TIFF breaks S Asia records
Updated On: 14 September, 2025 09:08 AM IST | Mumbai | Meenakshi Shedde
Altogether, a very rich and diverse haul of films, of which we can be justifiably proud.
Listen to this article :
Illustration/Uday Mohite
The Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF)’s 50th anniversary has turned out to be a double celebration for us as well, with an astonishing, record 18 films and series in official selection from India, South Asia and Diaspora. These include eight films and series from India, four South Asian films beyond India, and six South Asian Diaspora films. Quick recap: The Indian films and series are Anurag Kashyap’s Monkey in a Cage (Bandar), Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, Bikas Mishra’s Bayaan and Jitank Singh Gurjar’s In Search of the Sky (Vimukt). Additionally, there is Gandhi, the series co-created by Hansal Mehta and Sameer Nair, Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest, 1970, restored), Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay (1975, restored), and Sohrab Hura’s short, Disappeared.
There is a strong presence from South Asia beyond India. Seemab Gul’s Ghost School (Pakistan, Discovery) by the British-Pakistani artist, is a debut feature combining social critique with magical realism, as 10-year-old schoolgirl Rabia, unimpressed that her school has suddenly shut down because of rumours that it is possessed by djinns, spirits, uncovers a web of corruption, feudalism and patriarchy. Adnan al Rajeev’s Ali, a Bangladesh-Philippines film in Short Cuts-4, has already earned two Special Mentions, in the Cannes Film Festival’s Shorts Competition and Kyiv International Short Film Festival. With metaphorical images of great beauty and terror, the film follows a young village man, who speaks in a man’s voice but can sing in a woman’s voice, resisting his mother’s insistence on social conformity — we see lips literally sewn shut with a needle and thread — as he sings a beautiful Lalon fakir song in a feminine voice at a music contest. Sana Zahra Jafri’s Permanent Guest, Pakistan, in Short Cuts-6, explores childhood sexual abuse of a woman by a male relative, who revisits the family years later. Agapito, Beloved, by Arvin Belarmino and Kyla Danelle Romero, Philippines (Short Cuts-1), is on an affair blossoming in a bowling alley; one of its production companies is Katalog Films, a Philippines-Bangladesh collaboration.
Read Next Story
Trending Stories
Latest Photos
Latest Videos
Latest Web Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
Mid-Day Fast
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT