Filmi 21!
Filmi Toronto’s South Asian Film Festival Celebrating 21 Years!
December 9th-10th, 2023
21st Filmi: Toronto’s South Asian film festival
Harbourfront Centre
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Bad Accountant is a proof-of-concept short film for a crime-comedy series following the life of Zubaira (Rabiya Mansoor | ربیعہمنصور | )– the bumbling in-house accountant at Shyam Samosas. Your typical Desi family-run restaurant. NOT. It’s a front for the second-largest Desi Mafia family.
Zubaira’s bad…at virtually everything she does. It’s not that Zubaira doesn’t try, they do but accounting and currently undiagnosed ADHD is a combo that doesn’t mix. And in addition to all of that, she’s the black sheep of her epitome-of-Brown-success, doctor and lawyer filled family. No-one has any faith that she’ll amount to anything. Ever.
But this time, SHE WILL GET THE JOB… AND KEEP IT! Great plan… until Zubaira walks into the warehouse where a GUN FIGHT is in progress. Zubaira very slowly puts two and two together: 1) Zubaira showed up twenty four hours for her interview. 2) Shyam Samosas is actually a front for the Shyam Mafia Family. 3) They gave her a choice; either do their numbers and get the other Five Families to the negotiating table or they kill her right now. So, technically it’s only one choice…
What will Zubaira do? Is her need to prove herself and show her family she’s got her shit together stronger than her moral compass? You can bet your hiney it is. Moral compass, get out the way!
Director’s Bios:
ANUBHAV SINGH: Originating from New Delhi, India, Anubhav is a film director who is currently based in Mississauga. With a foundation in fine art as well as film directing, Anubhav thrives on understanding of both artistic and technical aspects of filmmaking. He aims to tell stories that are diverse in nature but possess a common, relatable emotional ground with emphasis on empathy. His directorial works include ‘Get Up Aisha’, a web series about mental health issues among South Asian youth in Canada. In 2020, Anubhav’s short film Ma’s Button Box won the audience choice award for best short film at South Asian Film Festival Of America and continues to make rounds in the festival circuit. He was recently selected as ‘Honorable Mentions’ in Higher Hire Grant and is also one of the 5 pitch finalists at 25th Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival for his upcoming short film ‘It Happens To Us’.
NISHA KHAN: Nisha Khan (she/her) is a Pakistani writer/producer and published author that has gone on to work in media through film festivals, magazines, and television. Her work tries to push the needle in changing South Asian and Muslim representation on screen. She is one of the creators, producers and writers behind Get Up Aisha, an IPF x CMF 2022 development fund recipient that releases on CBC Gem in 2024. She has written for Murdoch Mysteries (CBC Gem/Netflix), Happy House of Frightenstein (Marble Kids) and is currently developing a number of projects. She has won WBD Access x Canadian Academy Writers Program, MPAC Hollywood’s Children’s Animation Writing Fellowship as well as the Magee TV Diversity Screenwriting Mentorship award with her crime procedural Honey. Her article bylines include SHARP Magazine, The Book for Men, The International Indian Film Festival of Toronto (IIFFT) magazine, Brown Girl Magazine and more. When she’s not building houses in the Sims, she’s usually drawing on her iPad and binging reality tv shows.
MARUSHKA ALMEIDA: Middle East born and raised, Marushka Jessica Almeida (they/she) is a South Asian queer, non-binary, immigrant writer/producer, ex-accountant, former music business manager and many other failed careers their parents are too depressed to list. Currently, they’re a story editor on the scripted comedy Made For TV with Boman Martinez-Reid (Crave Originals) and an hour-long drama in development with the CBC. They’re also an Exec-Producer/Co-Creator on the upcoming Get Up, Aisha (CBC Gem). They have worked on Austin Film Fest select Homeschooled (CBC), Near or Far (Wattpad, CBC), Cannesseries select Streams Flow From a River (Superchannel/Apple TV, Amazon Prime) Canadian Screen Award-winning/Cannesseries select Revenge of the Black Best Friend (CBC) and other Canadian comedies no one’s seen yet. They are in post-production of their digital series POVme (Shaftesbury Kids) slated for release in 2024. Marushka’s short film “Not Another Bollywood Ending” was selected for the TIFF Next Wave Short Film Live Read. When Marushka isn’t swimming in a whirlpool of existential dread they can be found complaining about why public nap areas don’t exist.
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