01 July,2026 10:02 AM IST | Mumbai | Shriram Iyengar
Pic Courtesy/SIFF on YouTube
Documentary filmmaking is an act of hope," says Smriti Kiran. The former Artistic Director of Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) is straight off another curation process. As consulting creative director of Parda Faash 3.0, Kiran says the festival's theme of hope was defined by the context of the world around.
"When we were discussing themes, we thought of women, environment, among other ideas. But we leaned into what we were collectively feeling - a sense of deep anxiety. That's what led us to decide a theme where we talk about hope, and reframe hope. It does not mean a blind optimism or a toxic optimism people often reduce it to," she explains.
Smriti Kiran and Inakshi Sobti
The third edition of the festival by Asia Society India Centre will expand to include documentaries, fiction, shorts, and hybrid works that reflect the evolving landscape of independent filmmaking. This allowed for diversity; not just in mediums, but also styles and subjects. "Apart from the diversity in regions, you also want to look at stories that connect with us from different regions," she explains.
Thus, there is Shape of Momo by Tribeny Rai which examines the complexity of a multi-generational female family through the lens of a 32-year-old Bishnu. A long-time producer herself, Kiran adds, "It is the cultural nuances that give a story authenticity. Take, for instance, Marching In The Dark by Kinshuk Surjan - a farmer himself. We talk of farmer suicides, but we never speak of the women left behind. It is interesting to look at spaces that you have heard of and know about through the lens of people who have lived those spaces."
Inakshi Sobti, CEO, Asia Society India Centre, adds, "This year's films explore how individuals and communities navigate uncertainty, displacement, memory, and change, revealing both the challenges and the resilience that shape contemporary South Asia. By creating a platform for these stories and the filmmakers behind them, we hope to strengthen cultural connections across the region and beyond, while building greater appreciation for the role independent cinema plays in advancing dialogue, understanding, and people-to-people ties."
ON July 4 and 5; 10.30 am onwards
AT The Pavilion by Quorum, Tower Two, One International Center, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel.
LOG ON TO asiasociety.org (registration mandatory)
Tribeny Rai's moving film follows Bishnu's return to her ancestral Himalayan village, and her conundrums of conforming to expectations or forging her own path.
ON July 5; 7.30 pm
Pic Courtesy/Flip Films
A very Mumbai story of empathy, desires, and unexpected kinship, this one is not to be missed.
ON July 4; 2.30 pm
Turtle Walker. Pics Courtesy/Asiasociety.org
The spectacular story of Satish Bhaskar's pioneering study of sea turtle biology in the Andaman Islands and empathy in face of a devastating tsunami makes Taira Malaney's film a fascinating watch.
ON July 4; 7.15 pm
Sindhu Ji Goonj
Travelling from across the border, this film tells the story of the Sindhi civilisation built around the river Indus through five moving stories.
ON July 5; 10.40 am
Pic Courtesy/FFD on YouTube
Kinshuk Srujan tells the story of community, kinship, and resilience among the surviving women in the face of the horror of farmer suicides in Maharashtra.
ON July 4; 4.45 pm
