Filmi 23!
Filmi Toronto’s South Asian Film Festival – 23 Years!
December 6th – 7th, 2025
Stay tuned for some great films!
21st Filmi: Toronto’s South Asian film festival
Harbourfront Centre
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0 MUSIC VIDEO: T5 aka Terminal 5
T5 aka Terminal 5
ARTISTS: Swet Shop Boys
Director: Sofian Khan
The first of two music videos produced for Riz Ahmed and Himanshu Suri’s group Swet Shop Boys.
Director: Sofian Khan
Sofian is the founder of Capital K Pictures— a New York-based production company focusing on documentary work. His shorts have appeared on PBS, The Documentary Channel, Fusion Network, The Atlantic and Huffington Post. He recently won best film in the 2015 Fusion Doc Challenge with his short ‘Timeshifters’.
His first feature, The Dickumentary (2014)— a definitive history of the penis from its evolution millions of years ago, to today— was acquired by Breaking Glass Pictures in the US, and made its festival premiere at the Atlanta Film Festival. His second feature, Gaucho del Norte (2015), was released shortly after, co-directed with producing partner Andrés Caballero. The film was a Jerome Foundation grant recipient, about South American shepherds who are recruited to work in the American west, and was acquired by PBS for its America ReFramed series. Gaucho del Norte made its TV premiere in January and its festival premiere a month later at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.
Sofian and Andrés are currently at work on another feature ‘The Interpreter’ for which they received the MacArthur Documentary Grant.
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0 MUSIC VIDEO: ‘I Got a Love’
Artist: Noyz ft. Vaishnavi Yogendran
Director: Majestic Films
‘I Got a Love’ and features rhymes by Noyz with vocals by Vaishnavi Yogendran. Produced Dusty Loops.
Video was shot by Majestic Films.
‘I Got a Love’ will be featured on Noyz’s next album entitled Lo Fi Glory which will be entirely produced by Dusty Loops.
The theme of the video is a prom for grown ups.
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0 Taken to the Cleaner
Taken to the Cleaner
Canadian Premiere
Director: Will Sankhla
Duration: 6 Minutes
Synopsis:
A man tries to woo his dry cleaning lady with the help of his young friend.
Director: Will Sankhla
Born and raised in India, Will Sankhla studied theatre and philosophy in the United States. He is a recipient of a Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program Grant.
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0 Product
Product
Director: Ash Varma
Duration: 8 Minutes
Synopsis: 2 Guys are trapped in a deja vu and they cannot seem to get out … until …
Director: Ash Varma
Director: Ashish has been making short films for many years now. Ashish has 2 films (Product and Almost Nice) at Filmi 2016. He has had a very productive year creating many shorts and web series. Ashish has written his first full length film and is in the process of developing that film.
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0 Almost Nice
Almost Nice
World Premiere
Director: Ash Varma
Duration: 4 Minutes
Synopsis: Sometimes its hard to be a nice guy
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0 Silence Radio
Silence Radio
Canadian Premiere
Director: Kartik Singh
Duration: 15 Minutes
Synopsis:
Nayla hosts a jazz radio show at her university. One day, a man from her past asks her to appear on the show to talk about the political situation in their home country. She refuses his request, but this choice will have consequences.
Director: Kartik Singh
Kartik Singh loves telling stories of underdogs and unlikely heroes. He brings to his work the perspective of a triple culture. Born in the United States to Indian Sikh parents, he has spent half his life in Paris, where he earned an MFA from the Sorbonne.
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0 Bad Egg
Bad Egg
World Premiere
Director: Aditi J. Mody
Duration: 8 Minutes
SYNOPSIS:
Gaiya decides to leave Mo this rainy day, but over a breakfast of eggs, we realize how they both are stuck in a rotten romance of their own device
Director: Aditi J. Mody
Aditi Mody is a 2nd year candidate in the Graduate
Masters in Fine Arts in Film Production at NYU Tisch
School of Arts . Having grown up in Mumbai, she
realized her need to tell stories about the unique and
quirky characters that filled the strange city. This passion
grew as she broke away from the conventional idea of
joining her father’s business to searching for any means
to tell a story; whether it be a commercial for a boutique
hotel or a short film about a prostitute who lures her
victims in by claiming innocence. At NYU, she is further
enhancing these skills, collaborating with the next
generation of great filmmakers and adding more tools to her arsenal.
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0 MUSIC VIDEO: Follow me
0 First World Problems
FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS
Canadian Premiere
Director: Rachael Belle Myers
Duration: 4 min 52 sec
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE WORSE THAN BAD COFFEE?
