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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0 SHORT: If you love your children
If you love your children
DIRECTOR: Sanjay Patel
Toronto Premiere
Synopsis:
Raj Camarta has it all, a great job, a beautiful wife, a comfortable home, but he is haunted by the
loss of innocent people in a natural disaster fueled by climate change. He begins a crusade to
educate the world and in so doing destroys his marriage, loses his home and his livelihood. Raj finds
his commitment to be stronger than his desires and ultimately rises above his losses to realize his
dream.
DIRECTOR:
Sanjay Patel
An engineer, author, and a passionate person about using film as a tool for social change, Sanjay’s one
of the goals for life is to educate, enlighten, and empower others. Sanjay is interested in exploring how
films can change attitudes, beliefs, and bring about individual and social change. Sanjay believes, if
used correctly, the films could be an extremely powerful tool. It can help us understand the world from
another’s viewpoint. They can make us aware of issues we would never see or experience in our own
lifetimes.
Sanjay made his debut as a director and producer with a film titled If You Love Your Children. It is an
award winning live-action short film (drama), about 22 minutes in length, and the purpose of the film is to
provide exposure on climate change – the single biggest threat facing humanity. When social issues such
as climate change is portrayed and humanized in a movie, viewers are left with a richer understanding of
what it must be like for victims of climate change.
Sanjay Patel, a chemical engineer by education, he has been working in the energy industry for the last
20 years. Sanjay enjoys reading and writing about our energy future and the environment, especially
issues related to climate change and he is author of “The Future of Oil” book.
Website: www.ifyouloveyourchildren.org
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/102982659
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0 SHORT: Alchemy
Alchemy
Director: Pranay Patwardhan
Synopsis:
A film about modern-day India. The lives of a billion people. Their story, their hopes, aspirations and transformations. A fine balance between inherent spirituality and India’s giant leap towards progress.
Director: Pranay Patwardhan
Creating quirky characters, telling stories and bringing ideas to life, excites me!
Pranay Patwardhan, a director and illustrator with love for art, food and sport.
Currently based in Shenzhen, China, I was born in Mumbai and grew up in Pune, India, with a fascinating childhood
filled with model cars, sci-fi films , video games and lego bricks. I studied animation from the ‘Maya Academy of
Advanced Cinematics (MAAC)’, before graduating from ‘Supinfocom, India’ as the valedictorian in May, 2012.
Combining cultural influences with modern technique whilst directing, designing and working on award winning TV
series, short films, music videos and visualizations has been a challenging and extremely fun filled experience. I
have had the opportunity of collaborating with many talented and amazing people, creating visual experiences that
have been warmly acknowledged by audiences around the world.
Eager to travel, I have been fortunate to experience various cultures, traditions and meet wonderful people. I hope
to continue this fabulous journey of discovery and tell unique stories along the way!
I would love to hear from you, so do feel free to get in touch.
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0 SHORT: Late Late
Late, Late (short)
Directed by Samrat Chakrabarti
USA, 2014, 13 minutes, Language English
Cast – Anmol Gupta & Lipica Shah
Trailer: http://youtu.be/yCxB8h86IOk
Synopsis: “Late Late” is both a love letter to New York and hate mail to its subway problems and traffic jams. When Amit and Laxmi meet in medical school in New York City, he falls head over heels for her. She’s beautiful, she’s brilliant, she’s going places! The only problem is her obsessive punctuality. To women like Laxmi, ten minutes late is ten minutes late. To guys like Amit, being ten minutes late is more or less like being on time. It’s late, but it’s not “late late.”
