About South Asian Film Festival 

AFGHANISTAN

Act of Dishonor (Dramatic Feature)

Director: Nelofer Pazira

Synopsis:
Act of Dishonour is about honour killing. It is also an eloquent, sensitive but brutal portrait of life in Afghanistan, part lament against injustice, part testament to the spirit of a people who have survived decades of war.

In a land of war, nothing must get in the way of the preservation of honour. Even if that means sacrificing a loved one. Mena, a young, beautiful bride-to-be, lives in a remote village in northern Afghanistan. Respecting deeply conservative local custom, she and her fiancé have little contact, yet cherish a special bond. Her friendship with Afghan-Canadian translator Mejgan, a member of a Canadian film crew, briefly opens a window on a new world for Mena, but her foray beyond the boundaries of convention leads her inexorably down a dangerous road.

In Act of Dishonour, East and West, love and honour, modernity and tradition collide with tragic consequences. Part lament against injustice, part testament to the spirit of a people who have survived decades of war, this haunting portrait of life in Afghanistan was also directed by Pazira, the star of Mohsen Makhmalbaf's acclaimed Kandahar and co-director of the documentary Return to Kandahar.

 

Three Dots (Short film)

Director: Roya sadat

Synopsis:
Story of a border- resident woman from Herat province who smuggles narcotics to Iran in order to feed her children and also keep- away the revenge of a local Khaan. Gul Afroz faces the Iranian police forces somewhere between Iran- Afghanistan borders.

 

House No.111 (Short Film)

Director: Aziz Dildar

Synopsis:
Basir an afghan raised in Europe returns to Afghanistan to sell his old house for his mother. At first, Basir is very weary of Afghanistan and does not speak to anyone or make friends. However. Over time, he begins to see the beauty of his homeland and instead of selling his house he rebuilds it into his new home.

 

Half Value Life (Documentary)

Director: Alka Sadat

Synopsis:
(2009) Marya Bashir, an Afghan female public prosecutor from Herat province, deals with criminals, Mafia bands and narcotics smugglers. At one point, Bashir's house is blasted by one of the many enemies she makes through her job. Bashir is the first female Afghan-Hindo women's rights activist and she focuses on eliminating violence against women. The film highlights several of Bashir's domestic violence and rape cases in families where the bride is still a child.

 

Playing The Taar (Tar wa Zakhmah) (Short Film)

Directorww: Roya sadat

Synopsis:
Ay Nabaat is a 17 year- old girl from an ethnic minority (Turkman) of Afghanistan. She has woven carpet at her home since childhood and sees her entire life interlocked to carpet- strings and colors. Her father, in order to end his old bloody hostility with another ethnic group that has lasted for years, marry Ay Nabaat to a man who already has three wives. After marriage, when Ay Nabaat gets pregnant, her husband in order to revenge his lasting hostilities in the worst way possible claims that the child is illegitimate. Thus Ay Nabaat's father gets her out of the house and she is forced to give birth to her child in an abandoned and devastated house.

 

SHORT FILMS - AFGHANISTAN

Ant

Synopsis:
A drug dealer losing his wallet in a taxi, he began to search for it. He and his wallet connect different peoples and make a story.

 

Devious

Synopsis:
Mansour doesn't pay attention to his family. He promises to change his behavior but an unwanted incident change his destiny.

 

The Locked Room

Synopsis:
A man finds himself in a locked room, he feels headache and can't remember anything. He is trying to remember his identity and how he got there. But he is not alone the people who put him there, want to know who he is and what he was doing there. He tries to get out of there anyway.

 

Again Life

Synopsis:
An Afghan woman who has husband and a kid loses her leg in mine explosion. After this incident her husband leaves her and their kid. She has to stand on her feet to continue her life and…

 

Angels Of Earth

Synopsis:
Story of two Afghan kids after decades of war in Afghanistan. One of them wants to fly and he tries to jump and fly…

 

In The Name Of Opium

Synopsis:
Afghanistan is depicted as a "Narco state". Far from dealing with the clichés of the media, this film draws emotional moments of tragedies and brutal normality that lie buried under the headlines: drug dealers getting killed, corrupt policemen losing their wife and kid, an addict selling his daughter in order to go on with his escapism The heartbeat of people in the heat and in the shadow, more or less unintentionally involved in a vicious circle.

 

BANGLADESH

Meherjaan (Feature)

Director: Rubaiat Hossain

Synopsis:
In 1971, during Bangladesh's war of independence Meher falls in love with a soldier from the enemy side. When her love is discovered, she is shamed and silenced by her family and society.