SYNOPSIS:
Mike and Paul are two mates that meet each day in the park for a coffee and
a break from the daily grind. As they share and discuss the problems they
face in their day to day lives, they miss out on what’s happening in the world
surrounding them. Are they both too self-absorbed to see the world for what it
really is? Or will they find a way to open their eyes and appreciate the lives
they have?
DIRECTOR: Rachael Belle Myers
Rachael Belle Myers’ unique zeal for expression found a brilliant and timely
outlet through poetry, screenwriting and more recently as a filmmaker.
Rachael has written a number of screenplays and poetry where damage,
desire and sensory immersion shake the reader out of a complacent slumber
and into a deeper and darker realm of the human experience.
Rachael is the author of “Extracts from my Mind”, “Extracts from my Mind,
The Second Manifest” and “Dilemma”. After collaborating with multiple
filmmakers to bring her spoken word to the screen, Rachael started focusing
on bringing her screenplays to life and began directing and producing short
films.
Jaded Belle Productions was born and Rachael wrote, directed and produced
her first short film titled “Choice” starring Clint Facey and Helen Uskovic. The
dark approach she took to question man’s identity was well received and is a
testament to the many years of scriptwriting under Rachael’s belt.
Following her theme of questioning one’s self, Rachael wrote, directed and
produced another short film titled “First World Problems” starring Joe
Davidson and Clint Facey. The film challenges the audience’s view and
perception of their reality and deals with a number of social issues affecting
our society including homelessness. It has won Best Short Film in the Reel
Time International Online Film Festival, Best Indie Spirit Award in the Sydney
Indie Film Festival and is part of the official selection in a number of other
festivals.
Rachael was born and raised in Sydney, Australia where she still currently
resides.
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0 Old Film Songs
Old Film Song
WORLD PREMIERE
Director: Sid Sawant
Duration: 4 Minutes
Starring: Divya Nagpal & Danesh Shetty
Written by: Aditya Rawal
A mother deals with the hardships of raising her son as a single parent in India. Dealing with a set of cultural taboos a mothers journey provides insight as to some of the difficult decisions a parent has to make in order to protect and raise her kin. Simultaneously “Old Film Songs” portrays the growth of a young boy in India as he curbs the understanding of how the world works while battling the difficulties of growing up without a father.
Director: Sid Sawant
An Artist in all forms: from film to photography, screen to stage, lens to literary.
As an actor, Sid is an honours graduate of Humber College’s Acting for Film and
Television program, with aspirations for international cinemas and theatrical
stages. Prior to Humber College, Sid completed his Regional Arts diploma though
Cawthra Park, where the love for performance was developed. Sid continues to
keep a balance between film and theatre. Recent productions include award
winning independent short SUN (2015), Dowry (2015), and the Houston Worldfest
Gold Remi winner Street Soldiers (2015). Recent theatrical performances works
include Case #99 (2016), Dance Like A Man (2014), Seven Steps Around The Fire
(2013) and Taj (2011), which was a part of the LuminaTO Theatre festival. Sid’s
efforts in the arts have been recognized with his winning of the Marty for Emerging Theatre in 2016. This is the first of many successes for this aspiring actor with upcoming releases internationally. Behind the scenes Sid works in a variety of departments in both film and theatre. His knowledge as a photographer has moved into cinematography, right into lighting design and sound production for both mediums. His love for technology and new innovations has currently landed him a position at Playfight VFX, one of the leading Visual Effects studios in Canada. Sid makes his directorial debut in the independent short Old Film Songs. A new journey for Sid has begun working more on production level while retaining his artistic roots on the performance side. Sid Sawant’s passion for the arts stems from his family and he is grateful for their continued support.
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0 Hot Air
HOT AIR
World Premiere
Director: Shetu Modi
Duration: 5 Minutes
Synopsis: A teenage girl’s fascination with the flute-playing Hindu god Krishna sparks a desire in her to master the same instrument. But she is easily distracted whenever she tries to practise.
Director: Shetu Modi
Shetu Modi is a writer, director and editor based in Toronto. Her short documentary Deflowering Bollywood screened at Filmi in 2006. She is currently working on her second short fiction film, “The Pits,” and also works as a video editor at the Canadian Press.
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0 OPENING NIGHT FILM ‘SCRATCH’
FILMI 2016
OPENING NIGHT FILM
Friday December 2nd, 2016
‘SCRATCH’
TORONTO PREMIERE
Tickets on Sale NOW!
Synopsis:
Winner of 22 International Festival Awards.
A female rookie armoured truck guard is caught between her co-workers plot to rob their own truck, and greedy gangsters desperate to grab the cash.
