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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Tag: horror
0 Newly Dead
After a fatal car accident, Ryan, an arrogant and self-centred salesman, finds himself in a room with God. He bargains to be sent back in order to take care of some unfinished business. With humor and drama, the film explores themes of acceptance, redemption, and the reluctance to let go of past grievances, ultimately leading to an unexpected revelation about life’s true priorities.
Director Biography – Anoop Pillai
Anoop Pillai is a filmmaker (writer/director) based in Toronto, Canada, originally from Kerala, India. Anoop began as a hobbyist landscape photographer and wrote short stories in his free time, which eventually led to filmmaking.
Anoop’s work includes both animation and live-action projects, ranging from short films to feature projects. He was awarded ‘Best Director’ for his second short film, ‘TP Tango.’ Additionally, Anoop has authored three children’s picture books, “Pinky-Boo and Gumberstonz Stories,” available on Amazon and other online stores.
Director Statement
Newly Dead marks my directorial debut, a project I poured my heart into alongside a dedicated cast and crew. I’ve always been a fan of mystery dramas set in a single location, like ‘The Man from the Earth,’ and this film follows a similar vein.
Crafting an engaging story in just 10 minutes with compelling performances was a challenge I was eager to take on. After sharing the film with friends and the team, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. We’re proud that over 80% of the team were Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and we shot the film in Mississauga, Ontario.
I believe audiences will enjoy the steadily building tension and the thought-provoking ending. I hope viewers will wonder why the protagonist holds on to the past, when there’s something better waiting for him, which is a representation of humans holding on to their past.
Overall, ‘Newly Dead’ aims to entertain with its mix of suspense and drama. We hope it finds an audience worldwide and becomes a favorite for many.
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0 The Unknown Soldier
The Unknown Soldier follows a Sikh soldier who enlists in the Canadian Army during World War I. Confronted by the horrors of trench warfare and personal conflict, he remains determined to survive and find his place. Paired with Private Nash, he embarks on a perilous mission to rescue an injured General. When their mission turns violent and they are both wounded, the soldier’s resilience emerges as he risks his life to save his comrade. This powerful narrative explores bravery, humanity, and the quest for belonging amid the chaos of war.
Director Biography – Aviel Kurulkar, Javier Alfaro
Aviel Kurulkar and Javier Alfaro met while studying film at Wilfrid Laurier University, where their shared passion for storytelling sparked a creative partnership that continues to thrive.
Aviel Kurulkar is a filmmaker whose work draws on lived experience, historical inquiry, and a deep sensitivity to the emotional landscape of migration and memory. As an immigrant, Aviel brings a distinct lens to The Unknown Soldier, infusing the film with themes of displacement, identity, and the burden of remembrance.
With a background in cinematography and direction across feature films, shorts, and TV productions, Aviel’s approach balances visual restraint with emotional depth.
At twenty-one, Javier left home to pursue filmmaking in Canada, and has since directed over fifteen short films and worked on more than twenty projects, earning awards such as first place at the GRFF YODO Film Festival and the Audience Choice Award for I’ve Been Dreaming, I’ve Been Working at the 48 Hour Toronto Film Project. He is well-versed in all aspects of production—from directing and producing to editing—and aims to create films that inspire others to explore their wildest dreams.
Together, they form a dynamic team dedicated to telling powerful, visually rich stories.
Director Statement
World War I has been depicted on the big screen countless times from various perspectives, yet the contributions of Punjabi soldiers remain largely untold. This idea was sparked by a desire to tell one such story, particularly within a Canadian context. The aim is to provide a realistic depiction of these hardships, while offering a slice of life that highlights the Sikh soldier’s culture and beliefs, when they are put to the test amidst the horrors of conflict
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0 Guilty Pleasures
A Christmastime date takes a dark turn when Emily and Arjun, a young couple still in the early days of their budding relationship, begin discussing their guilty pleasures.