About the Director: Samrat Chakrabarti holds a MFA in Acting from the A.R.T/ Moscow Art Theatre School Program at Harvard University. As an actor, he has done dozens of Guest Stars and Recurring Roles on American TV shows, including: 30 Rock (NBC), In Treatment (HBO), Damages (FX), A Gifted Man (CBS), Bored To Death (HBO), Law and Order (NBC), The Sopranos (HBO) and All My Children (ABC). He has also been consistently working in films, both Hollywood and Independent, ranging from Spike Lee’s She Hate Me to Amyn Kaderali’s Kissing Cousins to Bruce Leddy’s The Wedding Weekend to Joseph Castelo’s The War Within (which was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award). He’s worked on many international projects, the list includes: Deepa Mehta’s film adaption of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, Manish Acharya’s Loins of Punjab Presents (with legendary actress Shabana Azmi), Kabir Khan’s New York (produced by Yash Raj Films), Kamal Hasaan’s Vishwaroopam, Joseph Matthew’s Bombay Summer and Italo Spinelli’s Gangor (produced by RAI Cinema). Samrat is also an established international musician. He composed and co- created “BUMBUG The Musical” (FIRST Full Length Musical authored and produced by the Indian-American diaspora in New York City). He has directed several Music Videos & other projects. “LATE LATE” is his first Short Narrative Film.
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0 SHORT: Hechki
![[HECHKI] Film Still](https://filmifestival.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/hechki-film-still.jpg)
Hechki
Canadian Premiere
Director: Kartik Singh
Synopsis:
Shankar has recently arrived in New York City from Bangladesh. He makes a living selling roses. One day, he gets an incurable case of the hiccups…
![[HECHKI] Poster Large (1)](https://filmifestival.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/hechki-poster-large-1.jpg)
Director:
Kartik Singh (writer/director Bari)
Kartik Singh was born to Sikh parents who immigrated to Kansas City, USA from Hyderabad, India. After film studies at the Sorbonne, Kartik started making short films in Paris. An anecdote from his childhood in Middle America became the storyline for his most popular short film, Saving Mom and Dad. It showed in more than 100 festivals in 23 countries and won 16 awards. Kartik loves telling coming of age stories about unlikely encounters that can lead to strong human connections. In 2012, his screenplay Public School was invited to the Mumbai Mantra Sundance Screenwriting Lab. A start date for filming is still forthcoming. While waiting for this project to be greenlit, Kartik began writing Bari (Home), another story that has deep personal resonance for him.
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0 SHORT: Its about time
It’s About Time
Director: Omi Vaidya
Omi Vaidya is an American actor who is best known for his performance as Chatur Ramalingam or “The Silencer” in the 2009 Bollywood film, 3 Idiots. Vaidya has directed two short films and worked as an editor on others. He has also appeared in a number of television programs and commercials. ‘It’s about time’ makes its Toronto Premiere.
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0 SHORT: Ice Cream Wallah
ICE CREAM WALLAH
Director: Terrie Samundra
Canadian Premiere
Ice Cream Wallah trailer:
Synopsis of the film
Jessie, troubled & pissed, has just lost her father to suicide. That’s when she meets his boyfriend, Sean.
Director’s:
Terrie Samundra is a multi-cultural filmmaker who grew up between a rural village in India, a small farming town in Missouri, and along the coast of California. She is a 2013 Sundance Institute Mumbai Mantra Lab Fellow for her screenplay ‘Betamax,’ co-written with David Walter Lech.
Terrie Samundra is the Director of the short films ‘Ice Cream Wallah,’ ‘Kunjo,’ and ‘A Short Tale of Xuan,’ which have screened internationally and garnered many awards including Best Short at Athens International and the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.
With her writing partner, David Walter Lech, she is co-authoring the trilogy of screenplays known as ‘The Ballad of Pooja.’ She is a Princess Grace Award recipient, a National Geographic All Roads Seed Grant recipient, and was the Head Programmer of the 2013 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.
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0 SHORT: The Time Traveler
The Time Traveller
Directed by: RT!
Written by: RT! & Huse Madhavji
Produced by: Stephanie Hooker, RT! & Huse Madhavji
Starring: Huse Madhavji & Emmanuel Kabongo
Synopsis:
A man suffering from amnesia after a traumatic experience in Mumbai rebuilds his life as a convenient store owner. His new found peace is threatened when fate unexpectedly brings a close relationship back from his past.