Directors Bio:
Maninder Chana is a critically acclaimed, award-winning writer and director. His action heist film Scratch is currently playing film festivals. In just a few months on the circuit, Scratch has won 22 international awards, including 7 for Best Film and 4 for Best Director. It will be released this winter.
Maninder’s four-language feature Little Terrors, about child jihadists, starring Bollywood legend Om Puri (Gandhi, The Hundred-Foot Journey) was released theatrically fall of 2014 to rave reviews. The Toronto Star hailed it as “An accomplished cinematic work that will resonate long into the future.” It also won Best Film and Best Director awards at film festivals. The supernatural thriller he penned, Cell 213, also had a theatrical release. That film starred Eric Balfour (24, Six Feet Under), Michael Rooker (Walking Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy) and Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek).
Maninder has also produced three other features, two of which will be released early next year.
Other selected credits: his hit comedy troupe Mixed Nuts; directing the national television special Fade to Brown; an epic six-hour science-fiction series for radio, Sectarian Wave; and an action short, Fuku, with members of Jackie Chan’s stunt team. That film won two best film awards. He is also the author of a short story collection, Gunga Din Lite & Other Delights (of Lust and Comedy).
TRAILER
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0 WE’RE LATE
WE’RE LATE
Written & Directed by: Huse Madhavji
Starring: Rizwan Manji & Aly Mawji
All he wants is some time.
MadHuse Productions 2015
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0 My Moment of Victory and Are you Ready?
My Moment of Victory and
Are you Ready?
Director: Vikram Dasgupta
Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Commercial nominated for Cannes Lions
Toronto production house Pixel Palette, run by Vikram Dasgupta spotlights Canadian para-athletes, showing their training regimen as they prepare to vie for a spot to compete in the 2015 Parapan Am Games in Toronto.
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0 Onto Us
Onto Us
Onto Us
Director: Natty Zavitz
Synopsis: A young woman struggles with her relationship to another couple’s relationship.Maria has to understand her own expectations as she’s invited into the already warm bed of Adrian and Alana.
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0 A Disappearance
A Disappearance
Director: Ash Varma
A Disappearance, in a small town draws suspicion on close family and friends.
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0 Slumgods
Film: “Slumgods” (2015)
Runtime: 22:35
Synopsis
Hip Hop has evolved from a fringe musical movement that gave voice to the voiceless in Brooklyn, NY to become among the World’s most dominant musical and cultural forces. Hip Hop’s ability to connect with people of all walks of life has lead it to grow in even the most unexpected places.
The Slumgods are known to be among India’s first Hip Hop crews, who live and breathe its culture in the heart of Dharavi, Mumbai. In the middle of what is sadly too often referred to as one of the World’s largest slums, “Slumgods” reveals the story of an incredibly articulate and wise founder, Akash Dhangar, and the emergence of Hip Hop in Dharavi.
“Slumgods” tells the story of how Hip Hop came into the lives of these inspiring young artists, and how it has become a way of life, and a way of inspiration and mobilization for so many. the Slumgods crew has adopted all disciplines of Hip Hop, from Rap to breakdancing, beatboxing graffiti and DJ culture, and uses Hip Hop as a tool to inspire, engage, and elevate its youth.
Against all odds, Akash and the Slumgods have grabbed the attention of major media outlets and influencers, including AR Rahman, Shekhar Kapur, Universal Music, and Qyuki. “Slumgods” shows us how Akash and his crew set out to educate the world not only about their ‘hood, Dharavi, but also about the real voice of Hip Hop that has been so poorly misrepresented in India and across the world.
Director’s Biography:
Anuj Rastogi is a Toronto based multi-disciplinary artist. As a film composer, music producer, spoken word artist and writer, he has composed and produced for film, studio, and has performed with a number of diverse artists across Canada, the US, the UK and India. As a Spoken Word artist, Anuj uses elements of word play and storyline that thread together broad narratives about social, political, personal and human insights. Anuj is currently working on a number of projects including a new studio album, a new Spoken Word EP, and two new feature scores in pre-production for 2015 / 2016. Anuj brings a forward a sensitivity that is a unique product of his intuition and environment, and is now adding “filmmaker” to his bucket-list.
While Anuj has produced, directed and edited independent and concept music videos in the past, “Slumgods” is his first film release. “Slumgods” began as a chance-idea and grew into a documentary intended to tell the story of one incredible hip hop crew, and its founder, in a most unlikely place; Dharavi, Mumbai. The documentary is largely a labor of love, and required an incredible “run & gun” approach, improvisation, and and spontaneity under uncertain circumstances to capture and create.
