Shaunak Sen on taking termite to TIFF: ‘After Oscar nomination, it’s easier to get meetings’

The short stars (from left) Faisal Malik and Koumarane Valavane. Pics/By Special Arrangement

[popcorn number="Sept 11" desc="When ‘Termite' premièred at the Toronto International Film Festival 2026" class="Default"]

Life experiences are often the truest source of inspiration. Oscar-nominated director Shaunak Sen turned to them as he attempted his first fiction short film, Termite. The short, which premièred at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2026, is an intimate story about companionship between two men and the anxieties that emerge when a familiar life begins to change with the
possibility of marriage.

Termite's idea came to Sen at an unexpected time - after being diagnosed with kidney cancer, he underwent partial nephrectomy and was on the road to recovery. The director recalled, "In the middle of this, producer Dimpy Agrawal and the Azim Premji Foundation came to me with the offer of making a short film. A week before my cancer diagnosis, my closest friend and business partner got married, and a week after, another close friend got married. That made me think of fragile emotions where you want the best for your friend, [but you also have] the angst that your life will change. So, I found the theme of urban male loneliness and the fragile nature of friendships."

Shaunak Sen

The short film comes after All That Breathes (2022), which was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature at the 2023 Academy Awards. Has life changed after the Oscar nomination? "Of course! After the Oscar nomination, it is infinitely easier to get meetings with people who have resources, to get your foot in the door. In non-fiction [offerings], it has been easier. It's possibly more difficult for fiction, though I haven't really tried much except Termite, which was an offer."

Fiction is now calling out to Sen, who plans to make a feature film. "Making Termite was to dip my toes in fiction," he smiled.