Director:
Director/Writer RT! is the most celebrated music video director in Canada with 13 international awards under his belt, including the MMVA “Director of the Year” for 2 consecutive years. This year marked his transition into the world of television when he was selected to Direct four episodes of Degrassi. Additionally “Alive” a featurette RT! wrote and directed for Much Music was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award. RT! stays active in the film community by working as a mentor for the City Life Program.
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0 SHORT: Downsizing
DOWNSIZING
World Premiere
Directed by: Vaibhav Parashar and Peter Tsaconas.
Synopsis:
When four unsuspected employees randomly get an invitation to a private seminar, with one of the wealthiest businessmen in town, they jump on the opportunity. With absolutely zero knowledge on what to expect, they gather their best attire, and wait for a chauffeur to be picked up. When they arrive at the destination, everything turns for theworst as they find themselves trapped with nowhere to go. It’s a story that displays what uncertainty, perseverance, and a little bit of luck could do for that one employee who willmake it out alive. Three must die, one will survive in DOWNSIZING.
Director: Vaibhav Parashar’s
Vaibhav began his artistic journey as a theatre professional with the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi. After working in 75 plays, he ventured to Mumbai, Bollywood’s capital, and spent the next ten years honing his dance IQ under the guidance of Shiamak Davar, one of the world’s leading choreographers. At present, he’s making films that matter, and hopes to bring a change in the society through the medium of film making. As a Director and filmmaker, Vaibhav says that he’s equally at home behind the camera, just as he’s on the stage moving to the pulsating rhythm of music.
Director: Peter Tsaconas:
A first time film maker, Peter Tsaconas has had such apassion for film ever since his childhood. Having a deep knowledge on the history of film he finally decided to enter into the world of directing. His first short “Downsizing” took an incredibly unique concept and went from paper to screen very quickly. He only dares to dream what can come from the many ideas that circle his mind at any points in the day and spring onto
Instagram: @rtfilms_ : Running Tiger Films
Instagram: @teampremsingh : Prem Singh
Instagram: @yaarentertainment : Yaar Entertainment
Instagram: @teammjp : Michael Pugliese
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0 SHORT: FADE OUT
Synopsis
Fade Out is a short film about an aging actress, who is desperately trying to keep herself together on the night of her movie premiere. Feeling suffocated by crazed fans, overbearing photographers and pushy managers, the experience quickly takes an absurd turn. The Actress begins to lose her grip on reality, and is unable to distinguish between what is real and what is fantasy. It is not until she is alone in the privacy of her home, that the Actress is finally able to remove her facade and escape the torments of her mind into silence.
Director
As a professional actress for almost a decade, I wanted to create a film that touched on themes like age, beauty and celebrity. But in the end it was the exploration of fantasy versus reality that I was most drawn to. Reality is subjective. Our perceptions of ourselves and of the world are just as valid as the experiences we live. The actress is our touchstone who is adored and supported but who’s own insecurities keep her from truly enjoying the one thing she has dreamt to attain her whole life.
Agam Darshi : Director, Writer
Agam Darshi is a busy Canadian actress and filmmaker originally from Vancouver, BC and currently based in Los Angeles, CA.
Agam was born in England and raised all over Canada. She attended the University of Calgary where she graduated with a BFA in Visual Arts and Theatre, and then went on to complete the Film Arts program at Langara College with a focus in screenwriting. The last film she wrote and produced was entitled Bollywood Beckons (2008), which went on to tour the festival with great success. Fade Out is Agam’s directorial debut.
Agam Darshi also co-founded Western Canada’s very first International South Asian Film Festival (VISAFF). Currently in it’s fourth year, the festival focuses on ‘bridging the gap’ between South Asian talent and mainstream audiences, by breaking stereotypes and expanding North American views on the artists within the culture.
