: Bring on the Bollywood (national tour), Circle of Light for Vivacity Arts and Culture in Peterborough, Ram Lila for Leicester City Council, Cymbeline (national tour), the dual site specific indoor/outdoor promenade production Ticket 2 Bollywood (LCB Depot and Phoenix Square, Leicester), Anjali and the Enchanted Anklets (Curve/De Montfort University, Leicester), the Pulitzer Prize nominated play A Perfect Ganesh (touring), Romeo+Laila and Precious Bazaar (national tour).

Writer: Precious Bazaar, Ram Leela, Big B The Musical, The Nautch Girl, Bombay Superstar and Bring on the Bollywood.

He was the executive producer of Leicester’s international dance festival and delivered three large-scale projects during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games including a carnival procession for the Olympic Torch Relay in the East Midlands.

Country: UK

Runtime: 8 minutes

Year: 2020

FILM SYNOPSIS

A women's mental stability is tested when she finds out the truth about her husband's lies and betrayal

DIRECTOR BIO

Neil Parmar is a filmmaker based in the West Midlands, UK. He has previously directed, edited and provided cinematography for a handful of short films and documentaries including 'Listen: A Documentary Series About Music', 'Among Us' and 'The Mad Jicks'.

Move, which world-premiered at SXSW (2017), screened at over 150 festivals worldwide, and can currently be found on Amazon Prime. She directed a telly-winning DocuSeries for AOL about drag culture in the US called Behind The Drag which showcases the real lives of American drag queens. She’s earned a passionate following by telling stories that don’t shy from the unique struggles of women, queer and straight, but focus on the power, resilience, and love they demonstrate in the face of them.

Trade Center, with Miriam by her side, alive and well. As Riya shifts between these two separate realities, she questions her own sanity and desperately tries to comprehend how she survived the attacks while Miriam perished, despite being inseparable in the stairwell.

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Vanita Shastry is a filmmaker who gravitates toward emotionally complex, powerful dramas. Her work often focuses on the psychological life and internal conflict of the protagonist and their journey of self-discovery. Vanita directed the short film LACUNAE (13 min), starring Natalie Portman and Jim Parrack, as part of the feature THE HEYDAY OF THE INSENSITIVE BASTARDS (2015). She also wrote, directed, and produced GO NORTH (22 min), which screened at several festivals including SCAD Savannah Film Festival, Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and NY Shorts Fest. The film won Best Short at Reading Film Fest in Pennsylvania and tied for Best Drama Short at Pollygrind Film Festival in Las Vegas. Vanita is the recipient of the DGA John Frankenheimer Memorial Fellowship and grants from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Motion Picture Association of America. She was also awarded the 2015 PAGE Stowe Story Labs Fellowship for her first feature script. A first-generation South Asian American, Vanita was born in India and grew up in the suburbs of Pennsylvania. Her educational background is in engineering and business, with a concentration in entertainment and media. After spending several years working in the corporate world, Vanita moved to Los Angeles to study film directing at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. B.S. Columbia University, M.B.A. New York University, M.F.A. University of California, Los Angeles.

Fallen for Reema Kagti which stars Sonakshi Sinha as the lead and is partially shot. Mansi’s currently developing two feature films with two maintstream production houses in India.
Her most recent short film Nawab stars Aparshakti Khurrana and Mallika Dua. Before Nawab, she made Chhuri (2017), starring Anurag Kashyap, Tisca Chopra and Surveen Chawla. Both films premiered at MAMI. Her previous short film is Everything is Fine. All 3 shorts were nominated for Filmfare Short film Awards. Everything is fine was awarded the $15000 Katharina Otto Bernstein Grant, the Panavision Grant and the IFP Audience Award. It won Best Short Film Award at major festivals like the 21st Brussels Short Film and the 9th Jagran Film Festival. All 3 shorts are on Large Short Films Youtube and were hugely successful. In 2018, Mansi started the FemFilm Collective in 2018 which has over 100 Indian-original female filmmakers. She studied filmmaking at Columbia University, New York City from 2012 to 2017 and currently resides in Mumbai.

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Saleem Nasir Gondal (he/him) is a filmmaker based in New York. His work explores the power of movement and sound to convey the interior lives of underrepresented communities onscreen. His first short film BEFORE THE FLOOD was screened at the Global Divestment Mobilisation 2017 organized by 350.org. His most recent film SUPER SONIC has screened in five different countries, including festivals such as Austin Film Festival, TIDE Film Festival and the 43rd Asian American International Film Festival. He is also Co-Founder of the South Asian Diaspora Artists Collective (SADAC) and a 2018 Member Participant of KALAKARS. He is currently in the MFA Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema Program at Brooklyn College.

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