GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS is a brilliant, richly layered romantic film that has won countless awards. Directed by Shuchi Talati, it masterfully explores the subtle complexities of a 16-year-old girl's coming-of-age desires and sexual awakening. Set in the 1990s, the film finds 16-year-old Mira at her strict private boarding school atop a Himalayan mountainscape in […]
Filmmakers Ambarien Alqadar and Shankey Srinivasan in person! Preceded by short film DOS MUJERES Filmed over nearly a decade, Ambarien Alqadar’s LAND OF DREAMS is an intimate portrait of Virender Rana, a taxi driver from India, who is chasing his dream in America. The documentary follows Virender’s journey of coming to America as he finds […]
Click above for FREE tickets! Join Robin Sukhadia for a special presentation! Robin Sukhadia will present an engaging exploration of two landmark films that have captured the hearts and minds of audiences around the world: LAGAAN and RRR. Set against the turbulent backdrop of colonial India, these Academy Award nominated/winning films offer strikingly different takes […]
Director Shalini Ushadevi in person! US Premiere NOW AND FOREVER (ENNENNUM), directed by Shalini Ushadevi, is a unique, nuanced, and thought-provoking sci-fi feature from South India. In an alternate dystopian present, a married couple in the state of Kerala discusses whether or not to become immortal by taking a new high-cost implant. The couple decides […]
Sharp, satirical, and highly popular sociopolitical Indian cartoonist Rachita Taneja is the subject of DRAWING A LINE, a documentary directed by Sama Pana, which premiered at the renowned Hot Docs Festival and won Best Documentary Series at Canneseries 2023. It wonderfully explores Rachita’s inner world and her creative expression as she confronts persecution and censorship […]
JOYLAND is a visually gorgeous and subversive family drama set in the bustling megacity of Lahore, Pakistan. Pressured to earn his own salary, soft-spoken house husband Haider is hired to perform in an erotic dance show. He’s attracted to the lead performer, an irrepressible trans woman named Alina Khan, and their relationship takes unpredictable turns. […]
Filmmakers Rucha Chitnis and Alka Raghuram in person! 3rd i’s signature shorts program brings filmmakers into conversation together from South Asia to California and throughout the Diaspora. From short-form documentaries to dramatic narratives, and genres ranging from Sci-Fi to comedy to horror, this year’s edition tackles stories of relationships, identity, and social justice. GANGA, Alka […]
Click above for FREE tickets! Preceded by short film DOS BROS FORCE. KATHAL (Jackfruit), directed by Amit Ashraf, is a fun, quirky, and enjoyable comedy for the whole family. At its core, KATHAL is a creative and exuberant story about the adventures of two mischievous kids, but on its edges, the film is an enlightening […]
What does it mean to be a digital native? TIKTOK, BOOM dissects one of the most influential platforms of the contemporary social media landscape. Directed by CODED BIAS filmmaker Shalini Kantayya, the film keenly examines the algorithmic, sociopolitical, economic, and cultural influences and impact of the history-making app. This rigorous exploration balances a genuine interest […]
Fasten your seatbelts and proceed with caution, the new arthouse film AGRA, from 3rd i alum Kanu Behl (TITLI), which opened to rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival, is an audacious and riveting film that looks into Indian family dynamics, patriarchy, and sexual frustration within limited physical space in metropolitan homes in India. Guru, […]
Filmmaker Nishtha Jain in person! Bay Area Premiere A visually spectacular and symphonic ode to manual labor and the jute factories of West Bengal, India. THE GOLDEN THREAD documentary, directed by 3rd i alum and multi-award-winning filmmaker Nishtha Jain (GULABI GANG, LAKSHMI AND ME), with its magical long takes and beautifully composed shots, fully immerses […]
BANGLA SURF GIRLS, directed by Elizabeth D. Costa, is an inspiring and immersive documentary that takes us into the heart of Cox’s Bazar, a beach town in Bangladesh, where we witness the transformation of young girls who join a local surf club and dream of freedom from traditional expectations. The memorable, educational and heartfelt storyline […]
Payal Kapadia’s documentary film, A NIGHT OF KNOWING NOTHING, is a brilliant, dreamlike, poetic exploration of the political and social changes occurring in India. Through a series of letters read aloud to an absent lover, we learn about the fears, desires, and philosophical identity of a young woman named L, a student at the Film […]
Filmmaker Vinay Shukla in person! San Francisco Premiere A riveting and essential film, WHILE WE WATCHED, directed by 3rd i alum Vinay Shukla (AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN), is an award-winning gem of a doc and not to be missed. It is an urgent reminder that we have much to lose if we can no longer tell […]
Filmmaker Vinay Shukla in person! San Francisco Premiere A riveting and essential film, WHILE WE WATCHED, directed by 3rd i alum Vinay Shukla (AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN), is an award-winning gem of a doc and not to be missed. It is an urgent reminder that we have much to lose if we can no longer tell […]
In this program, filmmaker Nishtha Jain shares her experiences and reflect on the nuances of storytelling in the documentary form. She will offer her insights as an outsider looking in at one of the most significant protests in recent Indian history that transpired in surprising ways.
In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men emerges India’s only newspaper run by Dalit women.
French-Sri Lankan director Lawrence Valin offers up a gripping coming-of-age crime romance by immersing us in the gritty Tamil underworld of iconic Paris, France.
The arid, mountainous landscape of southeast India, Tamil Nadu, makes for a rewarding and sublime visual experience in the gorgeously shot Pebbles.
3rd i’s signature shorts program brings California filmmakers into conversation with filmmakers from South Asia and the Diaspora.
