NYIFF 2026-Aakuti and A Virtuous Woman (Short)

Aakuti (Longing)

Director: Snigdha P Roy
Starring: Kavisha Mahanta, Nilim Chetia, Anisha Hazarika
Run time: 1 hour 34 minutes
Language: Assamese

Synopsis:
‘’Aakuti" means longing. Eight-year-old Lakhi constantly longs for her mother, whom she lost as an infant. To cope with the void, she fills pages with drawings, trying to imagine her mother’s face—but is left frustrated and heartbroken. Her father Bishnu loves her deeply, but Lakhi remains withdrawn, caught in a web of inner turmoil and self-doubt. He tries his best to understand her, to offer comfort, but finds himself falling short.Bishnu leans on a close friendship with a woman who guides him through his difficulties. They also hope for a life together, but are unable to because of the complexities of their situation. Lakhi remains unaware of this relationship.

Aakuti traces the emotional journey of a child and the quiet, tender bond between a father and daughter as they try to sail through life. A journey marked by challenges

Snigdha P. Roy is a filmmaker, writer, and editor with over 15 years of experience in the Indian film industry. She began her career in animation and editing, and has worked across various departments on a wide range of projects. Her directorial work includes several acclaimed short films — Hands of A, Let Love Be, Wounds, and The Gift — which have screened at festivals internationally. As an editor, she has contributed to films and series such as Skater Girl (Netflix), Saina (T-Series), Class (Netflix), and First Act (Amazon). Aakuti marks her debut feature as a writer-director.

A Virtuous Woman
Director: Ajay Kishor Shaw
Starring: Smita Tambe, Vijay Maurya
Run time: 20 minutes
Language: No Dialogue

Synopsis:
When a woman receives her blood-soaked husband at the doorstep, she is caught between her duty to him and her grief for her daughter. It's a no-dialogue film that probes the pathology of a virtuous woman in a patriarchal society.

Ajay Kishor Shaw is a filmmaker based in Mumbai. He worked in advertising for many years as a copywriter before switching to filmmaking. His first short film, 'Happy Birthday', premiered at NYIFF 2021 and was showcased at IFFSA, Toronto 2021. 'Ghar Ki Lakshmi' (A Virtuous Woman) is his second short film. As a kid in West Bengal, I once watched a butcher sacrifice lambs brought by devotees at the altar of Maa Jagaddhatri in my neighborhood. I was terrified and mesmerized by how haloed and deadly the butcher looked. The image got stuck in my head. Decades later, that bloody image of the butcher came to mind when I decided to make a short film. I wondered what would happen if he came home just like that to his wife. This developed into 'Ghar Ki Lakshmi', A Virtuous Woman. In a burst of creativity, I wrote four other stories to make an anthology of shorts. I made my first short film, 'Happy Birthday', during the uncertain times of Covid, and decided not to make another short, rather putting energy and resources into a feature. But who am I to decide? 'Ghar Ki Lakshmi' reared its bloody face and forced me to make it. I had no choice. And here we are. The most challenging part of making it was translating the beauty and terror I felt as a kid seeing that butcher into every film frame. With no dialogue in the script, it got even more difficult. But we pulled it off as a team. Everyone in the crew threw themselves into the process and contributed more than what was expected of them. Since it's an intense story, we shot this film in 1.66:1. The added height allowed us to create abstract framings, adding to the suspenseful atmosphere. It was not all hunky-dory, I must add. We had to bear many a hiccup and headache. It was worth it. We have made the film the way we wanted: Personal and Provocative.

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Host or Publisher Indo-American Arts Council