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 चाय (chai)
Animated using all natural materials, चाय (chai) showcases my family’s chai recipe and the significance behind our healing ritual, all while demonstrating its importance using my Dadaji’s wise words to me.
Director Biography – Venya Luthra
Venya Arshia Luthra is a hard-working Experimental Animation student at OCADU (Ontario College of Arts and Design University) in Toronto, Canada. Although learning different mediums of animation, she loves to express her stories through stop-motion animation. She hopes to pursue a career in the animation industry after receiving her BFA.
Director Statement
My work is cross-dicipinary, though I hope to focus mainly on different modes of animation. In particular, my more current works are stop-motion animation as I try to develop more skill in this artistry.
Furthermore, I am an advocate for representation in the media, amplifying voices that have been overlooked and ignored in the conversation. I have this passion from my personal experiences of looking for representation in the media I consume, especially as a woman of colour. I resonate with the feeling of being represented and hope to continue this in my career, diversifying the animation on screen and behind it.
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0 Bringer
A corporate manager secretly working a second job as a food delivery driver finds himself in an unexpectedly tense situation when one of his deliveries leads to a surprising and awkward encounter.
Director Biography – Swaroop Elamon
Swaroop Elamon is a seasoned independent filmmaker and scriptwriter, based out of Toronto, with over a decade of experience in the industry. Hailing from a background in political science, Swaroop pursued his passion for storytelling through cinema, earning a postgraduate diploma in film direction from the prestigious LV Prasad Film Academy in Chennai, India.
His creative journey spans across various mediums, including short films, music videos, documentaries, and digital content. Swaroop has directed 15 short films, 2 music videos and helmed 2 documentaries, showcasing his versatility and depth as a filmmaker. Additionally, he has contributed significantly as a writer, penning scripts for numerous short films, spec screenplays for feature films, and documentaries.
Beyond the realm of cinema, Swaroop is an active participant in the theater scene, showcasing his talents as a writer, sound designer, and actor. His multifaceted approach to storytelling reflects in his diverse body of work, which resonates with audiences across different platforms.
Swaroop Elamon’s dedication to the craft of filmmaking and his commitment to exploring nuanced narratives make him a notable presence in the contemporary landscape of Indian cinema.
https://www.imdb.me/swaroopelamon
Director Statement
In today’s world, where layoffs and unemployment are becoming the norm, exploring the struggles of both employers and employees feels crucial. With “Bringer”, I wanted to shed light on how both sides are trapped in a survival loop, often too consumed with their own challenges to consider each other’s perspectives.
Through a seemingly silly situation, the film aims to bring empathy to these characters and spark conversations about their shared crises. Humor, I believe, is a powerful way to connect and provoke thought about these pressing issues.
It’s vital to highlight these modern struggles, and that is the core objective of “Bringer”.
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0 Cric-Nick 2.0
Synopsis:
The journey of a troubled, anxious, 40-year-old man Nick – played by Madhur Gulati, being motivated and nudged back to fitness by his estranged biological father Dhanraj – played by Sultan Ali Saif a.k.a Tiger Ali; turning him into a sportsman and getting him competing with athletes half his age in their prime….
Will he be able to survive it in this North American cricket jungle….
That is the story of Cric-Nick 2.0 where 2.0 signifies the second half of his life.
Director Biography – Nicholas Aska
Nicholas Aska is a BIPOC film maker who is originally from India. Today he lives in Toronto, Canada (Hollywood North). Growing up he belonged to a middle-class family and hailed from a less developed part of India.
His passion for film started even as a child, he would love watching films and was an avid film goer till he left India. He did not learn of his passion for film making till he was in his early thirties. He first wanted to be a novelist in his free time and wrote Bro Binny as a novel, but then his passion for film making was realized through some plays he watched at EMBASSY Church that threw out huge productions. He then went to a Prestigious Organization in Toronto and took some courses on film making and Direction.
In the course he shared his dream to be a film maker with the trainer of one of the courses and said confidently that he could get funding for Bro Binny just based on his passion for film making. But the trainer humiliated him saying that without a film to see no investor would fund any of his ideas. This humiliation stuck with Nicholas Aska and taking it to heart he decided to follow filmmaking.
Director Statement
Cric-Nick 2.0 is a labor of love of over 40 cast and crew members. Through this film I intend to inspire all the middle-aged folk, he, she or they, that it’s not too late to follow your passion in sports… Mental health affects a lot of us, but that does not need to stop us from following our passions and dreams. One needs to forgive the demons of the past and strive towards the future. That is the essence of Cric-Nick 2.0. Enjoy.
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0 Fish in the Sea
Raj, an international student, eagerly anticipates his lunch date with a girl he met online, only to find himself in an unexpected situation.
