VIFF 2025 - Secrets of a Mountain Serpent
Schedule
Thu, 09 Oct, 2025 at 08:45 pm
UTC-07:00Location
The Cinematheque | Vancouver, BC
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Set in a remote Himalayan town in India during the Kargil War, Secrets of a Mountain Serpent is a haunting tale where absence and silence set the rhythm of daily life. When a mysterious outsider arrives in the village, his presence stirs buried feelings among its women — including Barkha, a school teacher whose husband is stationed at the border. Director Nidhi Saxena’s film weaves together personal desire with ancient folklore in the form of a serpent that lives in the forbidden river, still waiting after a thousand years for a love left unfulfilled.A meditation on desire, duty, memory, and freedom, Saxena’s film blurs myth and reality. Each frame is composed with lyrical restraint, and sound design is used to deepen the film’s mythical elements. Pointing her camera away from the frontlines of war, Saxena focuses on those who were left behind, and in doing so asks a pertinent question: Can you belong to someone and still belong to yourself?
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Where is it happening?
The Cinematheque, 1131 Howe Street,Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