Director Biography – Aidan Grossman, Abhinay Jakhar
Abhinay Jakhar is a filmmaker and actor with a background in film directing from the New York Film Academy and additional training from UCLA Extension. His previous short film was selected for the prestigious ASCF Festival. With experience in acting and directing, Abhinay combines a strong storytelling sensibility with a passion for crafting visually compelling narratives.
Born in Toronto, Aidan Grossman is an actor, filmmaker, and cinematographer with a strong dedication to creating visually compelling, innovative works. He has proudly created and starred in award-winning projects such as “Drummer Boy” (2020), “Seabreeze” (2021), and “Elle” (2024), while he has served as Director of Photography on captivating short films such as “Maybe Tomorrow” (2025) and “The Nook” (2025).
Director Statement
Although delivered in a dark, titillating package, “Guilty Pleasures” is ultimately an exploration of weird, twisty bits that we all have inside of us. This film takes a seemingly trivial and lighthearted event — discussing our day-to-day guilty pleasures — and flips it on its head, turning it into a dark comedy.
But while it’s thrilling and comical, it’s also relatable. At some time or another, most people experience a moment where things get a little too weird to take seriously. We also have a tendency to judge others for their quirks and inner demons, sometimes turning a blind eye to our own eccentricities in the process. “Guilty Pleasures” pokes fun at the uncomfortable situations we find ourselves in (especially while dating!) while also drawing attention to the hypocrisy many of us harbor.
Aesthetically, the film still starts out with a slightly more Hallmark feel, but we decided to commit to a more disturbing tone throughout the film instead of playing up the humor. To achieve this, we took a more intimate and unnerving approach to the cinematography. The aesthetic shift mirrors the characters’ descent into chaos, which is exactly what makes the dark comedy work: that surprising contrast.
We hope that viewers will laugh, but in a “what did I just watch?” kind of way. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions—one minute you’re laughing, and the next, you’re wondering if you should be laughing at all. All the while, you may be starting to wonder if someone has ever looked at you the way these characters look at each other… What strange and dark parts of yourself have others flagged that you might not be aware of?
This film plays with genre conventions in a way that doesn’t take itself too seriously, so expect some oddball humor mixed with suspense. It’s a fun ride from start to finish—dark, quirky, and definitely not your average guilty pleasure.
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0 The Green room
A nervous comic’s night spirals into chaos when his jokes are stolen, his girlfriend kicks him out of her apartment, and a call from home delivers devastating news just as he’s about to take the stage
Director Biography – Shashank Banawalikar Subhash
Born in Mumbai and raised in Bangalore, Shashank is a multidisciplinary artist whose journey spans architecture, Art, stand-up comedy, and filmmaking. His early experiments with mixed media art fostered a strong visual instinct, which later merged seamlessly with his narrative pursuits.
While studying architecture, Shashank discovered a deep passion for comedy, performing stand-up by night while navigating design projects by day. When the pandemic paused live performances, he shifted to filmmaking, using the camera as his new canvas. This transition led him to Toronto, where he formally trained as a filmmaker and began refining his voice as a writer-director.
His short film “Dosa”, a sharp Crime-comedy, earned awards and recognition on the international festival circuit, establishing him as a filmmaker with a distinct point of view. His Upcoming film, “The Green Room”, is an ambitious single-take short film that blends theatre, stand-up, and cinema. With this project, Shashank pushes the creative limits of short-form storytelling, experimenting with real-time narrative, precise choreography, and emotional pacing to explore themes of identity, vulnerability, and performance.
Now based in Toronto, Shashank continues to balance his work as a filmmaker with performing stand-up comedy. Across mediums, his goal remains the same: to tell honest, layered, and visually compelling stories with humor and heart.
Director Statement
As a first-generation immigrant, filmmaker, painter, and stand-up comedian, I’ve spent a lot of time balancing performance and vulnerability and figuring out what it means to be seen. The Green Room captures those moments, minutes before showtime, when nerves, anticipation, and self-doubt collide. Designed to feel like a single continuous take, the film lets you experience the energy, tension, and humor of life on stage, drawn from moments I’ve lived both on and off the comedy stage.
23rd Filmi: Toronto's South Asian Film Festival Dec 6-7 2025 