Today 38 years after the war, Meher has a visitor she cannot turn down. Sarah—a 'war-child,' Meher's cousin Neela's daughter, who was given away for adoption has come back to piece together her past.

Together, these two women must re-tell history through their stories in order to cut through the stigmas and walk into light.

Meherjaan gives away with the unitary masculine narrative in order to usher in an emotional multiplicity of feminine emotion and sensibility. This film critiques certain pitfalls of nationalism that create conditions to justify war, killing and violence. Finally, Meherjaan attempts to offer an aesthetic solution to war and violence by taking refuge in love and spiritual submission.

 

Gohine Shobdo (Dark Resonance) (Feature)

Director: Khalid Mahmood Mithu

Synopsis:
Nura is a street beggar. During 1971 liberation war in Bangladesh his one leg became useless and paralyzed. The Razakars, anti-liberation forces attacked him and struck him causing injury and making him a crippled man. But he is an extra-ordinary father. He begs in the street but he does so only to make his dream a reality to educate his daughter Swapna in the university.

The film ends with a song where an eminent singer arranges a concert for the beggars. The beggars circle around and move singing with lamps on their hands. The life cycle is complete. Occasionally the life cycle is disturbed but it never stops. The human beings like Swapna restart a new life and once again the life cycle begins.

 

Dubshatar (In Too Deep) (Feature)

Director: Nurul Alam Atique

Synopsis:
A face among many, a face that you pass by everyday on the street, a face that could be you, your sister, your brother, or anyone else's. Every face tells a story, they live a life, seemingly mundane, full of drudgery and monotony. Yet, even among these moments of dull drudgery, there are moments of pure poetry, excitement and enlightenment. The story the "In Too Deep" is just like that. Renu, once a tomboy, full of life and expectations, has entered the paradigm of "reality". She has been the eyes of her elder brother, born blind into this world. She has put color in his world, as her world turns grey. She has been taking on the world. Her dream and her reality are like two distant planets. Her escape becomes her passion, taken on, as a form of obsession, for the distant and aloof world of a recluse man. Her interaction with him bears a strange fruit. And she tries to find her answers around her, from her childhood to her dreams and beyond. Will the changing tides all around her bear her answer?

 

Abujh Bou (The Innocent Wife) (Feature)

Director: Nargis Akter

Synopsis:
Abujh Bou is about another girl in rural Bengal, this one a little older. She's what we would call a "tomboy." The life of an adult woman in this society -- a housewife -- wouldn't seem to be much in her taste. She is active, vivacious, lively, brazen, playful. She is known as "Pagli" ("crazy") by the disapproving villagers. But it is these very qualities that attract the attention of Amulya, a young college graduate who has returned home to his widowed mother to be nagged by her to settle down and take a wife -- a traditional, shy, modest, and, in Amulya's view, boring wife. Despite the serious subject of these two stories, they are actually quite funny. The second story is even hilarious, with a couple of near-slapstick sequences. (In the scene in which Amulya breaks the news to his mother as to which girl he really likes, pay close attention to what's happening in the background.)

 

BHUTAN

Yeethro Lhamo (Feature)
 
Director: Rigzang

Synopsis:
A man from a town, who is on a trip to a village, impresses a gullible young girl and leaves her behind impregnated with the promise to return. Stigmatised by her fellow villagers for carrying a baby unwanted by her father, the helpless girl wallows in sorrow and self-pity with a lingering hope of her strange lover’s return. But unlike in real life, the man, Tenzin (played by Rinchen Namgay), keeps his promise and returns to the title protagonist, Yeethro Lhamo, played by Lhaki Dolma.The couple’s married life is beset with complications. Jealousy, poverty of trust, and alcohol act as the best combination to make a married life worse, and the film clearly shows it. After overcoming all difficulties, the lovers reunite towards the end of the film in a happily-ever-after kind of setting

 

Bardo (Feature)

Director: Chencho Dorji

Synopsis:
Tenzin is a pious and an enterprising businessman loved and adored by his wife Peydey. The couple is fairing extremely well in the society with all the material wellbeing. However, Tenzin is murdered by his elder brother Wangdue under the influence of Kardon, Wangdue's wife, who has excessive greed for wealth. The murder was committed in such a fashion that no one could have the slightest doubt. The soul of Tenzin from bardo discovers the dreadful plans of his brother and the sister-in-law to murder his pregnant wife Peydey in order to take possession of all his wealth. His Guardian Angel, the goddess Tara, often appears to clear out his defilement elements and to liberate him from the state of bardo, but Tenzin could not be guided because of the terrible situation that is going to befall on his family in the living world. He tries to save his family relentlessly, helplessly and in futility. Finally, the police discover the series of murder committed by his brother and sister-in-law and convicts them. They get sentenced to life imprisonment. Tenzin, finally, finalizes the futility of being in bardo state and being guided by the goddess Tara, goes to find a new form after meeting his wife and children in their dream bardo.

