JOYLAND is a visually gorgeous and subversive family drama set in the bustling megacity of Lahore, Pakistan. Pressured to earn his own salary, soft-spoken house husband Haider is hired to perform in an erotic dance show. He’s attracted to the lead performer, an irrepressible trans woman named Alina Khan, and their relationship takes unpredictable turns. […]
Filmmakers Rucha Chitnis and Alka Raghuram in person! 3rd i’s signature shorts program brings filmmakers into conversation together from South Asia to California and throughout the Diaspora. From short-form documentaries to dramatic narratives, and genres ranging from Sci-Fi to comedy to horror, this year’s edition tackles stories of relationships, identity, and social justice. GANGA, Alka […]
Click above for FREE tickets! Preceded by short film DOS BROS FORCE. KATHAL (Jackfruit), directed by Amit Ashraf, is a fun, quirky, and enjoyable comedy for the whole family. At its core, KATHAL is a creative and exuberant story about the adventures of two mischievous kids, but on its edges, the film is an enlightening […]
What does it mean to be a digital native? TIKTOK, BOOM dissects one of the most influential platforms of the contemporary social media landscape. Directed by CODED BIAS filmmaker Shalini Kantayya, the film keenly examines the algorithmic, sociopolitical, economic, and cultural influences and impact of the history-making app. This rigorous exploration balances a genuine interest […]
Fasten your seatbelts and proceed with caution, the new arthouse film AGRA, from 3rd i alum Kanu Behl (TITLI), which opened to rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival, is an audacious and riveting film that looks into Indian family dynamics, patriarchy, and sexual frustration within limited physical space in metropolitan homes in India. Guru, […]
Filmmaker Nishtha Jain in person! Bay Area Premiere A visually spectacular and symphonic ode to manual labor and the jute factories of West Bengal, India. THE GOLDEN THREAD documentary, directed by 3rd i alum and multi-award-winning filmmaker Nishtha Jain (GULABI GANG, LAKSHMI AND ME), with its magical long takes and beautifully composed shots, fully immerses […]
BANGLA SURF GIRLS, directed by Elizabeth D. Costa, is an inspiring and immersive documentary that takes us into the heart of Cox’s Bazar, a beach town in Bangladesh, where we witness the transformation of young girls who join a local surf club and dream of freedom from traditional expectations. The memorable, educational and heartfelt storyline […]
Payal Kapadia’s documentary film, A NIGHT OF KNOWING NOTHING, is a brilliant, dreamlike, poetic exploration of the political and social changes occurring in India. Through a series of letters read aloud to an absent lover, we learn about the fears, desires, and philosophical identity of a young woman named L, a student at the Film […]
Filmmaker Vinay Shukla in person! San Francisco Premiere A riveting and essential film, WHILE WE WATCHED, directed by 3rd i alum Vinay Shukla (AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN), is an award-winning gem of a doc and not to be missed. It is an urgent reminder that we have much to lose if we can no longer tell […]
Filmmaker Vinay Shukla in person! San Francisco Premiere A riveting and essential film, WHILE WE WATCHED, directed by 3rd i alum Vinay Shukla (AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN), is an award-winning gem of a doc and not to be missed. It is an urgent reminder that we have much to lose if we can no longer tell […]
3rd i's Festival online program this year is “Retro Shorts.” A link to watch will be available here on October 6; no registration is required.
See only at the Roxie Theater, not available online. Filmmakers Hena Ashraf, Naman Gupta and Faroukh Virani in person! 3rd i's signature shorts program brings filmmakers into conversation together from South Asia to California and throughout the Diaspora. With short-form documentaries to dramatic narratives and genres ranging from comedy to animation, this year's edition tackles […]
See only at the Roxie Theater; not available online. Cyril Dion’s insightful and transformative documentary takes a fresh look at the world’s ecological crises of climate change and the sixth mass extinction of wildlife, through the eyes of two 16-year-old environmental activists, Vipulan Puvaneswaran and Bella Lack. Through the extraordinary investigative journey of teenagers Vipulan, of […]
See only at the Roxie Theater, not available online. Filmmakers Vivek Bald and Alaudin Ullah in person for Q&A! In Search of Bengali Harlem is a transformative journey for Alaudin Ullah, and for our understanding of the complex histories of South Asian Americans. As a teenager in 1980s Harlem, Alaudin Ullah was swept up in […]
See only at the Castro Theatre, not available online. Get your Bollywood groove on with 3rd i’s Bollywood at the Castro! Enjoy a blockbuster classic with exuberance and camp on the BIG SCREEN – one of the most fun and popular events at the festival! Fans know Rani Mukherjee as one of the most beautiful, dynamic […]
See only at the Castro Theatre, not available online. Filmmaker Vivek Bald in person for Q&A! In a thrilling mix of live music performances, candid interviews and rare archival footage, director Vivek Bald charts the meteoric rise of South Asian music in 1990’s Britain and the decades of cultural cross-pollination and political struggle that led up […]
See only at the Castro Theatre, not available online. Filled with wonder and imagination, Irfana Majumdar’s nostalgic and insightful period piece portrays a privileged family in Lucknow, India in the 1960s. Majumdar’s feature debut delicately weaves together the personal and social lives of a wealthy family, while simultaneously delving into the postcolonial era in which India […]
See only at the Castro Theatre, not available online. In this wry, arthouse dark comedy, director Amartya Bhattacharyya pays homage to and draws inspiration from his favorite filmmaker, the legendary auteur Jean-Luc Godard and his early 1960s French New wave films. The elderly Ananda lives in a small village in the rural backdrop of Odisha in […]
See only at the Roxie Theater, not available online. Filmmaker/actor Ravi Kapoor and actor Venk Potula in person for Q&A!! California Premiere Written and directed by Ravi Kapoor (Miss India America), this fun romantic comedy affectionately incorporates Indian cultural ideals into an American heist movie genre, creating a mixture or “masala” reviewed as the most […]
Fulbright scholar, musician/composer and 3rd i alum, Robin Sukhadia, will share the history of raga (melody) and tala (rhythm) on the subcontinent of India.
