The film is a quiet conversation with memory, past, culture and a life left behind, that employs food and a traditional cuisine as a bridge to achieve the same. The documentary introduces the viewer to the lived reality of Kyo Pang, the owner of a kopitiam or a traditional Indonesian coffee shop in New York, and how her relationship with food has come to shape and influence her lived reality. Using Pang's narrative, the film also manages to raise significant points about immigration, a person's relationship, and perhaps even a longing, for their roots, and the desire to not only preserve, but also share them with those around. By way of its calm engagement, which deliberately steers clear of loud noises or gimmicky tools, the film further invokes the Baba-Nyonya culture of Pang's childhood, allowing a glimpse into it, while also straddling the culinary history of her past. As ideas of family and tradition are tied together to weave the narrative, Kopitiam comes across as a sincere endeavour to tell an authentic story about a highly personal and intimate experience. It is precisely these very qualities which endow it with a universal tone.

Kopitiam | Short Film Nominee

The world of the film is marked by its society's dual obsession - with beauty and with making an extra buck. It is a dystopic reality of a culture that is fixated on maintaining their youth eternally, no matter the cost. Consequently, when this leads to an incredibly lucrative opportunity for big corporations, or a spa facility in this case, all kinds of murkiness enters the picture. Even though the cost of youth is localised denervation, a process involving slow paralysis of the nerve endings in the body, people are unable to stay away from the very substance that leads to it. In fact, it is this specific process that they seek in order to reduce and prevent the appearance of wrinkles. 

The substance which is used to achieve the desired results is called Botulinum toxin A, which is not simply a source of Botox, but also one of the deadliest substances known to humankind in the absence of quantity control. In a world where simply releasing a teaspoon of it in the air could kill thousands of people, the viewer is taken into a narrative marked by animation reminiscent of the realm of a video-game. Further, it is the story of a town where a botulism outbreak has led to high levels of toxicity in the air. 

 Through all of these elements, the film aims to comment on several things - the exploitation of capitalist forces, the mindless obsession with making money leading to adulteration and putting innumerable lives at stake, unhealthy beauty standards and their consequences on the quality of existence. The film sets the premise, even though it does not follow it all the way through. There are several things it wants to say which, however, could have been communicated better with a final product of a longer length, something that allowed it to adopt a more detailed, insightful approach for each of them. On the whole, the film comes across as a sincere endeavour, but it would be welcoming to see a longer version of the same narrative, with more time spent on different aspects.

Denervation | Short Film Nominee

On the night of a very crucial performance, one that could define his future as a musician, Jai finds himself with a broken instrument. As a frantic scamper begins to somehow procure a tabla, with only a few hours to the performance, he receives the most unusual phone call. 

A man is willing to provide the instrument, as long as Jai can deliver a plate of butter chicken within the hour to the given address. Alongside this bizarre, but completely hilarious and entertaining route, is Jai’s own internal performance anxiety, manifesting itself in a shiver of the hand. 

The narrative allows a successful portrayal of all of these elements, irrespective of a few rough edges in the overall end result, presenting characters that are endearing, and notably fitting as hapless performers, or intimidating antagonists. The deep potential with regard to storytelling and narrative-building, alongside some skilled performances, is unmissable, paving the path for more engagement with similar stories and characters in the future.

Curry in a Hurry | Short Film Nominee

The documentary film is an account of the Soul Summit that has been taking place in Brooklyn since 2002. Though the frequency of its occurrence has dwindled since its inception close to two decades ago, the statement it aims to make is loud and clear - to be a safe haven for Black and queer expression. As dance, music and spirituality get intertwined in this space where all identities are not only welcomed, but also celebrated, the narrative further takes us into first hand experiences of the Summit attendees. Additionally, it manages to be an insightful glimpse into a realm that is marked by its independence of voice and the assertion of a coloured landscape in a gentrified neighbourhood. There is also the endeavour to engage with culture appropriation, the demand for a rightful space often denied to people of colour and minorities and the ease that is intrinsic to such an event or physical area, where people are truly allowed to be who they are, away from a world of oppression of several forms. At the heart of the film, thus, also lies an implicit plea to nurture and preserve these identities, especially in a world where conversations around race, sexuality and identity are increasingly making their presence felt. However it is presented employing a tone which is not despondent or aggressive, but instead one that involves art, celebration, hope and above all, sincerity and honesty.

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