I, Poppy Screening

I, Poppy
India | Documentary
2025 | 82 mins | Marwari, Hindi
*Best International Feature Documentary* - Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, 2025
A son fights corrupt officials while his mother tends their poppy farm in India. As authorities strike back at their lower-caste family, they must choose between keeping food on the table and standing up for what’s right.
Filmed observationally for 5 years, I Poppy is an intimate film about the intertwining but divergent paths of poppy farmer Vardibai and her activist son Mangilal, as they grapple with systemic oppression. Their moral dilemma crystallizes around a painful choice: continue bribing officials so they can survive, or fight for systemic change at tremendous personal cost. This multi-layered narrative transcends its Indian context to explore universal themes of justice, family and the human cost of standing up against institutional power.