As an actress, Agam is recently spent time in Toronto playing Khali Bhatt in the CTV series Played, for which she was nominated for a Leo Award for best supporting actress. Agam is also known for her role as Kate Freelander, in Sanctuary (Syfy/Space) for which she was nominated for 2 Constellation Awards. Agam was also a series lead in season 1 of Dan for Mayor (CTV) for which she earned a Canadian Comedy Award nomination for best ensemble. She played Aparna in the mega blockbuster hit 2012, and Saphira the Canadian indie Excited, directed by Bruce Sweeney for which is nominated for a LEO award for best supporting actress. Agam also completed a lead in the NBC pilot County, created by Emmy Award winner Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights), as well a lead in Bruce Sweeney’s Crimes of Mike Recket which premiered at TIFF 2012, and for which she won a Leo Award.
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0 SHORT: Balbir the Barber
Balbir the Barber
Director: Shane Gill
Cast:
Humble the Poet & Shane Gill
Synopsis:
Inspired by the barber shop sequence from Eddie Murphy’s ‘Coming to America’. ‘Balbir the Barber‘ is about a Punjabi Sikh Sardar who opens a barber shop. Opening a barber shop as a Punjabi Sikh Sardar is taboo because it goes against one of the core beliefs of Sikhism which is to not cut their hair. Balbir, accompanied by his two best friends, debate about various topics ranging from the greatest Punjabi singer to the greatest wrestler of all-time. The ‘Turban in the Barber Shop’ is addressed when one of Balbir’s customers is a young Sikh male seeking a haircut for the very first time.
Director :
Shane Gill is a Bay Area based filmmaker who specializes in stories about South Asian diaspora and specifically Sikh Punjabi issues. He has a Bachelor of Art in Film Production from San Francisco State University and has participated in the production of over 25 short and feature length films. In 2011, Shane started his own production company called Fridge Media where he promotes and gives a voice to South Asian topics and artists. Shane has produced and directed music videos and short films in collaboration with South Asian artists all over the world.
Shot on the RED ONE in Union City, CA.
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0 SHORT: White Box
“WHITE BOX”
Directed by Olga Shmaidenko
Length: 2:00 Minutes
Country: Canada
Year: 2014
Cast: Rachel Reddy, Erich Szpytma
Synopsis:
A man confronts his girlfriend after finding a ‘Fair & Lovely’ club-pack in their bathroom.
Director: Olga Shmaidenko
Olga is a Ukrainian-Canadian photographer based in New York City. Her work has been featured in print and online media campaigns and she won 2014’s RAW Manhattan’s photographer of the year award. Olga currently runs two New York-themed photoblogs: RiverFlowsThroughIt and FourLeggedOfNewYork (FLONY). White Box marks her directorial debut.
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0 SHORT: Kirpa
Kirpa
Director: Kiran Rai
Toronto Premiere
Synopsis:
“Kirpa” is a short film about a 23-year-old art student struggling to fulfill the wishes of her parents while pursuing her dreams of becoming an artist. A lack of communication between her and her father makes home life difficult. They both love and want the best for each other, but don’t know how to communicate this without creating further misunderstandings. A healthy relationship is all Kirpa wishes to have with her father, and that is everything he dreamed of since immigrating to Canada and driving a taxi to support the family. But where did it all go wrong? How can she repair one of the most important relationships a young woman has in her life?
This short features all local talent. From the clothing, to the art and music, we have worked to give homegrown talent a platform to share their work in a manner that is both meaningful and empowering.
Director:
KayRay: Kiran Rai, also goes by her pseudonym KayRay, is an upcoming director, actress, model, dancer, youtube vlogger and community activist. She has worked with countless local and international artists and organizations on various projects including music and promotional videos. While training at Toronto Film School for Acting in Theatre, Film and Television, she worked with local artists in the GTA to come up with the concept of ‘Kirpa’. As KayRay’s debut short film, ‘Kirpa’ has taken off by storm with premieres and screenings happening in Toronto, Vancouver, the U.K and California. She hopes to create more content that is relatable to the Panjabi/South Asian diaspora and connect artists to build a bigger platform for her community.