Links:
- Website: www.omnesia.com
- YouTube: www.youtube.com/omnesia
- Twitter: @omnesia
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/omnesia
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0 Two Dosas
0 The Girl without a Song
The Girl without a song
The Girl without a song
World Premiere
Director: Aveek Mansur
A scientist invents a device that reads and plays the song within our souls. Every person has a unique song. When she goes to have her song read, Emma discovers that she has no song, and the machine is unable to read her soul.
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0 Rolling Dream
Rolling Dream
Rolling Dream
Toronto Premiere
Director: Maahi Kaur
Synopsis:
The story revolves around a 7 yr old girl and her small dream, who lives in a one-
room house in the slums of Mumbai city. On her way to her school, is a big high-rise
building that she sees everyday and wonders how big the houses might be and if she
could ever get to see a big house. One day her school teacher gives the entire class
an essay to write, titled ‘My Dream’, she enthusiastically writes that her dream is to
go inside that building and see a big house someday. She talks to her parents about
her dream and also with a woman who works inside that building and try to find our
way to enter the building. She also prays to Lord Ganesha (Lord of success and
destroyer of obstacles and evils) to make her small dream come true. She also tries
sneaking into the building but just doesn’t find a way to enter this private secured
building. Was her dream ever fulfilled and if so at what cost? Does Lord Ganesha
destroy the obstacles on her way? An insight into the extreme lives in Mumbai, the
ones in the slums and the other in the high-rise buildings of Mumbai. Story also
highlights the domestic child labour scenario occurring in India.
FB Page:
http://tinyurl.com/puvez2h
Trailer:
Filmmaker: Maahi Kaur
Maahi Kaur was born & brought up in India and moved to Toronto,
Canada in 2000. Maahi have Master degree in Human Genetics &
Finance. She have worked in Finance industry for 7 years before started
her journey as Filmmaker in 2009. She has gained all her experience in
Filmmaking working on different sets of short, Indie & big budget
movies.
Maahi is CEO of Mahiwood Production Inc. in Vancouver, BC founded in
2012. The main focus of the company is to produce the short & feature
films in co-production with International production companies. In Jan
2013, she moved to Mumbai where she gained experience working in
Indian cinema for 2 years. In Nov 2014, Maahi made her first short
under Mahiwood Productions titled “Rolling Dream” in Mumbai based
on child labor. This short film gave Maahi recognition as Filmmaker as
movie got selected at many Film festivals, won an award in excellence &
Maahi also got nominated as Best Filmmaker at WMIFF, Washington DC.
Maahi have recently complete her second short film (24 mins) title “
Coffee at Laundromat” based on Immigration issues & LGBT rights in
Canada. This movie will be submitted to all the major film festivals.
Beside from these two projects, Maahi have been working on her first
feature film title “ Journey of Revenge & Dream”. Maahi have also
completed the script for Hindi feature film title “Loan Marriage ka
Funda “
Maahi have creativity, talent, experience & Her foremost dream is to be
a successful Filmmaker and make movies of all genres that make
difference in the society
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0 Y DOC
Y DOC
Saturday, 3rd – 4:00PM
Shorts Program 2
Y DOC – Mind Over Matter
Y DOC – Gun or Pen
Y DOC – The Wrong Turn
Y DOC – Face to Face
Saturday, 3rd – 6:30PM
Short Documentary Series
Y- DOC The Unheard Story
Y-DOC – Stolen Childhood
Y-DOC – 103
Y-DOC – Autism at 180
Y-DOC – Cyber Bully
Y-DOC- Old is Gold
Y-DOC – Global Warning
About Ydoc – 2015
YDocs-2015 youth festival hosted by CFLI was a huge success! 82 young members produced & screened 10 short documentary movies based on social issues.The event was held in July at J&J Swagat Banquet Hall and attended by over 400 people.
Centre for Leadership and Innovation (CFLI)
Leaders aren’t born, they are nurtured and developed. This is the driving force behind Centre for Leadership and Innovation, which was launched in January 2012. CFLI was founded with the mission to build and promote leadership and innovation amongst Tamil Canadians and other multicultural communities. It is registered as a Non-Profit organization.
CFLI’s primary goal is to provide an inspiring and supportive environment that will help individuals become leaders. To achieve this goal, our focus is to provide a continuous learning environment through a holistic training approach, offering programs highlighted in the blocks above. These are the building blocks for developing future leaders.
Our longer term vision is to leverage the talents of our future leaders to form a Think-Tank, a leading edge policy institute that provides research and analysis on issues affecting Canadians.
http://www.cflicanada.ca
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0 Gary “Saint Lion” Mangat Documentary
Gary “Saint Lion” Mangat Documentary
23rd Filmi: Toronto's South Asian Film Festival Dec 6-7 2025 