Shorts & Documentaries from FTII

Synopsis

Under the Jackfruit Tree (English, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Bhojpuri/ 2025/ 12 mins) Dir. Saurav Mahind. In a world where passion and intimacy are often concealed behind tradition and taboo, this documentary explores the evocative relationship between fruits and human desire. The film becomes a meditation on how we hunger, how we connect, and how we sometimes lose ourselves in the search for sweetness. What emerges is a portrait of desire itself, stained with both sweetness and shadow.

The Old Bull knows, or Once Knew (English, Marathi/ 2025/ 13 mins) Dir. Milan Kumar. An aging sacred bull is sent to a shelter, forcing his old caretaker to let go. Their farewell unfolds on the margins of a city, mirroring the slow disappearance of the nomadic Nandiwale community and their way of life.

Where do the trees go? (Santali/ 2025/ 16 mins) Dir. Mansingh Baskey. After his mother remarries, nine-year-old Sagen struggles to feel at home with his uncle and aunt. As he slowly begins to find warmth and belonging, his mother returns for a final goodbye — leaving him frozen, terrified of losing the home he was just starting to find. 

Unau Hmel Hai (English, Hindi, Mizo, Nagamese/ 2025/ 14 mins) Dir. Stephen Rengsi. On his wedding day in the hills of Northeast India, a former soldier and survivor of the Battle of Kohima is haunted by fractured memories of the war — uncovering the forgotten trauma of Indian soldiers who fought on opposing sides, both hoping for independence.

Sthiti (Assamese, Hindi, Marathi/ 2025/ 24 mins) Dir. Somudra Banerjee. Afraid he may have struck someone,  a cab driver drifts into ancient pastoral lands. Picking up a man who mistakes him for a land buyer, he gains an unwitting alibi—until an unexpected shock forces him to confront what he tried to escape.