Veham

Hassan Amin / HBO Short Film Competition / Pakistan / 2016 / 14 mins

After waking up in an obscure room with no memory, MUNTAZIR finds a letter and, following its instructions, sets off only to find himself lost in the middle of nowhere. He asks the mysterious JABBAR for directions who again pops up when Muntazir reaches his destination. The two develop an uncanny companionship with Muntazir opening up to his new friend. As more envelopes are delivered, Muntazir fights to regain his memory about where he is and who exactly is Jabbar.

Sat Afterparty @ Delilah (9:30PM)

Mantra

Nicholas Kharkongor / Feature Competition / India / 2016 / 90 mins

Kapil Kapoor, founded an iconic snack brand during the License Raj in India. Circa 2004, India is in throes of globalization and he is fighting a losing battle against a multinational that has taken over the market. Besides his company, he is desperately trying to save his wife and children who are battling crises of their own. For Kapil to hold onto things that are dear to him professionally and personally, he must confront and overcome demons of his own. Set in the midst of a nationwide India Shining campaign, Mantra tells the story of a family and its travails, and a sprawling and changing rapidly India.

Dobaara

Bejoy Nambiar / Spectrum / India / 2016 / 66 mins

22-year-old Parvathy is a free-spirited girl who loves to live life on her terms. However, when she is left with no option but to tie the knot with a man of her parents’ choice, her life takes a 360 degree turn. Mohan and Parvathy migrate, and this marks the beginning of their new life together. But Mohan’s priorities are clearly defined from the very start of their relationship. He invests all his time in his work. His intentions are pure; to build the perfect life for his family. But with a new addition to the family and as the years go by, Mohan gets further involved in his work. It is only after their son, Rohit, graduates that Parvathy decides to take a drastic step, shaking up her 20 years of marriage.

Shor Se Shuruaat

SUPRIYA SHARMA, ARUNIMA SHARMA, RAHUL V. CHITTELLA, PRATIK RAJEN KOTHARI, AMIRA BHARGAVA, ANNIE ZAIDI, SATISH RAJ KASIREDDI / Closing Night / India / 130 mins

Shor se Shuruaat is an omnibus feature of mentored short films, around the central theme of “Shor”- noise. 7 films, from 7 different directors conveying 7 different stories on the same theme, The short films have been mentored by stalwarts like Mira Nair, Shyam Benegal, Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar, Nagesh Kukunoor, Sriram Raghavan and Homi Adajania.

Revelations

Vijay Jayapal / Feature Competition / India / 2016 / 118 mins

A young Tamil woman, grappling with unknown tensions in her four year long marriage, develops a complex relationship with her new neighbor, a middle-aged man, who has a mysterious past of his own. This relationship soon begins to unravel many secrets, which change their lives forever. Set in the fascinating city of Kolkata, the film tries to explore themes such as guilt, redemption and female sexuality in the context of an Indian marriage.

Gardaab

Harune Massey / Centerpiece / Pakistan / 2016 / 93 mins

Set in Karachi, Pakistan, Gardaab(Whirlpool) is an intimate portrait of a city torn by violence. It’s a story of the city’s inhabitants as they navigate through this violence, fighting to preserve their humanity. A gritty fast paced thriller, the film is also a tale of an unlikely romance that blossoms amidst this chaos.

Maroon

Pulkit / Feature Competition / India / 2016 / 92 mins

When an insomniac university professor’s wife goes missing, he slowly becomes delusional in his attempt to cope and his interaction with the outside world gradually enters a different plane of reality.