Director Biography – Anoop Pillai
Born in Kerala, India, Anoop has lived in various parts of the world such as Mumbai, Dubai, Dammam, Manama, and most recently in Toronto. Alongside actively working on his own projects, he also assists fellow filmmakers in bringing their visions to life. Anoop’s second project, ‘TP Tango’, received two awards, including one for ‘Best Director’.
Anoop has a diverse portfolio. He has worked on over 10 projects, writing and directing six of them, which are currently in various stages of production. These include animation and live-action short films, as well as a feature project. He has also directed 2 French short films. He fondly recalls starting as a photographer and writing short stories on his personal blog, which sparked his passion for writing and directing.
Beyond films, Anoop has ventured into literary work, having authored three children’s picture books titled ‘Pinky-Boo and Gumberstonz Stories’, available on Amazon and other online platforms.
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0 Kalki On The Way
As a family prepares for a journey, a son challenges his mother’s ideas about having children, leading to a discussion about societal norms and the future of humanity.
Objective: Through the lens of familial dynamics, “Kalki On The Way” aims to explore and challenge conventional notions of parenthood, sparking conversations about societal expectations and the evolving landscape of family planning in the context of our collective future.
Director Biography – Swaroop Elamon
Swaroop Elamon is a seasoned independent filmmaker and scriptwriter, based out of Toronto, with over a decade of experience in the industry. Hailing from a background in political science, Swaroop pursued his passion for storytelling through cinema, earning a postgraduate diploma in film direction from the prestigious LV Prasad Film Academy in Chennai, India.
His creative journey spans across various mediums, including short films, music videos, documentaries, and digital content. Swaroop has directed 15 short films, 2 music videos and helmed 2 documentaries, showcasing his versatility and depth as a filmmaker. Additionally, he has contributed significantly as a writer, penning scripts for numerous short films, spec screenplays for feature films, and documentaries.
Beyond the realm of cinema, Swaroop is an active participant in the theater scene, showcasing his talents as a writer, sound designer, and actor. His multifaceted approach to storytelling reflects in his diverse body of work, which resonates with audiences across different platforms.
Swaroop Elamon’s dedication to the craft of filmmaking and his commitment to exploring nuanced narratives make him a notable presence in the contemporary landscape of Indian cinema.
https://www.imdb.me/swaroopelamon
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0 Champion
Synopsis:
In a race against time, a forgetful husband must utilize his own time-travel app to retrieve his lunch box from a friend’s house before his wife arrives, to prevent disastrous consequences.
Swaroop Elamon is a seasoned independent filmmaker and scriptwriter, based out of Toronto, with over a decade of experience in the industry. Hailing from a background in political science, Swaroop pursued his passion for storytelling through cinema, earning a postgraduate diploma in film direction from the prestigious LV Prasad Film Academy in Chennai, India.
His creative journey spans across various mediums, including short films, music videos, documentaries, and digital content. Swaroop has directed 15 short films, 2 music videos and helmed 2 documentaries, showcasing his versatility and depth as a filmmaker. Additionally, he has contributed significantly as a writer, penning scripts for numerous short films, spec screenplays for feature films, and documentaries.
Beyond the realm of cinema, Swaroop is an active participant in the theater scene, showcasing his talents as a writer, sound designer, and actor. His multifaceted approach to storytelling reflects in his diverse body of work, which resonates with audiences across different platforms.
Swaroop Elamon’s dedication to the craft of filmmaking and his commitment to exploring nuanced narratives make him a notable presence in the contemporary landscape of Indian cinema.
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0 Maybe
Synopsis:
The story of a young Indian man who moves to Toronto, becoming neighbours with a white girl. Despite brief encounters and text messages, they fail to fully connect before he leaves for his home country. The girl, captivated by his harmonica playing, reaches out to express her longing for their bond to endure
Director – Swaroop Elamon
Swaroop Elamon is a seasoned independent filmmaker and scriptwriter, based out of Toronto, with over a decade of experience in the industry. Hailing from a background in political science, Swaroop pursued his passion for storytelling through cinema, earning a postgraduate diploma in film direction from the prestigious LV Prasad Film Academy in Chennai, India.
His creative journey spans across various mediums, including short films, music videos, documentaries, and digital content. Swaroop has directed 15 short films, 2 music videos and helmed 2 documentaries, showcasing his versatility and depth as a filmmaker. Additionally, he has contributed significantly as a writer, penning scripts for numerous short films, spec screenplays for feature films, and documentaries.
Beyond the realm of cinema, Swaroop is an active participant in the theater scene, showcasing his talents as a writer, sound designer, and actor. His multifaceted approach to storytelling reflects in his diverse body of work, which resonates with audiences across different platforms.
Swaroop Elamon’s dedication to the craft of filmmaking and his commitment to exploring nuanced narratives make him a notable presence in the contemporary landscape of Indian cinema.
23rd Filmi: Toronto's South Asian Film Festival Dec 6-7 2025 
