Everything you need to know about the INDIE MEME Film Festival 2024

April 7th, Austin, TX~ Austin-based nonprofit Indie Meme has recently announced the dates and lineup for their ninth annual Indie Meme Film Festival (IMFF). The festival, which will take place from April 17 to April 21 at the Austin Film Society Cinema, will feature a vibrant lineup of over 30 international films from more than 13 South Asian countries, with a focus on female filmmakers and global human interest stories.

The ninth annual Indie Meme Film Festival will take place from April 17-21 in Austin, Texas.
The festival will feature over 30 international films from 13 South Asian countries, spanning more than 17 languages.
The lineup includes award-winning feature films and international premieres, with a focus on socially relevant themes such as women's rights, immigration, and family dynamics.
Adil Hussain, known for his role in "Life of Pi," will headline the event.
The festival will also include a Local Shorts Showcase featuring Texas filmmakers and conversations with regional storytellers.
Guests can expect elegant parties, social gatherings, and conversations with acclaimed South Asian directors, producers, and talent.
Tickets for the festival are now available, and there will be a special red carpet event on April 19.
The festival aims to promote art and culture through film and celebrate the diverse stories from South Asia.

The themes explored in the IMFF 2024 lineup include:

Women's rights: Several films in the lineup explore themes related to women's rights, such as "Sultana's Dream" and "Girls Will Be Girls."
Immigration: The film "Footprints on Water" delves into the topic of illegal immigration and human trafficking.
Childhood trauma: The film "Pushtaini (Ancestral)" explores themes of childhood trauma and child abuse.
Family dynamics: Films like "Mithya" and "Girls Will Be Girls" touch upon family dynamics and relationships.
Global issues: The lineup includes films that tackle global issues such as consumerism, environmentalism, and government control.
Human interest stories: The films in the lineup highlight an array of global human interest stories, covering topics like grief, coming of age, and community.
Women's experience: Films like "Amar Colony" and "In Flames" focus on the experiences of women and motherhood.
Arranged marriage and women's rights: The film "Sthal (A Match)" examines the practice of arranged marriage and women's rights.
Psychological horror and patriarchy: The film "In Flames" explores themes of psychological horror and patriarchy.
Capitalism and consumerism: The film "Shivamma" delves into themes of capitalism and consumerism.
LGBTQIA+ experience: The film "Places I've Called My Own" explores the LGBTQIA+ experience and family dynamics.
Abuse of power: Films like "Vakuppu (The Clause)" and "Something Like an Autobiography" touch upon themes of abuse of power.
Freedom of speech and politics: The film "Vasudhavia Kutumbakam (The World is Family)" tackles themes of freedom of speech and politics.
Environmentalism and overfishing: The film "Against The Tide" documents the struggle of indigenous fishermen against a cruel sea and climate change.
Myth and sex workers: The film "Kamathipura" explores themes of myth and sex workers.
Futuristic dating and virtual reality: The film "Next, Please" delves into themes of futuristic dating and virtual reality.

DETAILED SCHEDULE

Wednesday, April 17:

LOCAL SHORTS SHOWCASE: The local shorts showcase includes film themes like personal choice, modern day relationships, work-life balance, career aspirations, women's rights, and surrealism. Live Q&A sessions and recorded Q&A sessions are included.

6:15 - 7:15 p.m.

“So, That Happened” by Neha Aziz

Themes: Personal Choice, Modern Day Relationships

Country of Origin: USA

Language: English & Urdu

Live Q&A to follow with Neha Aziz

“The Road Not Taken” by Sarthwik Bollu

Themes: Work-Life Balance, Career vs Aspiration, Following Your Dreams

Country of Origin: India

Language: Telugu

Live Q&A to follow with Sarthwik Bollu

“Sultana’s Dream” by Isabel Herguera

7:15 - 8:56 p.m.

Themes: Women’s Rights, Surrealism

Countries of Origin: Spain, India & Germany

Language: Basque, Spanish, English, Italian, Hindi, Bengali

Recorded Q&A to follow with Isabel Herguera

Thursday, April 18:

DEBUT FILMMAKER SHOWCASE: The International Film Festival debut filmmaker block features films from India, Pakistan, and Canada, covering themes such as capitalism, consumerism, woman's experience, motherhood, psychological horror, patriarchy, gender inequality, and coming of age. The festival includes recorded Q&A sessions with the filmmakers and a virtual live Q&A session with Sumanth Bhat.

“Shivamma” by Jaishankar Aryar

11:30 a.m. - 1:43 p.m.

Themes: Capitalism, Consumerism

Country of Origin: India

Language: Kannada

Recorded Q&A to follow with Jaishankar Aryar

“Amar Colony” by Siddharth Chauhan

2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Themes: Woman’s Experience, Motherhood, Humanity

Country of Origin: India

Language: Hindi

Recorded Q&A to follow with Siddharth Chauhan

“In Flames” by Zarrar Kahn

3:45 - 5:38 p.m.