BLOG: www.kayray.co
INSTAGRAM: @kay__ray
TWITTER: @kay__ray
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/kayrayco
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0 SHORT: Bisexual Date
Bisexual Date
Genre: Comedy
Director: Garret Henry
Length: 4min56sec
Synopsis:
Our boy Adam thinks he’s got it made, with the sassy city girl Kathleen digging his charm (among other things). Until he finds out that Kathleen happens to be bisexual. Then his insecurities pop up and, well, we’ll leave it up to you to judge how the rest of the date goes.
CREATED AND WRITTEN BY:
Richard Young
Richard Young is Canadian South-Asian writer/actor/producer based in Toronto. His current writing projects include the upcoming Chinese-Canadian OMNI TV special and web series Sudden Master and the upcoming dramatic short Captive Love (starring Art Hindle and Jennifer Dale). His acting television credits include Rookie Blue, Saving Hope, Degrassi and Mayday and he was a lead in Vision TV’s feature film English Butler Masala Chai. On the stage, Richard was cast in the hit South Asian comedy play 30 Dates, which toured across the country to Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Richard was also cast in both The Second City’s Educational and Family Companies. There, for two years he honed his comedic skills to leverage into other projects, such as producing/writing/acting in the more-adult web series Off2Kali, which has been profiled by CBC’s Punchline and screened at both the ReelWorld Film Festival (2014, 2013) and Filmi South Asian Film Festival (2013). Also as a writer, his pieces have been published in Maclean’s, The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star.
CREW:
Director: Garret Henry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAST:
Richard Young: https://twitter.com/RichardYoungRY
Katie Boland: https://twitter.com/katieboland
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Social Media Links for the Film:
Creator Website: www.RichardYoungOfficial.com
Creator IMDB: www.imdb.me/richardyoung
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichardYoungRY
Off2Kali Comedy on facebook: www.facebook.com/off2kali
Off2Kali Comedy on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2673582
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0 SHORT: Horrid when she’s bad
Horrid When She’s Bad
Director: Firdaus Bilimoria
Synopsis:
She’s a sweet lovely girl, except when she’s not. The story of Katerina, a high performing dysfunctional.
Director: Firdaus Bilimoria
Firdaus is a Toronto-based screenwriter and filmmaker. Originally from Bombay, Firdaus was a New Yorker for many years before he came to Toronto. Firdaus is currently developing his next two shorts and a feature film project. He continues to polish his spec scripts and is also polishing his original TV series bible/ pilot. Firdaus’ short fiction has been published in various anthologies by Toronto publishers. Firdaus was selected for the 2012 ReelWorld Emerging 20 (E20) Program.
http://horridwhenshesbad.com
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0 SHORT: Sebatian
“SEBATIAN”
Writer/Producer – James Fanizza
Director – Rickey Bryant
Synopsis: Alex has just met the love of his life who is leaving to go back home to Argentina forever. Rationally, Alex knows that a relationship is impossible, but in his last ten minutes with Sebastian, will he let him go or take a chance on love?
From Director Rickey Bryant:
Sometimes, the opportunity of love will come into our lives at very inopportune times. We are faced with the challenge of making very quick but life changing decisions-with no guarantee. If we don’t accept this opportunity, we live with regret of what could have been. If we show up for love, our lives are then happier for taking the risk. But what happens when you wait to accept love’s offer? With James Fanizza’s masterfully written script and acting prowess, I was able to present this question in a simple but, inventive way with Sebastian.
We used a stop light backlight theme in each scene that fits the emotion of the two characters. Shooting the film in the downtown Toronto area provided a delightful clutter around a clear-cut conflict. Thanks to the professional, collaborative group brought together by James and I, we succeeded in creating a very concise, but emotional film-start to finish.
Writer James Fanizza says:
“Sebastian is a very personal story for me and, when writing the movie, I wanted to make sure I was true to my own experience while at the same time creating something filmic and enjoyable to watch. I also wanted to make a queer love story that emphasized romance and universality; a story that any viewer could identify with and relate to.
