IMFF 2023 - ONLINE
Indie Meme Online Film Festival is back and better than ever! Join us this year on Filmocracy to watch over 20 amazing films spanning 9+ countries.
The virtual festival, streaming April 28th - May 1st, will bring second screenings of many of our in-person favorites, as well as fresh virtual-exclusive feature and short programs.
IMFF2023 REGULAR & PLATINUM BADGE HOLDERS GET FREE ACCESS to the VIRTUAL edition
With a Virtual Badge, you can watch all the films available online for only $50. Get ready to explore and enjoy the best of international cinema from the comfort of your own home. Click the button below to view the online festival program and get your Virtual Badge today!
Indie Meme members get 20% off. Email puneet@indiememe.org for the discount code.
ALL FILMS IN THE VIRTUAL FESTIVAL ARE AVAILABLE FOR STEAMING IN THE US ONLY (except if stated otherwise)
NARRATIVE FEATURES
EIKHOIGI YUM (Our Home)
India I 2022 I Manipuri I 87 mins I dir. Romi Meitei
Chaoren, an eleven year-old boy from a rural fishing village, fights to attend and excel in school, amidst the threats of poverty and displacement. Read more...
IFFR - FIPRESCI Award for 'Best International Film'
*Q&A w/ filmmaker Romi Meitei
International Premiere
HAWA
Bangladesh I Bengali, Bangla I 130 mins I dir. Mejbaur Rahman Sumon
A fishing trawler is beset by mysterious, possibly supernatural occurences after they take onboard a young woman lost at sea. Set in the Bay of Bengal and inspired by myth, this genre-defying tale is a gem of modern Bangladeshi cinema. Read more..
Bangladesh's Official Oscar Entry - 'Best International Feature'
KAMLI
Pakistan I Urdu I 130 mins I dir. Sarmad Sultan Khoosat
A tale of love, loss, and cloaked secrets centered on the lives of three women in Pakistan, including a young married woman drawn to a mysterious man who saved her life. Read more...
'Best Actress' - Indus Valley International Film Festival (IVIFF)
Official Selection of Rotterdam (IFFR)
THE PORTRAITS
India I 91 mins I Malayalam I dir. Bijukumar Damodaran
From National-Award winning filmmaker, Dr. Biju, comes a collection of six cinematic sketches that depict the various means by which fascist governments conspire to silence their own people. Read more..
'Critic's Choice Award' - Rajasthan Int'l Film Festival 2021
'Life Award' - Imagine India Int'l Film Festival , Spain 2022
MARIAM
India I Hindi I 78 mins I dir. Arvind Pradap
Mariam, mother & breadwinner for her migrant family in Mumbai, decides to become an illegal surrogate to support her children. However, as the pregnancy progresses she faces unexpected challenges with the family awaiting the child. Read more..
Official Selection of Busan International Film Festival
UNTIL TOMORROW
Iran I Persian (Farsi) I 86 mins I dir. Ali Asgari
Fereshteh, a young student in Tehran, must hide the existence of her illegitimate two-month old baby for the night when her parents announce a surprise visit. She and her resourceful best friend must weigh up their true allies. As they traverse the city, their simple mission proves surprisingly treacherous.
Official Selection: Berlinale '22
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
IN SEARCH OF BENGALI HARLEM
Texas Premiere
US I Bangladesh I Bengali, Bangla, English I 85 mins I dir. Vivek Bald, Alaudin Ullah
A New York actor & playwright investigates the pasts of his Bangladeshi immigrant parents, unearthing a lost history in which South Asian Muslims, African Americans, and Puerto Ricans forged an extraordinary multiracial community in mid-20th century Harlem. Read more...
Official Selection: CAAMFest & DOC NYC
* Q&A with directors Vivek Bald & Alaudin Ullah
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
Texas Premiere
India I English, Gujarati, Hindi I 60 mins I dir. Divya Cowasji, Jall Cowasji
After decades of dormancy, the aging icons of Parsi theater return to the state for a final curtain call. The documentary chronicles the joy & resilience of the cast as they prepare to go out with a bang. Read more...
Official Selection of Bangkok International Documentary Awards & Cambridge Film Festival
SHORTS PROGRAM 1
Looking for Answers, Looking for Love
Birdsong
Laos I Hmong I 17 mins I dir. Sparsh Ahuja, Omi Zola Gupta
Birdsong explores the dying whistling traditions of the Hmong people of northern Laos. The film follows the personal stories of three individuals, as they reflect on their experience as practitioners of a vanishing musical language. Read more...
Official Selection - SXSW '23
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Junko
Nepal I Nepali I 14 mins I dir. Minsho Limbu
A newly married girl is left by her husband in her mother's home and waits years for news. Eventually, she finds comfort in her resilient mother. Read more...
'Best Cinematography' - Linz Int'l Short Film Festival
Learning Not To Drown
When a father awakens to find his family missing her turns to community members for help. Read more...
An Austin Local Production, In-Person Director Q&A
USA I English I 20 mins I dir. Prithvi Raj Karreddula
Man & Wife
India I English, Bengali I 9 mins I dir. Rahul Roye
Just before their arranged wedding ceremony, a groom comes out to his would be bride, sharing that he secretly cross-dresses. Read more...