Themes: Psychological Horror, Patriarchy and Women's Property Rights

Country of Origin: Pakistan & Canada

Language: Urdu

Recorded Q&A to follow with Zarrar Kahn

“Ullarivu” by Sumi Mathai

6:15 - 6:45 p.m

Themes: Coming of Age, Loss of Innocence and Gender Inequality, Gender Roles and Conformity

Country of Origin: India

Language: Malayalam

Short film paired with “Mithya”

“Mithya” by Sumanth Bhat

6:45 - 8:53 p.m.

Themes: Child Psychology, Grief, Coming of Age, Family & Friendship

Country of Origin: India

Language: Kannada, Marathi

Virtual Live Q&A to follow with Sumanth Bhat

Friday, April 19: The film explores the themes of illegal immigration, human trafficking, organ trafficking, and exploitation. It is the opening night film and features a live Q&A with Nathalia Syam and lead actor Adil Hussain.

“Footprints on Water” by Nathalia Syam

6:15 - 8:46 p.m.

Themes: Illegal Immigration, Human trafficking, Organ Trafficking, Exploitation

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Language: English

Opening Night Film; Live Q&A to follow with Nathalia Syam and lead actor Adil Hussain

Saturday, April 20:

SHORT FILM BLOCK: The International Film Festival short film block features a diverse lineup of films from various countries including India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. The themes explored in the films range from animation and breaking taboos to abuse of power and LGBTQIA+ experiences. The festival includes live Q&A sessions with filmmakers and recorded Q&A sessions with others.

10:30 - 12:29 a.m.

“This is TMI” by Subarna Das & Vidushi Gupta

Themes: Animation, Breaking Taboos, Normalizing the Female Body

Country of Origin: India

Language: English, Hindi

Live Q&A to follow with Vidushi Gupta

“Phar Yar Sin (The Altar)” by Moe Myat May Zarchi

Themes: Buddhism, Poetic, Anti-Establishment

Country of Origin: Myanmar

Language: Burmese

“Vakuppu (The Clause)” by R Jayaraj.

Themes: Abuse of Power, Police Brutality

Country of Origin: India

Language: Malayalam

“Kamathipura” by Aayushman Pandey

Themes: Myth, Sex Workers

Country of Origin: India

Language: Hindi

“Places I’ve Called My Own” by Sushma Khadepaun

Themes: LGBTQIA+ Experience, Family Dynamics

Country of Origin: France, India

Language: Hindi

Live Q&A to follow with Sushma Khadepaun

“Helena” by Ayarush Paudel

12:45 - 1:10 p.m.

Themes: Migrant Workers, Urban Poverty

Country of Origin: Nepal, United Arab Emirates

Language: English, Hindi, Nepali

Short film paired with “Something Like an Autobiography”

“Something Like an Autobiography” by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki

1:15 - 2:53 p.m.

Themes: Corruption, Wealth, Abuse of power, Reproduction

Country of Origin: Bangladesh

Language: Bengali

Recorded Q&A to follow with Mostofa Sarwar Farooki

“Vasudhavia Kutumbakam (The World is Family)” by Anand Patwardhan

3:30 - 5:51 p.m.

Themes: Freedom of Speech, Politics, Old Age and Elder Care

Country of Origin: India

Language: Marathi, English, Hindi

Live Q&A to follow with Anand Patwardhan

“Next, Please” by Rishav Kapoor

6:15 - 6:40 p.m. Themes: Futuristic Dating, Virtual Reality, Sci-Fi

Country of Origin: India

Language: Hindi, English

Short film paired with “Sthal (A Match)”

“Sthal (A Match)” by Jayant Digambar Somalkar

6:45 - 8:44 p.m.

Themes: Arranged Marriage, Women’s Rights, Education, Farming, Colorism

Country of Origin: India

Language: Marathi

Virtual Q&A to follow with Jayant Digambar Somalkar

“Ayeh Haye Zamini (Terrestrial Verses)” by Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami

9:00 - 10:47 PM

Themes: Government Control, Slice of life

Country of Origin: Iran

Language: Farsi

Recorded Q&A to follow with Ali Asgari

Sunday, April 21:

“Bahadur - The Brave” by Diwa Shah

10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Themes: Migrant Workers, COVID, Immigration, Community

Country of Origin: India

Language: Nepali, Kumaoni, Hindi

Virtual Q&A to follow with Diwa Shah

“Against The Tide” by Sarvnik Kaur

12:45 - 3:06 p.m.

Themes: Tradition vs. Modernization, Environmentalism, Overfishing

Country of Origin: India

Language: Koli, Marathi, Hindi

Virtual Q&A to follow with Sarvnik Kaur

“Shera” by Arun Fulara

3:30 - 4:04 p.m.

Themes: Children, Wildlife

Country of Origin: India

Language: Kumaoni

Indie Meme was established in 2013 by co-founders Alka Bhanot and Tripti Bhatnagar, who wanted to create a platform for South Asian filmmakers in Austin. The organization has since grown to become a hub for cultural exchange and a true film capital. Indie Meme is supported by the City of Austin Economic Development Department, Texas Commission on the Arts, and Humanities Texas.

For more information about the Indie Meme Film Festival and the festival lineup, please visit their website.