 

Sha Dha Simo (Feature)

Director: Tshering Wangyel

Synopsis:
Kiba is an independent and highly educated girl running a tourism company married to Wangchen, her childhood friend. Everything is normal, and everybody is hale and hearty until Wangchen is attacked by a few guys paralysing him. He had been dealt a fatal blow on his spinal cord. That incident opens the real drama. The storyline takes on an emotional note sprinkled with social messages every now and then, here and there. The viewer is called upon to reflect on bringing down social barriers to support the disabled. Kiba assumes the role of a highly sensitive and understanding wife and a woman. Amid challenges of disability, the relationship between Wangchen and Kiba goes through occasional rough patches, but at the end of the day, the good and positive reign supreme, and things fall into place. The couple come together to be each other's strength when love and spiritualism opens the eye.

 

Shhh… Galuya malap (Feature)

Director: Tshering Wangyel

Synopsis:
Deki, a successful hotel manager, gets the deadly virus from her lover Tshering. Upon knowing about her disease, she becomes an outcast from society. Even her parents and relatives shun her. During her difficult times, Tobgay, her childhood friend, comes to her rescue. Unlike other characters in the film, Tobgay accepts Deki and gives her the strength and motivation not only to fight the disease, but also the misery of this stigma.The film ends with Deki being accepted by her family and society at large.

 

Highland Girl (Feature)

Director: Lobzang Choeda

Synopsis:
Highland Girl" is based on the theme on some of the negative impacts of rural and urban migration. Mindu, an antagonist sells his entire assets and properties in the village to settle down in town with a hope to run business and lead a successful and prosperous life. But he loses everything and when the source of livelihood becomes too harsh in the town, he returns to the village, much poorer than what he was before. With no land and properties on his own he joins as a cook in the school of his village. The story not only depicts the traditions, customs and rural lifestyles but also highlights the generation of rural source of income through the sale of dairy products and Cordyceps sinensis, which is found in their alpine areas. Lastly, stories do touches upon the universal theme of romance, struggles, conflicts, drama, suspense, tragedy and so on for the general appeal of the Bhutanese audiences.

 

Birds in Cages (Short Film)
 
Director: Karma Deki

Synopsis:
Birds in Cages is a story of two intimate friends, Dechen and Pema afflicted by hardships throughout their life.

Dechen comes from a poor family whose father has left leaving an alcoholic mother and two siblings for her to look after. She works towards earning a living and hopes for education one day. Unfortunately she finds herself at crossroads where she has to choose between her education and her family's survival. Although she initially shuns the attention men give her, she eventually finds herself in the business of prostitution. When she decides to take a new look at life, she finds herself at the hands of an abusive husband. But when love actually knocks at her door, she faces the worst nightmare of her life…..

Dechen's friend Pema is from a lower middle class family. Her beauty and her familys' greed land her in the hands of a devious businessman. Eventually she is blessed with his children yet she finds her at the mercy of her husband and family who ostracize her. She finds her soul caged where the only thing she now awaits is her death…

 

Break the silence (Short Film)

Director: Chandra Kumar Rai

Synopsis:
Break the silence is a two minutes short film written and directed by Chandra kumar rai and produced by RENEW, an NGO working to uplift the status of women in Bhutan.

The film tells the story about an urban, upper class woman who keeps silent about the violence and abuse in her life and how she takes in as an everyday routine of her life.

 

Nu Ten (Short Film)

Director: Chandra Kumar Rai

Synopsis:
The film is about 22yr old Dema, a young call girl searching for validation in life, in a small town, Gelephu in Bhutan.

A chance encounter with Lobzang a reporter brings back horrifying memories of her tragic childhood and her journey into prostitution yet affirming her faith in mankind.

But to Dema's ineffable consternation, she finds out the bitter truth about being a prostitute and trusting Lobzang; but is it too late for her in life….

 

INDIA

Apur Sansar (Feature)

Director: Satyajit Ray

Synopsis:
Apur Sansar is the third and final film of the The Apu Trilogy. Apu (Soumitra Chatterjee) is now a graduate and without a job. He lives in a rented room next to a busy railway yard. He finds himself among a large population of the unemployed youth in the city. To pay his rent, he has to sell his books. The job search turns out to be an amusing and a tormenting experience.

Unfazed, He is writing a novel based on his life, which he hopes will make him famous. His life takes a turn, however, when he meets his old friend Pulu. He coerces Apu to travel to his ancestral village to attend the wedding of his cousin, Aparna (Sharmila Tagore). On the boat ride to the village Pulu reads Apu's manuscript and appreciates the work.

On the day of the wedding, the bridegroom turns out to be mentally deranged and the wedding is canceled. The villagers believe if she is not married before the auspicious hour passes, the ill-fated bride can never be married again. Apu primarily of out sympathy for the bride and some convincing by Pulu, agrees to be the substitute groom. He has not even seen her yet.

The marriage takes place and Apu and his young wife return to his Calcutta apartment. Soon, a warm and caring relationship develops. Apu willingly takes up the clerical job that he has so far avoided. The marital bliss, however, is short lived.

Pregnant, she goes to her parents' place and dies during the childbirth. Apu's world shatters as he receives the news of Aparna's death. Sunken in grief, he refuses to even see the child whom he holds responsible for his wife's death. He leaves Calcutta to lead the life of a wanderer.

About five years pass, Apu's friend Pulu, who had been abroad, is shocked to find the child growing wild and not cared for. Pulu goes in search of Apu and requests to take responsibility for his son, Kajal.

Reluctantly, Apu comes back to the village. On seeing Kajal, Apu is overwhelmed by affection. Now it is the child who refuses to accept him as his father. Apu wins over the little boy. The child accepts him as a friend, though not as a father yet. United, they leave for Calcutta to make a new beginning.

Kashmakash (Feature)

Director: Rituporno Ghosh

Synopsis:
A period film set in the 1920s, based on a short story by Rabindranath Tagore..

A tender romance between law student Ramesh and his friends sister Hemnalini, is nipped suddenly when his father sends for him and orders him to marry Susheela. Hem oblivious of the situations pines inwardly while still confident of Ramesh's return. In Kolkata, Ramesh finds himself amidst an identity crisis, Kamala mistaken for Susheela happens to be the wife of Dr. Nalinaksha Chaterjee. The search for Kamala's real husband finds Ramesh face to face with his real love Hem who is now persued by Akshay. The devastated Hem now finds herself in the company of Dr. Nalinaksha in Kashi. Meanwhile the truth dawns upon Kamala who finally sees her real husband but unable to speak to him, decides to end her life.

Following the tragic events of hidden truths and destiny's cruel plots, one is left wondering in the end whether or not true love will finally triumph.

 

Life Goes On (Feature)

Director: Sangeeta Dutta

Synopsis:
The drama explores the relations between a grief stricken father and his three daughters. Set in London, the time is now, the family of Indian origin- part of the UK Diaspora.

With his wife's sudden death, Sanjay is suddenly thrown into close proximity with his three daughters. The drama unfolds over five days from the day when Manju dies to day of the funeral. Haunted by memories, grappling with this devastating loss, missing the mediating influence of his wife, Sanjay finds himself assessing and carving out new relations with his three daughters. He is faced with a further crisis when he discovers his youngest and most loved daughter Dia, has a Muslim boyfriend -Imtiaz.

Confused and angry, Sanjay leaves home and wanders the streets of London one night. With an unexpected series of events, Sanjay is forced to face his past demons, his trauma over the partition of India when as a child; he was forced to leave his home with his parents. Finally to come to terms with his old and unspoken prejudice about Muslims, in the larger context of the country in the grips of Islam phobia as the events of 7/7 and the consequences of the Iraq war reverberate. As he sits drenched and tired on a bench on Hampstead Heath and watches the sun rise - Sanjay puts his demons to rest. At the funeral he has come to terms with himself, he allows the Muslim boy to join the family rituals and sees his daughters for what they are and not what he expected them to be.

 

Deswa (Feature)

Director: Nitin Chandra

Synopsis:
 This story is based on real incidents, set in the year 2003 - 2004 in Buxar District of Bihar. It revolves around three characters Rajiv Kumar, an IAS aspirant, Sankar Pandey, a young graduate who was thrashed in Assam for taking Railway Board Exams, which actually happened in 2003 in Guwahati. Jeans, a dreamy folk singer, waiting to go to Mumbai, cut his album and become a star.

Film opens in the month of March, 2005 with a riot scene in Patna. The mass outrage is because of conviction of Rajiv Kumar and Sankar Kumar Pandey. The civil court has a cover of CRPF and several police Battalions.