I had developed the script for quite some time with various industry professionals and then, quite suddenly, I received a generous grant from ACTRA Toronto to make the film happen. I brought my good friend, Rickey Bryant, on board to direct the film and from our first meeting, I knew it was going to be a success. He had such a vision for the movie and such an understanding of the characters. He wanted to find a way to film exactly what the script was: a simple love story between two people. He definitely succeeded and I couldn’t be more proud of the work we created together.”
Director:
This is James Fanizza and Rickey Bryant’s first venture into filmmaking. James is an actor and writer, originally from Toronto and Rickey is a director, originally from Buffalo, NY.
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1 SHORT: NOBODY
NOBODY
Director: JONATHAN DUBSKY
WORLD PREMIERE
Synopsis:
A spontaneous event turns Mahima’s world around and everything she thought
about who she is and what her future will be like is challenged. On route to her
engagement party, she looks out the car window and locks eyes with the saintly
Theresa, a homeless woman. From that moment onward, Mahima’s inner life
changes. Although she has a good career, is getting married, and desires to start
a family, she feels that something is missing. Mahima questions: is life just about
being a somebody?
Principal Actors: Fenulla Jiwani, Jani Lauzon & Saad Siddiqui
Supporting Actors: Meher Pavri, Mishu Vellani & Sugith Varughese
2014 FILMI’S ARTIST in PROFILE
Writer/Producer/Actor – Fenulla Jiwani
Fenulla Jiwani is an award winning actress, screenwriter, playwright, producer &
singer/songwriter. From humble beginnings her parents immigrated to Canada
from Uganda with just pennies in their pockets in hopes for a better life. Fenulla
was born in Toronto and her passion and desire for the performing arts began
with her first performance at the age of five in a ballet recital. She trained at
the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts and graduated in 2004. Since
graduating, Fenulla launched FenStar Productions to create compelling stories
that touch the human spirit, expressed through multidisciplinary mediums,
and cast ethnically diverse performers. Fenulla has written and performed
in six of her stage productions “Light of India,” “Bollywood Bonanza,” “The
Source,” “Qalam-e Ishq (Pen of Love),” “30 Dates” and “Paul and Priya’s
Wedding.” Her critically acclaimed production, “30 Dates,” toured Canada for
two years performing at renowned theatres and earned her accolades in major
magazines, newspapers & television. Fenulla is also a passionate singer/
songwriter; in 2012, she released an 18-track album, entitled “Divinity We Are
One” with performances in Canada, USA & India. Fenulla was recently honoured
as the recipient of the 2014 Cayle Chernin Award for her film, ‘NOBODY’. Her
second short, ‘Blackbox Shadow,’ is being shown in festivals internationally.
Fenulla has teamed up with award-winning Director of Film and Television, Gail
Harvey, for her third short entitled ‘Eclipse’ to shoot Fall 2014. She is also writing
a feature film.
www.fenulla.com
www.nobodyfilm.ca
www.facebook.com/Nobodyfilm
twitter.com/fenullafenstar
www.fenstarproductions.com
Director: JONATHAN DUBSKY
Jonathan Dubsky is an award winning director, actor, writer and cinematographer
from Montreal, now residing in Toronto. He found acting at a young age but
only started falling in love with the craft in his late teens. After graduating from
the Theatre program at John Abbott College and then continuing his studies in
Film Production at Concordia University in Montreal, Jonathan began working
both in front of and behind the camera professionally. As a filmmaker, Jonathan
has directed several short films, including “All For Davey”, which won ‘Best
Ensemble’ at the Toronto 48h Film Festival, “Mars Is Laughing at Us”, an official
selection at Reel World 2014, the feature length film “Les Epouvantails” and a
web series, “Cub3d” that received various media attention and press.
IMDB: tinyurl.com/ohtdp3b
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0 SHORT: Anniversary Park
Anniversary Park
Director: Ash Varma
Toronto Premiere
Synopsis: Sachin can’t seem to do anything right and his family & friends, don’t seem to make things any easier.
