VERANDAH
Where Stories Gather
The Verandah is a dedicated space within the Heartlands Film Festival that showcases grounded, authentic cinema by and about South African Indians. This section celebrates intimate, character‑driven narratives that explore identity, community, and the nuanced experiences of the Indian diaspora in South Africa.
Named after the traditional architectural verandah—a transitional, semi-open space where inside meets outside, and families gather to converse, observe the neighborhood, and share stories—this section serves as a communal porch for meaningful dialogue and cultural connection.
FESTIVAL TALKS
Bangalore Beyond Borders
Thanikachalam SA, founder of Barycenter Films, has produced acclaimed features like In Retreat (Cannes 2024) and Theatre (IFFR 2025). Through his Bangalore-based company, he champions homegrown films from diverse regions of India and seeks to collaborate on debut and sophomore features. In this talk, he explores how cinema bridges India and its South African diaspora, fostering cultural exchange through shared stories and collaborative filmmaking that spans continents.
RSVP for this talkOpening The Verandah
Gabe Gabriel is a transgender writer, director, and actor whose work includes South Africa's first gay rom-com and the Netflix hit Mandala Murders. His semi-autobiographical film Runs In The Family earned a GLAAD Award nomination, and he has starred alongside acclaimed actors like Patricia Arquette and Glen Powell. In this talk, he discusses the importance of creating dedicated spaces for South African Indian cinema, ensuring that diverse and grounded stories find their audience and thrive for generations to come.
RSVP for this talkThe Ancient Scrolls of Lukütona: The Maiden and The Tree
The story follows Anila, a faithful elf handmaiden from the forests of Tarasina. She seeks counsel from an ancient tree, discovering that an ancient evil—a dragon returning from the stars—is biding its time to re-enter the world.
Director
Dayakar Padayachee
Writer
Dayakar Padayachee
Language
English
Technical Specifications
Colour • 5.1 Surround
Draped in Tradition
A short documentary exploring the cultural significance of saree draping and the preservation of tradition through intergenerational knowledge and shared experiences among South African Indian women.
Director
Atira Lamona Rajah
Writer / Producer
Atira Lamona Rajah
Language
English
Awards
Audience Award — South African Independent Film Festival (2025)
Echoes of Melancholia
On his first day out of a psychiatric clinic, a young man tries to overcome the stigma attached to him in his community, whilst learning how to accept himself and move on.
Director
Trevel Titus
Writer
Trevel Titus
Language
English
Help Yourself
Reeling from heartbreak, Nitin seeks refuge in quiet rituals. A fragile visitor forces him to confront his grief, while a chance encounter with a dead man in an indifferent crowd leads him to a startling realization about life and death.
Director
Utkarsh Chaturvedi
Writer
Utkarsh Chaturvedi
Cast
Sankalp Bharadwaj, Aditya Pathania, Sharly Sharma, Haripriya, Akanksha Tiwari, M. Sindhuja, Lakshya Goyal, Harsh Jha
Language
Hindi, English
Technical Specifications
Colour • Stereo
Nighiyaan Chhavan (Warm Shadows)
A young closeted filmmaker ruminates on his mother's coming out after a twenty-seven-year-old 'happy marriage'. Weaving personal family archives, reenacted rituals, and the stories of her girlhood which he grew up listening to as bedtime fables, the film is about a secret which must be kept hidden despite the yearning to break free.
Director
Aakash Chhabra
Writer
Aakash Chhabra
Cast
Sheeba Chadha, Lakshvir Saran, Priya Chhabra, Anumita Jain
Language & Subtitles
Punjabi, Hindi with English subtitles
Technical Specifications
Colour • Stereo
One Side of the Road
In a South Indian village, a road divides hope and oppression. The film follows four Dalits (former "untouchables") as they struggle against debt, labor exploitation, and caste segregation, offering a rare look at everyday resistance during the pandemic.
Director
Jalil Nordman
Language & Subtitles
English, Tamil with French and English subtitles
Production Companies
IRD Audiovisuel, Butternut Productions
Awards
Best Documentary — India International Film Festival
Playtime
A contemporary anti-fairy tale set against the backdrop of a deteriorating South African village, following a courageous young girl named Samantha on a perilous journey to find a mysterious healer who may be able to save her terminally ill brother.
Directors
Ashwin Singh & Quintin Lee White
Writer
Ashwin Singh
Director of Photography
Quintin Lee White
Sound Recordist
Uyanda Mihe Rozani
Cast
Raquel Pillay, Lisakhanya Zwane, Bryan Hiles, Derosha Moodley, Cara Roberts, Sandile Mthembu, Callum Trevor Peters, Cardelle Peters, Ashwin Singh
Language
English
Technical Specifications
Colour
Sugarcane, Burning
A young woman stands at the threshold of motherhood, suspended between what she has inherited and what she will pass on. Rooted in the historical migration of thousands of Indians to Southern Africa as indentured labourers in the nineteenth century, the film swims through the invisible weight of language, memory and home, as carried through generations.
Director
Tashin Singh
Writer
Tashin Singh
Language & Subtitles
English, Tamil with English subtitles
Technical Specifications
Colour • Stereo
The Beautiful
A father consumed by grief has slowly withdrawn from the world — and from the daughter who still needs him. Suspended between loss and the life that continues around him, he must find a way back to the people he loves before the distance between them becomes permanent. The Beautiful is a tender, quietly powerful portrait of sorrow, silence, and the small, difficult steps toward reconnection.
Director
Veron Vadivelu
Language
English
Theatre
A cattle farmer who aspires to be a stage actor, Das works with a cosmopolitan theatre troupe headed by an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed director. When the director's tantrums unearth buried resentments among the group's members, the play they are rehearsing threatens to come apart.
Director
Nishanth Kalidindi
Writer
Nishanth Kalidindi
Language
English
Technical Specifications
Colour • Stereo
Awards
Official Selection — International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2025
Virundhu / The Feast
A gutsy fisherwoman hosts a feast for a local politician using rare, almost-extinct ingredients from her dying lake, in a form of protest and to save her community.
Director
Rishi Chandna
Writer / Producer
Rishi Chandna
Cast
Antony D. Janagi, George Vijay, Anbarasi
Language
Tamil
Awards
Special Jury Prize — Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival