| TITLE OF THE FILM | My Grandmother’s Tale (Amma Ki Katha) |
| DIRECTED BY | Nehal Vyas |
| LANGUAGE | Hindi, Urdu (English subtitles) |
| YEAR | 2023 |
| COUNTRY | India |
| DURATION | 21 minutes |
| SPECIAL NOTE | Asian Premiere |
PRINCIPAL CREW & CAST
| CINEMATOGRAPHY, WRITING & EDITING | Nehal Vyas |
| LOCATION SOUND | Nihal Singh Majithia |
| SOUND DESIGN | Nehal Vyas, Aayush Wykes |
| SOUND MIXING | Aidan Reynolds |
| MUSIC | Aahvaan Project |
| PRINCIPAL CAST | Nayana Thanvi, Madhavi Thanvi, Gavati Wad, Sushmita Hatte |
ABOUT THE FILM
India, my nation, is being rebuilt. Her foundation is being laid on the imagined land that claims to be the birthplace of my grandmother’s God. In the mythology that she passed down to me during many summer nights, her God was magical, kind, imaginative and democratic, just like my India was supposed to be. But today, through its many retellings and reimaginings, the tale is being used as a political tool to manifest the violent desire of a Hindutva state. This film attempts to remember, as well as dream, a forgotten nation.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Nehal Vyas is a filmmaker and programmer from India, currently based in Los Angeles. Her work reflects on and engages with the notions of nationhood, citizenship, mythology, and family histories. Her work has been supported by San Sebastian Film Festival, True/False Film Festival, FID Marseille, IDA, Camden International Film Festival, and Prismatic Ground amongst other venues. She is a member of the Bahía Collective.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
“My grandmother was an ardently religious woman. Every morning, she would spend time reading religious texts and every night she would bring those characters to life for me. If anything, it seemed beautiful. But over the past decade, the Ramayana is being used as a political tool to polarise the country. Fantasies are being claimed as ancient facts; citizens are being turned into puppet armies. Those who believe in this God get to call themselves Indians—and those who don’t must prove their “patriotism” at every checkpoint.”