Story travels back to October - 2003 where the scene opens with a beautiful landscape of Bhojpur. It was the time when Bihar was reeling under severe problems related to electricity, roads, health services, education, crime, corruption, etc.

Rajiv has come back to his village after failing several attempts at UPSC exams. He has to get his sister Arti, married. Rajiv's family is not so well to do. Arti is a "mangali", still they have managed to find a suitable groom for her. Rajiv comes to Patna for a better earning and arrange money but, he gets mugged one day and all his savings are looted. He comes back to his village with an injured body and a broken heart.

Sankar Pandey's story runs in the parallel. He is a fresh graduate. After he is thrashed up in Guwahati, he has become more of a recluse and he could not understand why this happened to him. Why is it that in the same country, he is not allowed to move when there are many people like him? His brother Bisnu wants Sankar to help him run the family. Sankar wants a govt. job, as this was his father's last wish. But soon he finds out that he would need to bribe for a government job. Sankar goes to Gorakhpur to earn that money, however, after working there for 4 months that company gets shut.

Jeans dreams of becoming a big star as he is a self acclaimed folk singer. However, one day Jeans gets fired from his job. He has a young 6 year old sister. Jeans finds a job in the outskirts, with an abusive boss and half the salary of what he was getting previously.

This was the time when Bihar was witnessing several crimes like kidnapping, murders and cast based carnages.

Finally when these three guys are not able to meet their needs honestly, they decide to commit crime for money. Their plan backfires and they are imprisoned. When they come out of jail after 5 years, in 2009, they see change in their village.

The View (Feature)

Director: Tanveer Goyal

Synopsis:
 An assassin undergoes a change of outlook and seeks forgiveness. Inspite of his attempt to redeem himself and being forgiven by law, he is unable to escape his own fate.

Redemption is illusionary
A graduate student is given a thesis on forgiveness and he starts to compile it accordingly. He tracks the media and news feeds to research on the relevance of forgiveness in today's world. He reads about the increasing crime and violence in the society and finds difficult to believe that forgiveness is still prevalent. Just then he comes across a real story about an assassin being forgiven by law, whilst he has confessed and surrendered himself.

He tracks the story further and in depth whereby he discovers the way the assassins work and how they research before they kill. The story was about a day when the assassin is given the task to kill a State Governor. He plants the explosives and waits for the detonation. He has an epiphany and changes. He reaches out to an electrical engineer which in turn helps him to diffuse the explosive. After the defusal and his offer to give in to the law, the assassin is shot dead by another assassin, who was there to keep a track on everything .

The assassin who kills his colleague comes to know of the reason for a change of heart and has a subsequent change in himself and confesses his guilt to the law. The Cop who hears his confession offers him forgiveness as he realizes that the change in his nature. The assassin is awarded a few months prison sentence and he is let free. The graduate student ends it with the note of the assassin being forgiven and delighted of the prevalence of forgiveness in present times.

Just as he is to submit his year-long thesis, he is hell shocked when he reads about the assassin coming out of prison and getting shot.

The graduate student finds this thesis baseless and realizes that even though "forgiveness might still be prevalent by law, redemption is illusionary. The fate of everyone is sealed and nature prevails all

Jetuka Pator Dare (enchanting, challenging... The life) (Feature)

Director: Jadumoni Datta

Synopsis:
Jetuka Pator Dare (Enchanting, Challenging...The Life) depicts the dedication and commitment of a young generation fighting against an age-old chaotic social system. Set in the backdrop of an interior village where poor farmers and fishermen of the village are victimized by contractor Jamuna Hazarika the story weaves around orphans Radha and Rajat, who are domestic helps at Nakul's place.

Radha eventually joins the local college where rumours float of her alleged affair with two of her Professors. Moreover, she forms a cooperative society with Rajat against the social evils of Liquor but eventually loses ground as Hazarika's son gets the road construction deal in spite of his father's involvement in the liquor business. Similar events repeat themselves in the future, wherein Radha and rajat finally expose the hazarika's misdeeds to the public.

 

Umma (mother) (Feature)

Director: Vijayakrishnan

Synopsis:
 In maxim Gorky's "Mother", a mother who has been skeptical of her son's revolutionary activities, later on become a committed participant. What could be the approach of a mother toward her son's activities in today's bitter environment?

Khader, the husband of Subaida is a factory worker. A hardcore drunkard, every day he cruelly beats up his wife while Mansoor stands a mute witness to this .Hia inability to go in for higher studies further aggravates his grief and one day unable to bear it any more he raises protest against Khader, who in turns leaves them to fend for themselves.