Director: Ashish has been making short films for many years now. Recently, he has written his first full length film, but has a long road ahead, in developing it into a feature.
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0 CLOSING NIGHT – Touring T.O.
FILMI PRESENTS – A NIGHT OF EPISODES
Sunday, September 28th, 2014
CLOSING NIGHT (WORLD PREMIERE)
FILMI: EPISODES SERIES
“TOURING T.O.”
Synopsis:
Touring T.O. is an eight part miniseries about two unlikely friends, Martin and Omar, and
their intern, Samantha. Together they run a lowbudget rickshaw tour company that
specializes in taking tourists to the unique and obscure landmarks of Toronto. If the
company fails, Omar will lose his work visa and be deported while Martin will be violating
the conditions of his parole and be sent back to prison. Together, the Touring T.O. crew
struggle to keep the company afloat while dealing with tourists as strange as the landmarks
they visit. It’s a scripted comedy that is part educational and part absurd. It is our love letter
to Toronto!
Episodes of “OUT OF TIME”, “GUIDESTONES” and #THATSAHOMEBOY will screen prior to the screening of “Touring T.O”
DIRECTOR: Stephen Papadimitriou
The challenges with Touring T.O. were the lack of money, the size of cast (41), and the
amount of locations scattered around the city. The only reason we made it through was
because we weren’t lacking in a passionate cast and crew. The dedication of the people
involved made everything possible.
Creatively my plan was to utilize all our limitations to our advantage. We designed the look
of the show based off the colours and tones we had available to us. Seeing that we had a
bright yellow rickshaw we decided that nothing else in the show (wardrobe, set dressing)
would be yellow. This, we hope, made the touring companies sole asset stand out every
time it was on screen.
The challenge of a large cast was offset by the fun of developing the characters and their
looks. We wanted to make each part, no matter how big or small, stand out and feel like
they had a life beyond the show.
Shawn Ahmed – Omar, CoWriter, Producer
Shawn Ahmed has worked as an Actor and Writer in Toronto and various parts of the
United States for over ten years. Most notably, he has been in Saw VI, Flight 93 (A&E), and
The Tracey Fragments (Dir. Bruce MacDonald). Currently, viewers have an opportunity to
catch Shawn on the T.V. series Odd Squad (PBS), the upcoming Feature Film A Date
With Miss Fortune (Dir. John L’Ecuyer) and on the Web Series’ The Bunch Gang Show,
Ryan Gosling Must Be Stopped, and Actorapists’. Shawn was also the cocreator of the
sketch comedy troupe Fade to Brown. Their TV special, Fade To Brown, continues to air
on OMNI TV. Shawn made his Directorial debut last year at Filmi with the short film Finding
Talib. Shawn has also enjoyed success on the stage, working at The Tarragon Theatre
(And Slowly Beauty…), Driftwood Theatre (Macbeth) and the historic Shakespeare &
Company in Lenox, Massachusetts (The Comedy of Errors, Revolutionary Moments,
More Words! More Play! and The Winters Tale). Currently, Shawn is receiving rave
reviews in Headstrong Collective and Urban Bard’s collaboration of Romeo & (her) Juliet).
Scott Leaver Martin, CoWriter, Producer
A Dora nominated actor, Scott has been working as an actor and writer for stage and
screen across Ontario for the past seven years. Scott’s most recent film work has included
Murdoch Mysteries (CBC), appearances for SPACE CHANNEL, and on the series
Ghostly Encounters. His most recent screenwriting work includes Touring T.O., an
eightpart miniseries for Bell Media releasing OnDemand this October, and the television
and web series Team Epic (BiteTV). As a playwright, Scott has worked with several
Canadian organizations including Next Stage Festival, Playwrights Workshop Montreal,
Scriptlab of Canada and the Canadian Musical Theatre Festival. Scott is a graduate of
Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts where he received his College Diploma in the
Performing Arts.
