PRELUDE SHOWCASE
4 Dec, 6:45:pm, The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati, Red Bank Road.
Aapish (The Office) (Bengali with English subtitles)
Director: Sudeshna Roy- 100 mins
Starring Sudipta Chakraborty, Tathagata Choudhury and Sandipta Sen
A tale of two women and their families... Two women from different backgrounds, but the story is the same. They are both working women, working 24x7, at home and outside.
Trailer: Aapish trailer
Enjoy pre-film snacks and join us in a discussion of the film, after the screening.
OPENING FILM
5 Dec, 6:15pm, The Cincinnati Art Museum, Eden Park.
Humans in the loop-96 mins English, Jharkand and Hindi with English subtitles. -
Director and writer Aranya Sahay
Starring Nehma as herself.
A single mother Nehma from the Oraon tribe returns to her tribal home in Jharkhand from the big city of Ranchi, here she balances training AI systems and reconnecting with her roots, while her preteen daughter struggles to accept their new life away from the city.
Trailer : Humans in the loop
Join us for drinks and snacks before the film followed by a discussion of the film.
Discussion after the Film
6 Dec 1:00pm, Mariemont Theatre, Wooster Pike.
SHORTS COLLECTION: We feature a collection of award winning short films
Discussion after film.
Meet up for coffee at Starbucks on Wooster Pike.
Rubaru - 30 mins Gujarati language film with English subtitles.
Director: Kapil Tanwar - 30 mins
Two sisters—one a rudaali (professional mourner), the other a nachaniya (dancer)—navigate survival, dignity, and womanhood in rural Rajasthan. Confronting caste discrimination, societal judgement, and unwanted male attention, they find solace in sisterhood and silent rebellion. Ru Ba Ru offers raw, authentic storytelling and a never-seen-before look at Rajasthan—unfiltered, intimate, and powerfully real.
Trailer : Ru-Ba-Ru
Mentor- 12 mins. English
Director: Jacquile Singh Kambo
Jack gets interviewed by a corrupt mentor where he uses a mysterious tool to be recruited into a scheme.
Paathiraa (Midnight) - 12 mins. Malayalam language film with subtitles in English.
Director: Sunish Sasidharan
Script: Saritha Sugunan.
Lost in a forest after a drunken night, Manu meets Paru — a witty ghost with a haunting past. Pathiraa blends humor and melancholy in a surreal encounter between the living and the lost.
Memories Of a Kiss - 30mins. English language film.
Directors: Harsh Agarwal, Aditya Grover, Aakash Prabhakar
Starring: Aakash Prabhakar, Serena Walia
“Memories of a Kiss” is a poetic exploration of love, nostalgia, and closure — a story about two former lovers, Anand and Khushi, who reunite years later in their hometown. As they revisit an old memory — the moment that once defined them — they begin to understand what truly remained between them all along.
Trailer : Memories of a kiss
My Comrade: 24 mins. Bengali language film with subtitles in English.
Director: Thathagata Gosh
Starring: Sounak Kundu, Aratrick Bhadra, Adrija Majumder
Comrade (My Comrade), a story of a rebel and a tribal villager in the forests of India, where the two men s lives spiral into a tense interplay of politics and forbidden love .
Trailer: My Comrade
6 Dec. 3:30 pm, Mariemont Theatre, Wooster Pike
Designed by Preeti 90 mins. (English).
Director Gayatri Bajpai
Starring: Anna Khaja, Rashmi Rustagi, Jackie Dallas, Ranjita Chakravarty, Havish Ravipat
Designed by Preeti is a heartfelt romantic drama about a woman who escapes an abusive marriage and uses her talent for design and tailoring to build a new life. As she navigates the uncertainties of independence, can her efforts secure a future for herself and her daughter?
Drawn to a man offering the affection she’s never known, Preeti faces harsh societal judgment. Will she embrace her new path, or will external pressures push her back to her tormentor?
“Designed by Preeti is a refreshing independent drama with a rich cultural flavor and enjoyable performances. Audiences will enthusiastically embrace this film.” – Marc Clebenoff, award-winning filmmaker
Trailer : Designed by Preeti
CENTERPIECE
SPECIAL SCREENING Featuring Veteran Actor Anupam Kher
6 Dec 6:30 pm, The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati, Red Bank Road.
Calorie: 96 mins English and Hindi language film with English subtitles
Director: Eisha Marjara. -96 mins.
