Fiction / 16 min / Fantasy / War / Coming-Of-Age
Writer & Director

When Afaaq, a 10-year-old Kashmiri boy with burgeoning telekinetic powers, learns that his father is going to a dangerous part of Kashmir, he sets out to stop him.

This is an AFI Conservatory Thesis Film, a culmination of the skills and creativity garnered over the two years of the Masters degree in Directing.

Mood (2023)

Fiction / 12 min / Comedy / Drama
Director

Tyler is a struggling RnB artist who gets the opportunity he’s been waiting for, but it might cost him his friendship with his closest friend and collaborator, Dolph, a music producer.

This is an AFI Conservatory Cycle 3 Film, meant to practice and improve our craft of storytelling. Not meant for commercial or festival release, Cycle Films are designed to take risks in order to push our dramatic skills further.

Firstlings (2023)

Fiction / 12 min / LGBTQ+ / Crime / Drama
Director

Adam tries to hide his brother’s body in a cave along with a secret; the kind that only reveals itself in the darkness of shame and fear.

This is an AFI Conservatory Cycle 1 Film, meant to practice and improve our craft of storytelling. Not meant for commercial or festival release, Cycle Films are designed to take risks in order to push our dramatic skills further.

Kumbh Mela (2019)

VR Non-Fiction / 7 min / Religion / History
Writer & Director

The Kumbh Mela is the largest religious event in the world, taking place once every six years and attracting more than 100 million pilgrims over the course of a month to the holy city of Allahabad, India.

In this short documentary we learn about the myth behind the celebration, and explore the vast temporary city that is erected on the banks of the Ganges River. From hash-smoking holy-men, overworked labourers, to the elaborate infrastructure required to house so many pilgrims, this VR documentary gives viewers the opportunity to a step into a whole new world of intoxicating celebration and spiritual fervour.

My Mother’s Glass (2018)

VR Fiction / 11 min / Horror/ Drama
Writer & Director

This is a film about a young woman who comes home from work and spends the night on the phone with her father, oblivious to the ghostly spectre that follows her every move. We are left in the suspense of not knowing what will happen to the woman, but as we listen to the conversation between father & daughter, it becomes clear that things are not what they seem.

This was the first Virtual Reality short film made by the Whistling Woods International VR Lab.

Off Stage (2015)

Documentary / 11 min / Art / History
Writer & Director

‘Off Stage’ is a short documentary about the art of hand puppetry that is indigenous to Xiamen, China. Yang Zimik and Cai Peiqing explore the intricacies of the art-form through interviews with Mr. Chen, a retired puppet master.

There is a parallel narrative that observes & interprets the traditional puppet show performed by local artists on Gu Langyu Island through which we understand Mr. Chen’s ideas of inheritance, heritage and the duty of tradition.

Official Selection: Chinese American FF