Record 17 South Asian films at Toronto festival

Illustration/Uday Mohite

What could be a better way to celebrate the Toronto International Film Festival's (TIFF) 50th anniversary, than with a record 17 films and series in official selection from India, South Asia and Diaspora? In 2024, 11 films were selected, and in 2023, 14 films were selected from India, South Asia and Diaspora. Competition is fierce: in 2024, about 280 films and series were selected from over 8,000 submissions. The selection is also significant, as TIFF both flags off the awards season (Oscars, Golden Globes), and is an important gateway to the North American market.

The 17 films and series include eight films and series from India, four South Asian films beyond India, and five Diaspora films. The Indian films and series are: Anurag Kashyap's Monkey in a Cage (Bandar, a prison drama with Bobby Deol, Special Presentations), Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound (Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, Janhvi Kapoor on a friendship tested by contemporary realities, Executive Produced by Martin Scorsese; Gala Presentation; Cannes' Un Certain Regard), Bikas Mishra's Bayaan (an investigation drama led by Huma Qureshi, Discovery) and Jitank Singh Gurjar's In Search of the Sky (Vimukt, Centrepiece). There's also Gandhi, the series co-created by Hansal Mehta and Sameer Nair, produced by Applause Entertainment, in Primetime. Satyajit Ray's Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest, 1970), restored in 4K, is in TIFF Classics. Ramesh Sippy's Sholay, 1975, restored in 4K by the Film Heritage Foundation and Sippy Films, will have a Gala Presentation on its 50th anniversary. Sohrab Hura's short film Disappeared (India/Nepal) is in Wavelengths Shorts 1: Map of Traces.

From South Asia beyond India, there's Seemab Gul's Ghost School, Pakistan, in Discovery; Adnan al Rajeev's Ali, Bangladesh/Philippines in Short Cuts-4, that had earned a Special Mention in Cannes' Shorts Competition, and Sana Zahra Jafri's Permanent Guest, Pakistan, in Short Cuts-6. There's Agapito by Arvin Belarmino and Kyla Danelle Romero, Philippines (Short Cuts-1), one of whose production companies is Katalog Films, a Philippines-Bangladesh collaboration with Arvin Belarmino, Kyla Danelle Romero, Adnan al Rajeev and Tanveer Hossain (they also produced Ali, so they have two films at TIFF.)

From the South Asian Diaspora, there is Aneil Karia's Hamlet, starring Riz Ahmed, a UK entry in English and Hindi, in Centrepiece. Aziz Ansari's Good Fortune, a USA entry, in English, will have a Gala presentation. Actor-writer-director Aziz Ansari co-stars with Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Sandra Oh and Keke Palmer in a hilarious fantasy. Japanese-American director Eimi Imanishi's Nomad Shadow (Thal Badaoui), in Centrepiece, is an international co-production backed by producer Shrihari Sathe and others. It is a poignant debut feature about a refugee to Spain, who is forced to return to Western Sahara. Kalainithan Kalaichelvan's Karupy, Canada (he's Canadian-Sri Lankan Tamil), is an absurd family drama in Short Cuts 5, with music by his gifted composer brother Kalaiasan Kalaichelvan (who also composed for Zarrar Kahn's In Flames, Pakistan-Canada, at Cannes). Salar Pashtoonyar's I Fear Blue Skies, Canada, is in Short Cuts 2, an aid worker's story, after the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan; his Bad Omen had won a Student Academy Award.

Sameer Nair, CEO Applause Entertainment (co-creator, Kaun Banega Crorepati (2000-present); producer of many series including Criminal Justice, Hostages, Scam and Gandhi) has been invited as a panellist on Perspectives: Producing Elevated Arthouse Series, along with film and series makers Baltasar Kormakur and Gwen Gorst. The panel is organised at the Industry Conference by TIFF Industry. Women in Film (WIF India), led by Guneet Monga, will take women-led Indian stories to TIFF, with the support of Waves Film Bazaar, backed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and NFDC.

Meenakshi Shedde, film curator, has been working with the Toronto, Berlin and other festivals worldwide for 30 years. She has been a Cannes Film Festival Jury Member and Golden Globes International Voter, and is a journalist and critic. Reach her at meenakshi.shedde @mid-day.com