

3RD RUNNER UP - Bengaluru International Short Film Festival | SATYAJIT RAY BRONZE AWARD FOR 3RD BEST DOCUMENTARY - South Asian Short Film Festival
Grassroots Filmmaking • Regional Identity • Cultural Resistance • Youth Empowerment • Intersection of Art and Activism • Cross-Border Parallels • Digital Platforms as Cultural Spaces • Challenges of Representation
Date of Completion: 2022 | Run Time: 29 minutes | Language: Hazaragi & Assamese with English subtitles | Captions: Yes | Director & Editor: Priya Naresh | Producer: Seeds of Peace | Cinematographers: Ghania Siddique & Habib Qasimi | Executive Producers: Priya Naresh & Ali Haider
SMALL-TIME CINEMA explores the journeys of two grassroots YouTube filmmaking groups—one from Balochistan, Pakistan, and the other from Assam, India. Amidst their countries’ dominant national narratives, these creators carve out space for their unique histories and vibrant cultures. As they capture stories shaped by their land, language, and people, the film delves into the challenges and triumphs of expressing identity in regions often overlooked or misunderstood. Through the lens of these filmmakers, SMALL-TIME CINEMA celebrates the power of storytelling as a tool for cultural preservation and a means of challenging monolithic ideas of identity.
AWARDS
3rd Runner Up | Bengaluru International Short Film Festival
Satyajit Ray Bronze Award for 3rd Best Documentary | South Asian Short Film Festival
FESTIVALS
International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala
Indian Documentary Film Festival
Emami Experimental Film Festival
Orlando Film Festival
Beyond Borders Feminist Film Festival
Pame International Film Festival
Smita Patil International Film Festival
Signs Festival
Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival
Chalta Phirta Doc Festival, Documentary Association Pakistan
Indian Film Festival Stuttgart
Chicago South Asian Film Festival
Tasveer Film Festival
Kelvin Cinema Festival
International Film Festival of South Asia
Siliguri Short and Documentary Film Festival