Awaken is a short film about RAKHI SINGH, who has recently put her mom, UMA SINGH, into a “care center” after exploring other options for her Alzheimers Disease. Rakhi’s mom isn’t taking well to it, and still has long spells of crying, and bouts of confusion. Rakhi brings her mom home in hopes of comforting her, helping her reset, and to find her way, only to learn that it’s not only unhelpful, but also breaking her family apart. Rakhi is at a loss as to what to do, but when her mother disappears, she finds herself lost in a moment from the past, paving the way for a solution. It’s not an easy one, but it’s something.

Directors Biography - Leena Pendharkar

Leena Pendharkar is an award-winning writer and director. She premiered her sophomore feature film, 20 Weeks, at the Los Angeles Film Festival It was selected as one of the best indie films of 2017 by Film Threat, and was described as an “intimate, compassionate take on abortion” by the Los Angeles Times. It was released theatrically in 10 cities in April of 2018 and on Hulu, and a number of other platforms.