Filmi 21! Virtual Edition
Filmi Toronto’s South Asian Film Festival Celebrating 21 Years!
December 27th, 2020
21st Filmi: Toronto’s South Asian film festival
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MAIN THEEK HOON
The bond of two sisters is tested, as their lives take on separate paths.
The Intervention
Jai MataDi – A Trek to the Top
Kash Gauni guides us in this initial trek to a mystical mountain cave of a folkloric immortal avatar, who makes wishes come true. Kash puts out a wish to experience the powers of Vaishno Devi and joins the thousands of pilgrims trekking up an ancient mountain in the tiny terrorist stricken, remote Himalayan pathway to the famous cave in Jammu & Kashmir. Jai Matadi: Trek to the Top is a brilliant and entertaining Malcolm Gladwell-esque vacation of the mind that will simultaneously delight and illuminate anyone in search of the secret of success.
Shreela Chakrabartty is the director half of Shreela & Kash films. Kash Gauni is the storyteller. They built a company on faith, hope and trust when they made their first feature, Rock Paper Dice Enter. Their symbiotic relationship enables them to churn out stories that take you into new entertaining vistas. Trained by award winning industry masters on sets and in action, the pair joined hands from East to West in Canada and across the globe.
Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Shreela identifies female, director, 2nd gen, ethnic minority, daughter of freedom fighting, truth seeking refugee/immigrants, and child of immortal bliss. Her primary language is English and she is exposed to multiple world languages. She is dedicated to working in partnership with American/Canadian/Asian Indian, writer/producer/talent, and storyteller, Kash Gauni, who travels widely around the world representing top brands with his ethnically diverse face.
Shreela and Kash attract outliers, curious about the world outside of their feeds. They interface in English, digging into mind bending scenarios. They explore plots beyond the noise and chaos, to find entertaining moments in the migrant experience. They tirelessly persist in this filmmaking business to creatively fill the absence of heritage based thoughts and reflections on the screen. They are not shy about their pursuit of success and would like to take you on that journey with them.
Synopsis:
Marc had been involved in a car accident and had inadvertently killed a pedestrian girl. In the end, he simply couldn’t live with the guilt.The acted scene is an argument he has with inner self right before he kills himself. There are two inner voices: negative and positive. Right before pulling the trigger, negative inner voice becomes more dominant and drives the action. Positive voice in the end interrupts but it’s too late by then.
Directed by: Pankaj Brijlani
Pankaj Brijlani
·Director’s Biography:Pankaj Brijlani was born and raised in Delhi, India. He moved to Canada in 2008 and currently lives and works in Toronto. He is a graduate of the Visual Effects program from Seneca College. He divides his time working as a Visual Effects artist and Director for Feature Films. His Vfx credits includes Game of thrones, Logan, X-men, Avengers, The Revenant and many others.
CREW:
Actor: Noor Alimran
VFX Artist: Harshal Mistry
DOP: Mike S
AD: Tajpreet Kaur Madan
Sound: Cory
MUA: Candice Britton
Special Thanks: Ash Varma
“The Longest Dawn” follows four friends as they try to negotiate their emotions in the aftermath of one of the most distressing nights of their young lives.
Synopsis
Four young friends walk the still-empty streets of a city. The sun is rising, as are tensions between them. There are unspoken conflicts unravelling as they each try to make sense of the dire circumstances of their previous night. Whatever brought them to that moment is something that will resonate with them forever. But as the dawn clears, they must find a way to forge on and face a new day together.
Director’s bio
Luca Maria Piccolo was born in Puglia, Italy in 1989. He is a writer and director currently based in Toronto and Rome. He has worked extensively in both Italy and Canada as a director of commercials and fashion films. He is known for the short films “113″, “A Bed Day” and “The Longest Dawn”, which have screened at multiple international film festivals.
Title: 150 Days
Duration: 1:37
Director’s Message:
This short captures the 150th day of a 1000-day ongoing protest by the Mothers of the Disappeared in Kilinochochi, Sri Lanka 2017. There children have been taken away by the government and have not returned. All of these disappearances began after the end of the war in 2009. The Mothers gave me access to their camp and wanted me to make their story known to the world.