Eventually Khader beats up a Hindu tea-shop owner Vasu while being drunk.

In Search of Aseemun (Documentary)

Director: Taran Khan

Synopsis:
 The filmmaker and her grandfather are on a journey across Awadh, the heart of northern India. They are looking for traces of the world that shaped the music of Aseemun, a gifted but obscure folk singer who was part of both their lives. Using archival footage, old photographs and extensive music, the film travels, literally and otherwise, into a way of life that combined the best of Hindu and Muslim cultures. Part road movie, part family album, 'In Search of Aseemun' tries to capture the changing physical and emotional terrain of timeless India, as seen through the eyes of an Indian Muslim family.

Compromise (Short Film)

Director: Rahul Nath
Duration: 32 minutes

Synopsis:
Three siblings attempt to survive in a world with no parental support, each walking down their own road of destruction in the hopes that some light will be shed on their deep and dark lives. Karthtik, the eldest, offers love in every situation, believing that his effort will lead to the happiness that his family is longing. Shalini, the middle and feisty child, has a care a damn attitude and does things she believes she needs to do to keep her alive, avoiding her painful reality. And the youngest, Ameet, makes it very clear that he is full of anger and hatred and will do anything to show how he feels. A series of harsh events shakes the dynamics even more, in the family where a sacrifice means nothing.

MALDIVES

Happybirthaday (Feature)

Director: Momin Fuad

Synopsis:
Asif (Yoosuf Shafeeu) is a simple man leading a normal life with loving, caring family and friends. Onephone call and his world crashes down around him. His wife (Niuma Mohamed) and his only child arekidnapped. He is ready to do anything to save his family. Asif doesn't have any choice but to do what isbeing told by the kidnapper coz his every move is being watched. But the climax is what turns out to besomething really terrific.

 

Heylaa (Feature)

Director: Momin Fuad and Ali Shefau

Synopsis:
Shuhaadh is a fourteen year old boy whose parents are drug addicts. When the movie begins Shuhaadh's father Ahamma, who is also involved in petty drug deals, is brought from police custody to house arrest. Shuhaadh's mother is said to be in drug rehabilitation center. Ahamma is shown as a vicious man, who abuses Shuhaadh's physically and verbally. While Shuhaadh is portrayed as a self respecting, responsible and ambitious who wants to take care of his family and is ready to do any work which comes his way. Shuhaadh was dependent on some good neighbors until he comes across a mysterious man who entices him with high hopes getting out of the miserable situation and to become self sufficient. This man assigns Shuhaadh some work and even pays him before hand. Little did Shuhaadh realize that he was getting into more and more troubles? In the course of time Shuhaadh finds out that what he had got involved in was smuggling of a revolver. He gets totally confused. Just like any other boy of his age Shuhaadh gets curious and learns to fire it. How ever this dangerous weapon keeps haunting Shuhaadh and finally confides the secret to Ashraf, a neighbor who had always helped him. Ashraf advices Shuhaadh to call the police home and to hand over the weapon to them. Mean while Ahamma arranges a drug deal of drugs at home. When Shuhaadh gets to know about this he tries to save his father from police by pleading him to at least hold the deal. The ever vile Ahamma suspects Shuhaadh of conspiring against him and starts beating him violently. Shuhaadh looks him mind and gets into a whirlpool of disturbing thoughts. When he comes back to his senses he finds out that he had shot his father to death whom he loved despite all.

 

Faqeeru koe (Feature)

Director: Niuma Mohmed

Synopsis:
KAASIMFULHU (Mohamed Abdulla) lives a less than ordinary life with his wife, SAMPAAFULHU (SheelaNajeeb) who is very strong headed. She always dreamt of making a better life for her family since he married him. But he has an ideology that his wife should stay at home to bear children and takeall their responsibilities. He also believes that she has to do all the work at home. He doesn’t believe in involving his wife at his work and when it comes to money, he is reluctant at handing over his savings to her. But soon his ideology is broken in to pieces when he faces one disaster after another. And when he has nowhere to turn to, he realizes that to lead a better life, he has to team up with his wife.

 

Niuma (Feature)

Director: Niuma Mohmed

Synopsis:
This intense, part psychological drama centers around Niuma (Niuma) who finds her home rather than tranquil, a living hell as she fights to stay sane against the most unlikeliest of evil she could ever imagine. This film also marks the first directorial effort by national award winning acting sensation, Niuma Mohamed.

