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It is 1963 and Christianity has overwhelmingly taken a hold of Nagaland. Abandoned by his tribe and living in isolation following his wife’s death, a village chief and former feared and respected Headhunter proudly holds onto his ancestral ways, determined to carry them on to posterity through his son, Amao. But all the teenage boy wants is a sense of belonging. Commanding visuals that evoke an aura of mythical proportions immerse us into a fascinating and little-known part of history. Working with non-actors from the indigenous population, Theja Rio tells a small intergenerational tale with beautiful intimacy, while also confidently inviting us to contemplate questions of immense scope and complexity, such as the political repercussions of homogenization of culture and the cost of religion to centuries-old tradition and thought. The film won a Special Jury Award at the 2021 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. DIRECTOR<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/59cc51ad283cdc62e0e29285b626e837.png" width="83" style="display: inline; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px; float: left;">Theja Rio is the writer/director for the short film ANGH. At 26, he has 4 short films in his resume. In 2019, he also wrote and directed a short film called SILENUS with an international crew from the UK, Italy, Belgium and Poland. It is being edited in Rome.

ANGH

As Christianity takes hold of Nagaland, a Headhunter village chief and his son struggle to hold on to the last remnants of their tribal culture.

In this hushed animated tone poem about ecotone collapse, a family of climate refugees lives in perilous precarity in the hellscape that is a future Kolkata flooded due to climate change. Serenity consists of the diminishing nostalgia of crumbling store facades and underwater train tracks, exacerbated by an eerie sound design echoing the ruination. The filmmakers’ ethnographic observation is quickly ambushed by the arrival of a starving tiger. How the family responds and how destiny intervenes make for a narrative that swings enthrallingly between bestiality and worship. Besides, interpreting the action becomes immensely more pleasurable when one remembers that the tiger is the national animal of India. Upamanyu Bhattacharya and Kalp Sanghvi’s WADE evokes the peak mythicality of LIFE OF PI, intensified by the great Argentine poet Jorge Luis Borges’ premonition that “the other tiger” is but a “system and arrangement of human language” and nightmare. DIRECTORS <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/1cf0207a069c85ad8029aed3be1bcb81.jpg" width="84" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/4c59008ec61648029e8ccbc9f18ff187.jpg" width="94" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">The directors, Upamanyu Bhattacharyya and Kalp Sanghvi, met in 2011 while studying at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India, and have been working together ever since. After graduating, they co-founded Ghost Animation, which has now become a known force in Indian animation, pushing the envelope of a return to quality 2D animation. Ghost Animation has produced four short films so far, WADE being one of them. This is the first independent film by Upamanyu and Kalp.

WADE

A family of refugees lives in peril and precarity in a post climate apocalypse hellscape that is the city of Kolkata, until one day they are ambushed by the arrival of a tiger.

Three couples gather together to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Mumbai, eager to take a break from their increasingly overwhelming roles as adults and parents of young children. But the festivities will take an ugly turn when a careless mistake results in tragedy. As the friends begin to turn on each other, director Ambiecka Pandit skillfully ramps up the tension by withholding just the right amount of information, and in the process involves us in a guessing game about who is to blame. Featuring a superb ensemble cast this riveting directorial debut makes us question contemporary adulthood and the increasing ease at relinquishing responsibility. CUSTODY won the Best Short Fiction Film Award at India’s 67th National Film Awards. DIRECTOR<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/d8382762d3d6fe8de328c9ea6109c7a6.png" width="77" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">CUSTODY is Ambiecka Pandit’s debut Film. Ambiecka is a lawyer turned filmmaker. After having practiced in a corporate law firm for three years, she served as assistant director to renowned Indian film and advertisement directors.

CUSTODY

When carelessness results in tragedy, a group of friends celebrating New Year’s Eve in Mumbai turn on each other.

Aathi has devoted his life to dutifully serving Sir, his father figure and feared mafia boss of the Tamil community in Paris who runs an elaborate human smuggling ring. His loyalty is shaken when he meets Minnale, a newly arrived young immigrant woman with nowhere to go.&nbsp; This gripping coming-of-age crime romance immerses us into the tumultuous workings of the Tamil underworld whose brooding colors and textures effectively contrast the vulnerability of its protagonists, two displaced young people in search of a home. Skillfully directed and bursting with raw creative energy, the film showcases a compelling cinematic voice. DIRECTOR<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/ee16a2d95b134a899b69e84455577899.jpg" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;" width="108">After studying at La Fémis in Paris, Lawrence Valin directed LITTLE JAFFNA which won the Canal Plus award in Clermont Ferrand, the most prestigious international short film festival in Europe. A couple years later, he won the Best Actor award at Clermont Ferrand for THE LOYAL MAN, which he also wrote and directed. He is now working on LITTLE JAFFNA (EELAM), his first feature, an in-depth dive into the world of Tamil gangs in Paris.

THE LOYAL MAN

A devoted henchman’s loyalty to Sir, the feared leader of the Parisian Tamil mafia, is shaken when he takes a young immigrant woman under his wing.

Q&A - SHORTS PROGRAM 3

A conversation with Theja Rio (ANGH), Kalp Sanghvi (WADE) and Ambiecka Pandit (CUSTODY)

California

SHORTS PROGRAM 3: BLURRED BOUNDARIES

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The 19th edition of the festival the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) will be held virtually from May 20-27. The festival features a total of 40 films, including 21 shorts, 3 World, 8 North American, 5 U.S. and 17 Los Angeles premieres, spanning 17 languages, with 16 women directors.