Starring: Shanaya Dhillon-Birmhan, Sana Syed, Dolly Ahluwalia
Hindi language film with subtitles in English.
Calorie follows three generations of women whose present and past collide during an emotionally packed summer in India. Monika is a stressed-out single mom of two teens, calorie-obsessed Alia and rebellious Simi. She decides to send her girls to India to visit their great aunt and uncle. Monika hopes that connecting her daughters to their Punjabi roots will set them straight. But what begins as a reluctant trip soon turns into a transformative coming-of-age journey. Amid culture shock, family clashes, and unexpected bonds, Alia and Simi discover a hidden family tragedy that Monika has kept hidden from them and whose wounds threaten to splinter the entire family in this bittersweet female-driven drama.
Trailer : Calorie
Join us over light snacks and drinks for discussion of the film Discussion after the film. After film gathering at Ghost Baby in OTR. Buy your own Drinks.
7 Dec, 10:30 am, Mariemont Theatre, Wooster Pike.
Aangammal: 97 mins . Tamil language film with subtitles in English.
Director: Vipin Radhakrishnan - 97 mins
Starring: Geetha Kailasam in the title role alongside Saran Shakthi, Thendral Raghunathan and Bharani.
Tamil language film with subtitles in English.
In a Tamil Nadu village, a man struggles to accept his blouse-less mother's traditional attire, leading to complications before his in-laws' visit
Discussion follows. Meet up place, Dillys for buy your own snacks and drinks.
Trailer: Aangammal
7 Dec, 1:00 pm, Mariemont Theatre, Wooster Pike.
Chaal Chitro . 120mins. Bengali language Film with subtitles in English.
Director: Pratim D. Gupta.
Starring: Tota Roy Chowdhury,Raima Sen, Shantanu Maheshwari, Anirban Chakrabarti
Bengali language film with subtitles in English.
As his past haunts him, senior police officer Kanishka Chatterjee must figure out who is behind a set of gruesome murders across the city in an attempt to stop history from repeating.
Trailer: Chaal Chitro
7 Dec, 3:30 pm, Mariemont Theatre, Wooster Pike.
SHORTS COLLECTION: We feature a collection of award winning short films
Pataka-15 mins. Hindi language film with subtitles in English..
Director: Rohit Relan 15 mins
Radha, an 11-year-old girl in rural India, loses her school bag on her first day of work at a firecracker factory. Patakha follows her journey to retrieve it — and the hope for the future that has been taken away.
Elijah- 20 mins. Hindi language film with subtitles in English.
Director: Razid Season.
challenges his past views on LGBTQ issues, forcing him to confront prejudice in his community to protect the child he loves.
Haider, a Bengali Muslim taxi driver faces the reality that the American Dream may never be his. Grueling hours, rude customers, a collapse in medallion values in New York City and suicides among fellow drivers continually chip away at his hope. Under this backdrop, crisis spills into his family life as his child, Shoshi, is consumed by a struggle: a desire to live life fully as man in a transphobic immigrant culture. His relationship with his transgender son
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/998365735/c6d16667bd
The Other Side 30 mins. Hindi language film with subtitles in English.
Director: Nikita Hattangady
Set in the heart of Mumbai, "The Other Side" is a compelling portrayal of the struggles endured by a Mumbai street artist aspiring to attend one of the country's finest art academies. When he is faced with the decision between his desires and a friend's needs, he must choose between his heart and his conscience.
Trailer: The Other Side
Where The Light Enters You: 30 mins English Gujarati
Director: Matt Alesevich, Hemal Trivedi
Starring: Farida Mir, Aney Patel
In the wake of personal loss, an unexpected sisterhood unites an ambitious New York healthcare worker with a spirited girl from a nomadic tribe in India.
Discussion after film.
Trailer: Where The Light Enters
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CLOSING FILM
7 Dec 7:00 pm, Mariemont Theatre, Wooster Pike. (Get your popcorn)
Pinch: 96 mins. Hindi language film with subtitles in English.
Director/writer: Uttera Singh -109 mins
Starring: Badri Chavan, Janhavi Marathe, Rajiv Nema
During Navaratri in India, where travel blogger Maitri Singh clashes with her mother, avoids a creepy landlord, and accidentally triggers a mob.
Trailer : Pinch
Discussion follows. Meet up at The Quarter Bistro for drinks and food.