Director: Cyrus Sundar Singh
MY SOUL IS FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE
Film synopsis:
With the intersection of land and sea as a symbolic visual backdrop, a filmmaker shares his thoughts on the sense of detachment from his own existence.
Bio:
Daim Khalid is a Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker and photographer using visuals in combination with personal introspection to share his perspective on self-exploration, identity, culture, and social issues.
No English
Synopsis:
Drawing its title from a phrase familiar enough to the common immigrant, No English aims to showcase inspiration from the city of Brampton, the landscape, and the immigrant diaspora. It is through its juxtaposition of images and music where No English is able to normalize key aspects of the immigrant experience that others may not identify directly with, while showcasing the positive values that connect us all.
Biography:
With 7 years of professional industry film making experience, Japinder has created documentaries for Ontario College of Teachers, Federal NDP, and more. Japinder’s passion for culture, art, and discovery serve as a driving force for his passion to tell stories through different mediums.
Slenderman (2019)
Based on the Internet Legend- A drifter gets lost in the woods and becomes the Slenderman‘s next victim! Apart of the Clubhouse of Terror series.
A young drag queen must find a way to reconcile with his estranged father after the death of his mother.
Georgia Hunter is a film director with a strong background in acting, producing and writing film. Since moving to Toronto in 2017 she has written and directed 3 short films, two of which encompass powerful Queer stories and one shining light on the Womens Liberation Movement in 1970. Queen of the Night- a Film written by Yahya Bajwa was Georgia’s Directorial debut, this film is about a young muslim drag queen and his relationship with his father after the death of his mother. This script touched Georgia’s heart and really sparked the love for Directing.
“I have a passion for creating films that depict the queer and other underrepresented communities with the honesty and beauty we deserve.”
Her current project ‘Elephant Sheets’ that is in post-production delves into the life of Leni, a queer women who moves to Toronto in 1990. “I always knew that I was made to direct. In most aspects of life I find myself easily slipping into a position of leadership. I also have a very visual and emotive way of thinking… two qualities I think come hand in hand when directing film.”
Website: www.georgiahunter.ca
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8622095/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t133
Instagram: @georgehunta
SYNOPSIS OF FILM:
A young muslim Drag Queen must find a way to reconcile with his estranged father after the death of his mother.
Two detectives try (and fail) to figure out how a man was rendered unconscious with his pants around his ankles.
Satraj Bajaj is an Indian-born Canadian writer/director living in Toronto, Canada. Satraj started his filmmaking career in middle school, making LEGO stop-motion films with his friends. He continued on to make several live-action films throughout middle school and high school, and attended George Brown College for Video Design and Production. He is most notable for his fondness of time-travel stories and raunchy slapstick comedies, his obsessive attention to audio clarity and video stability, and his repeated use of Neel Soman and Luca Garib as actors in his films.
Featuring the famous Duckman! hold onto your seat (and don’t let anyone plant anything on it) and prepare for a musical (and stinky) adventure! Filmed in the heart of Toronto at Yonge/Dundas Square.
Satraj Bajaj is an Indian-born Canadian writer/director living in Toronto, Canada. Satraj started his filmmaking career in middle school, making LEGO stop-motion films with his friends. He continued on to make several live-action films throughout middle school and high school, and attended George Brown College for Video Design and Production. He is most notable for his fondness of time-travel stories and raunchy slapstick comedies, in addition to his obsessive attention to audio clarity and video stability.
if you rearrange “edit” it becomes “diet” which is funny because I forget to eat when I’m editing.
NO EXIT
Tony is trying to leave his old ways of life but certain circumstances won’t let him.
Director – Lewis Baumander
14.02
In the digital age, a Popular Toronto Comedian is starved of an intimate healing human touch. He meets somebody on Valentine’s Day but that person cannot reciprocate the same way, because of his work commitments.
Director – Raj Jain
I love telling empowering stories on relevant matters. My short
films ‘14.02’ was my first attempt at writing and directing scripted content in Toronto, powered by a brilliant crew. These films are my trailers of entertaining queer stories in a non-clichéd fashion. I started my career in 2007 as a Graphic Designer. I also worked in the advertising & non-profit space, and co-founded a social startup to raise awareness on pressing issues.
21st Filmi: Toronto's South Asian Film Festival 2021 