 

NEPAL

Pal (Feature)

Director: Ramesh Budhathoki

Synopsis:
'Pal' is a cinema that depicts dissimilar perspectives with characters performing negative as well as positive roles in diverse state of minds. The purpose is to show an irony how life change by saying yes to no and how it transforms the social environment. 'Pal' means moments; one wrong doing in a split of second create jarring effects in life and drift away from goal. 'Pal' is neither a parallel nor commercial movie. Its genre is realistic social drama based on current politic and socio-economics dilemma. The film attempts to focus in ups and down of contemporary Nepalese society in levelheaded manner.

Anxiety, skepticism, cynicism and pessimism prevail in the first half of the story. After interval, film rewinds retrospectively and restarts with optimism to draw analogy of negative and positive consequences. Perception and sensitivity in both ways of story telling are piles apart yet moving. To disseminate the message of understanding challenges from other side of fence of the aim of 'PAL'.

 

Rainbow over Mumbai (Documentary)

Director: Shekhar Kharel

Synopsis:
Rainbow over Mumbai is an artistic odyssey of seven iconic people in the art vista of Mumbai who have roots in Nepal. It is the story of the very best of the shared heritage and special relationship between the two nations- Nepal and India. The stars in this documentary are saxophone legend Manohari Singh, eminent painter Laxman Shrestha, ace fashion photographer Rakesh Shrestha, soulful voice of Bollywood Udit Narayan Jha, steadycam cinematographer Basant Karmacharya, diva of the silver screen Manisha Koirala and art director Anjan Gajurel. Though they are a tiny fraction of the more than 6-7 million Nepali who find work in India, they represent the best of Nepali ingenuity and hard work and the spirit of India that celebrates diversity and promises fair opportunities. The documentary aims to reiterate the fact that India has been a land of opportunities for people from Nepal and that the special relationship between the two nations has enabled Nepalese to benefit from the vibrant economy of India and showcase their talents. "Rainbow over Mumbai" is dedicated to Manohari Singh, who died in June 2010 at the age of 83 soon after he was interviewed for this documentary. Singh was an acclaimed saxophone player and chief music arranger for music director R.D. Burman. The documentary has been commissioned by Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

 

Golden Ray (Documentary)

Director: Sunil Pandey

Synopsis:
This is the story of a deaf father who inspite of his never ending love for his daughter, ends up being the reason for her death. Inspite of his short comings, he is a wonderful father to his young daughter. But an innocent incidence of harmless game of hide and seek, results in the death of the girl. Unfortunately the father is unable to save her and then begins the life of this deaf father without his daughter and with a heavy heart full of guilt for her death.

 

Suk Bahadur Adhikari , CLASS IV (Documentary)

Director: Dilbhushan Pathak

Synopsis:
"Suk Bahadur Adhikari , CLASS IV" is the quest of a 79 year old man for education.

After more than 50 years of driving experience in the British India Government, Sukh Bahadur Adhikari is back in Nepal. When most dream of retirement Sukh Bahadur dreams of fulfilling his unfulfilled dream of pursuing his school education at the age of 79. His granddaughter attending the same class helps him with his assignments.

 

PAKISTAN

Mohabbatan Sachiyan (Feature)

Director: Shehzad Rafique

Synopsis:
Mohabbatan Sachiyan is set in a small village in Punjab and starts of with Salma and Sameer's childhood engagement. As they grow up Salma (Veena Malik) finds herself falling for another boy from the same village. Nomi (Adnan) is a naive village boy who is well mannered and likes her too. Both Nomi and Salma happen to study in the same college and have everything going for them, but both of them are ignorant of Salma's engagement. Sameer's family, on the other hand, has moved to the city and Sameer (Babrak) is a spoilt brat who does not take life seriously, preferring to party it up in Lahore.

One-day Sameer's mother tells him about his childhood engagement and forces him to tag along on their visit to the village and see Salma. Sameer who has no intentions of marrying let alone commit to a childhood engagement, accompanies his mother for kicks. Nomi and Salma try all they can to convince Salma's father to let Salma marry Nomi. What follows is an emotional drama of love lost and won…

 

A Garden in Shigar (Documentary)

Director: Mahera Omar

Synopsis:
Nusrat, Khezran, Zakia, Asiya and Sajida are five young women from the scenic Shigar Valley in the mountainous northern areas of Pakistan. As interns with the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP), their project is to landscape the Abruzzi secondary school's garden in the village of Sainkhor, Shigar, Baltistan. Tahereh, their guide and mentor, has come all the way from Los Angeles, California, to teach the women the principles of design and landscaping. In learning these skills to transform a rubble strewn field into a one-of-a-kind teaching garden, these women sow the seeds for their own transformation.

