Best of July 2025

Seeing the nostalgic curiosity through a child’s eye. Does a child really think so much?

Phil, once the dreaded evil masterlord, is a retired suburbanite narrating his struggle to escape his satanic reputation. He explains how his job as an evil masterlord—taking summoners to a dimension of torment—was just work, but people keep blaming him for random mishaps. Through vignettes of suburban life, Phil shows he’s a regular guy with feelings, culminating in an airport metal detector fiasco where he breaks the fourth wall to plead his case.

”Take an esoteric journey into the gooey center of a panic attack. Remember to breathe.”

In a not-so-distant future, an advanced AI algorithm learns from humanity's obsessions, manipulating people to create viral content for the voracious appetites of social networks.

I found this old camera, and inside was a videotape with something recorded on it.

In a village entrenched in caste discrimination, Vishnu must defy oppressive traditions and power structure to fulfil his grandfather’s dying wish—to be cremated in the village cremation ground, controlled by the Upper Caste. Daddu Zindabad or Long Live Grandpa is a sharp satire laced with humour, tackling themes like caste discrimination, toxic masculinity, political opportunism, women’s agency, and the expanding power and influence of media. The story begins with a dying wish from Daddu — played by Durgesh Kumar (Panchayat, Highway, Laapataa Ladies) — that throws an entire village into chaos and sparks a revolution. At the centre of this storm stands Vishnu, portrayed by Pranjal Pateriya (Dupahiya, Laapataa Ladies, HIT 3), who must confront his own family and community, relying on wit and cunning to fulfil his role as a devoted grandson.

This short film presents 25 faces of children from different ethnic backgrounds and regions, each gazing directly into the viewer’s eyes. Though generated by artificial intelligence, their silent presence evokes a universal message: beyond nations, borders, and identities, we are all connected. In a time of growing divisions and global conflict, “I Am Your Child” is an invitation to pause and feel. These faces may not be real, but the emotions they awaken are.

Plagued by a series of night terrors, UFO-obsessed Samuel looks to therapy for some answers, with some surprising results.

A mentally unstable man almost decides to leave the world until he comes across Kim, an AI that he can see, talk to and interact with in the real world.

In this powerful short film, we meet Jacob a 26-year-old Millennial who on the surface has it all; dressed in expensive attire, jewellery and an image on social media that screams “Success”. Like life, things change, pressure builds, people leave and the fragility leaves Jacob wanting to prematurely end his. Only a chance encounter with Kenny a 44-year-old down and out, hardened by his upbringing and traumatic personal circumstances ‘stalks’ Jacob to a bridge where the dynamic changes dramatically and the seemingly ‘man with nothing’ now faces a man with less and a fight for survival begins with Jacob’s life on trial.