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0 SHORT: KUSH
OPENING NIGHT
Thursday, September 25th, 2014 @6:30PM
KUSH
Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani
Synopsis:
Inspired by a true story: In 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards, causing anti-Sikh riots to erupt throughout the country. A teacher travelling back from a field trip with her class of 10-year-old students struggles to protect Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, from the growing violence around him.
Trailer: http://vimeo.com/72219759
Shubhashish Bhutiani is a director and actor, known for Kush (2013), The Star (2012) and The Road Home (2010).
Kush won the Satyajit Ray Film Foundation Prize for Best Short Film at the London INDIAN Film Festival
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0 DOC – The Conflicted Samaritan
The Conflicted Samaritan
Director: Cyrus Sundar Singh
Feature Length
Synopsis:
By suggesting there may be times when the injured should be left to die, Dr. Michel Landry ignites a profound debate about the world of humanitarian aid. For more than 15 years, Dr. Landry has witnessed devastating human suffering in countries ravaged by war and natural disaster. Throughout Bosnia, Guatemala, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia, Mike fixed broken people and never once questioned his role in saving lives, until Haiti. In 2010 following the devastating earthquake, Mike reached his own breaking point in a situation he viewed as unfixable.
Folowing Haiti’s Devasting earthquake, foreign emergency teams performed rapid life-saving procedures – they played God – and then simply quit the scene leaving behind the world’s largest proportion of disabled people in a place with no infrastructure. Instead of dying gracefully, these heroic interventions condemned some patients to a living hell, and it is Mike who is exspected to help them. When he encounters so many suffering, tormented beyond repair, he asks, “What did we do? Where are the ethical, moral boundaries? Are there times when not helping is the right thing to do?”
Director:
Gemini Award-winning producer/director/writer and music composer, Cyrus, eloquently wears these many hats with joy.
Born and raised in Chennai, India and living in Toronto, Canada,Gemini Award winning producer/director/writer and music composer Cyrus Sundar Singh wears many hats. He has produced and developed numerous programs from the idea stage through to distribution in a variety of genres for various broadcasters including CTV, CBC, VisionTV, Smithsonian Channel, BlueAntMedia, Discovery Channel, MuchMusic and Bravo.His film productions have earned numerous awards and taken him around the world including to Haiti, Spain, Israel and India. Well known and respected in the industry, Cyrus has served on various boards and juries, including the Gemini Awards and the Toronto Arts Council.
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0 DOC – Many Rivers Home
Many Rivers Home
Director: Baljit Sangra
English
September 28th, 2014
Mixing reflections on aging, mortality and love, Baljit Sangra’s documentary, Many Rivers Home,
examines the ties that bind South Asian families in a Lower Mainland seniors’ residence. There is rich
human portraiture here, and a depiction of a vibrant ethnic community, but the core of the film is the
director’s love for her mother.
Director:
Baljit Sangra is a Vancouver based filmmaker who has been working in documentary and factual
entertainment. Her passion is exploring social and cross-cultural issues. Most recently she
directed/produced“ Many Rivers Home” a personal story that focuses on Seniors in Assisted care and
looks at the end journey of life for Omni TV. She’s directed /produced the documentary “ Warrior Boyz’
in association with NFB/Canwest that examines the long running gang scene unique to the Indo-
Canadian enclave in the Lower Mainland. Warrior Boyz premiered at Doxa and was nominated for three
Leos. She also directed an A&E series for CityTV and Channel M called VIVA! for several seasons.
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0 DOC – Love.Love.Love
Love.Love.Love.
Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram
Russian with English subtitles 2013,
12 minutes
Russia
Trailer: vimeo.com/82485528
Synopsis:
Sundance Film Festival Short Film Special Jury Award for Non-Fiction
Every year, through the endless winters, her love takes new shapes and forms.
Director’s Bio:
Sandhya Daisy Sundaram is a final-year postgraduate student in film direction at the Film and Television Institute of India and a graduate in visual communication from the University of Madras. Women
21st Filmi: Toronto's South Asian Film Festival 2021 