 

All That Jazz

Director:

Synopsis:
"All That Jazz" explores what Karachi was like in it's hey day, the swinging 1950's, 60's and 70's when Goan and Anglo Indian jazz musicians dominated a multicultural and international music scene. Musicians reminisce over the pre-prohibition days before Islamization when cabarets and clubs were common place and society generally miore tolerant.

 

City by the Sea: The future of Karachi's coastline (Documentary)

Director: Mahera Omar

Synopsis:
This documentary explores alternatives to haphazard development along Karachi's coastline in light of the basic principles of urban planning.

 

SRI LANKA

Once Upon A Time (Ekamath Eka Rataka) (Feature)

Director: Sanath Gunatilake

Synopsis:
The young ravishing girl descending from a wealthy and noble family, whose strong character and the strange behaviour makes her parents unhappy. The parents decide to send her abroad to do her studies and also intending that their daughter will be well disciplined. The daughter and the nanny's son who becomes a lawyer later on with the help of the noble family, had a strong friendship during their childhood.

The parents are trying to find a suitable partner to their young daughter who has come back after completing her studies. During this time, the daughter and nanny's son are falling in love.


The nanny's encouragement and the blessings strengthen the young couple's love. The girl falls in love with the music played by the ugly, bulky orphan with a deformed face who is living in front of her house. Her passion for the music leads her to a magnificently melodramatic climax as this deformed person imagines that this young girl loves him and his entire existence becomes built around young girl's love.

As a result of this misunderstanding, the young couple confront with many difficulties. But one day the young girl beckons the deformed person to help her to dispose her lover's dead body.

 

It's a matter of love (Feature)

Director: Roy de Silva 

Synopsis:
The story is based on a series of incidents focusing on the themes of youth romance and trustworthiness. Malan is the only son of Dhanawardana, a wealthy businessman who harbours the dream of seeing his son taking over the reins of his business empire. Therefore he decides to send his son to America for further studies and training. However, he has yet to learn that his son is engaged in a serious relationship with Natasha, a 17 year old lass, the daughter of Rossie. Twice widowed Rossie is unaware that Malan refuses to leave the country due to his commitment towards Natasha. Dharmawardana is furious after discovering facts about the lovers and threatens to send away Malan by force. Meanwhile, the idea of a marriage at such a young age does not appeal to Natasha. More drama unfolds as clashes between parents and lovers take center stage. As signs of the dust settling down finally comes in view, Natasha is gripped with a sudden suspicion. She suspects that there is a love affair between her best friend Chathuri and Malan.

Life of Joshep Vaz (Feature)

Director: Sanjaya Nirmal 

Synopsis:
Born in Goa on the 21st of April, 1651 ,Blessed Joseph Vaz revealed an extraordinary inclination to a life of communion with God since childhood, which led him to seek admission in the seminary at what is now Old Goa.

Ordained priest in 1674 he went on to be hailed as a preacher, retreat master, confessor and spiritual guide to many a prominent Portuguese citizen in the city of Goa.

In the meantime, the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka was struggling for survival ever since 1658, when Sri Lanka was conquered by Dutch Calvinists. The new invaders set out to systematically suppress Catholics who in thousands either succumbed to the fierce persecution or left without priest and sacraments, yet heroically remaining faithful to the Church. Their plight saw Joseph Vaz as a messiah to their rescue

In 1687,disguised as a porter , Vaz strengthened the faithful in their religious practice ,re-built the crumbling edifice of the Catholic Church and built fifteen big churches, two hundred chapels and another two hundred schools and hospitals across Srilanka.

Beyond the Peaks (Feature)

Director: Rohana Thiththawalgala 

Synopsis:
This film is based on the world famous Russian novel The Crime and Punishment of Fyodor Dostoevsk. Rodya Sooriyawarn has always lived an unjust life full of misery and poverty. To add to it, he happens to be a University dropout. He goes to the city to sell his last asset in return of money but ends being the reason of the pawn lady's death.

He finally escapes law, becomes a drunkard and then meets Sonia, a prostitute. Unable to tolerate the pain being inflicted on him as well as Sonia, he takes it in his hands to change the society. Simultaneously, Lucian, a cunning lawyer and two of Rodya's friends continue to makes his life complicated. It is only Sonia's love and Dunya's (Rodya's sister) compassion that finally makes Rodya face the law. He gets sentenced to prison for 8yrs, after which he finally looks at life in a different light.