Official Selection of Dharamshala, UK Asian Film Festival, & NYIFF
Periyanayaki
New Zealand I English, Tamil I 11 mins I dir. Bala Murali Shingade
A recent Sri Lankan immigrant begins another day at her job stacking shelves at the local supermarket. Today, on her
wedding anniversary, she is forced to reconcile with the difficult realities of her life. Read more...
'Best Short Film' & 'NZ’s Best Audience Award' - New Zealand Int'l Film Festival
Sona
Canada I English I 15 mins I dir. Zahra Torkamanlou
On the verge of turning forty, how should Sona face the problem of her loneliness?
What Are You Searching For?
India I Hindi I 35 mins I dir. Princy Pal
Living in a small village in Himachal, Jyotsana is in denial of her husband’s demise. The turmoil of living a life between the past and the present make her more hostile towards motherhood. Read more...
Official Selection: South Asian International Film Festival, NYC
SHORTS PROGRAM 2
Through the Looking Glass: The Past, Future, and Time Unbound
Coming Out With The Help of a Time Machine
USA I English I 15 mins I dir. Naman Gupta
Sid (Karan Soni) plans to come out to his conservative, community-oriented parents at a local diner. Luckily, he has the power of time travel on his side in this heartfelt sci-fi twist on the coming out story. Read more...
Official Selection - Tribeca Film Festival, BFI Flare, CAAMFest
The Horse From Heaven
India I Assamese I 15 mins I dir. Maharshi Tuhin Kashyap
A lonely elderly man, Kuxhol, becomes a prophet when he is gifted with the legendary ‘horse of heaven' - even if the horse is just a donkey. Read more...
Oscar-Qualifying Indian Entry for 'Best Short Film' - 2023 Academy Awards
Desi Standard Time Travel
Canada I English I Urdu I 19 mins I dir. Kashif Pasta
When a new father suddenly loses his own dad, an opportunity to travel back in time for an evening gives him a chance to end things on a better note. Read more...
'Best Short Film' - Audience Award - Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival
Murder Tongue
Pakistan I Urdu, Sindhi I 18 mins I dir. Ali Sohail Jaura
May 1992. A state-sanctioned 'Operation' has put the city of Karachi in a state of unrest. Abdul Aziz Ansari wakes up at night and is informed that his son hasn’t returned home. Read more...
'Programmer's Choice - Narrative Short - Bushwick Film Festival
Murmurs of the Jungle
India I Marathi I 20 mins I dir. Sohil Vaidya
A grandmother tells a story to her grandson about the origins of their remote indigenous village in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. Read more...
'Best Short' - NFDC Film Bazaar
Official Selection: Chicago International Film Festival, IFFR
Queer Parivaar
UK I English, Hindi, Urdu I 30 mins I dir. Shiva Raichandani
When a mysterious gatecrasher appears at their wedding, Madhav and Sufi are forced to face past secrets and reflect on what makes a family. Read more...
Iris Prize - Best British Short' - Film4 & Pinewood Studios
Swipe
Pakistan I Urdu I 15 mins I dir. Arafat Mazhar
A young boy addicted to iFatwa, an app that crowdsources religious death sentences, spends his days swiping on the lives of strangers. Read more...
Official Selection: Annecy International Animation Festival
SHORTS PROGRAM 3
Growing Pains
Faces
USA I English I 11 mins I dir. Kumar Mayank
Problems in a relationship come to the surface during a cinematography group exercise..Read more...
An Austin Local Production, In-Person Q&A
Felt Cute Might Delete Later
Nepal I Nepali I 12 mins I dir. Swati Regmi
While 45 year old @Kalatmakabita is enjoying her newly found fame on tiktok, her daughter, @Princessxorimoh, also a micro- influencer, is embarrassed by her mother’s social media persona. Read more...
Hajur
Nepal I Nepali I 10 mins I dir. LSM
Sarita, a young mother working from home during COVID-19, tries to balance her work and family- but her endurance reaches a breaking point as responsibilities keep piling up. Read more...
Lalanna's Song
India I Malayalam, Hindi I 33 mins I dir. Megha Ramaswamy
Two young mothers having a rough day are unprepared to meet Lalanna, a precocious preteen girl who suavely pushes their buttons. They find they have a merciless instinct to set her straight. Read more...
Official Selection: Mumbai Film Festival, Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA)
Lori (Melancholy of My Mother's Lullabies)
Nepal I NepaliI 15 mins I dir. Abinash Bikram Shah
A mother sings lullabies to her 12 year-old daughter in order to calm her down. But, when the lullabies end, their reality turns out to be much grimmer. Read more...
Special Jury Mention - Cannes Film Festival
The Return
USA, India I English, Urdu I 18 mins I dir. Hena Ashraf
A writer-director struggles with her profound sense of loss after the sudden death of her father, who dies while visiting his homeland of India. Hena wrestles with their strained relationship the only way she knows how: making a film. Read more...
Official Selection of DOCNYC, IFFLA
Wheels on the Bus
Nepal I Nepali I 16 mins I dir. Surya Shahi
12 year old Bhyal, a blacksmith, is bullied into making iron wheels for their upper-caste peers. Exhausted by the situation, Bhyal and his best friend are compelled to break social conventions and take matters into their own hands. Read more...
Official Selection: Berlinale '22