International sales company Parallax Films has acquired “Aman,” a short film by writer-director Rahul Roye, for worldwide distribution. The film, starring Kabir Maan, centers on a trans man who discovers he is pregnant before undergoing gender-affirming surgery.
The announcement precedes the film’s world premiere in the Short Cuts competition at the Toronto International Film Festival and its European premiere in the competition section of the BFI London Film Festival, which showcases ten shorts internationally. Parallax Films, focused on bringing Asian films to a global audience, is based in both Asia and Europe.
Liuying Cao, founder of Parallax Films, stated: “’Aman’ is an ambitious film, yet one deeply grounded in human emotion. It touches upon the most intimate experiences of an individual life, while never losing sight of the social and political realities – and responsibilities – that those experiences carry. Rather than resorting to slogans, the film reaches the audience through pain that is visceral, embodied, and deeply human.”
The 16-minute film is a co-production of the U.K., U.S., India, and France, filmed in Hindi and Bengali. Executive producers include Nikkhil Advani and Dominique Welinski. Production is by Apoorva Bakshi for Awedacious Originals, Elle León Nostas for Aymara Films, Neeraj Churi for Lotus Visual Productions, and Tushar Tyagi and Abid Aziz Merchant. The producers jointly commented: “Parallax Films brings a rare combination of global sales expertise and a deeply bespoke approach to every film they represent…We wanted a partner who could hold our sensitive and layered film with gentle hands.”
Kabir Maan, a transgender activist, makes his acting debut in the title role, alongside Sirat Taneja, Guntaj Deep Singh, and Satakshi Nandy. Taneja previously appeared in Deepa Mehta’s documentary “I Am Sirat” at Toronto.
Rahul Roye explained that “‘Aman’ is my attempt to create space for bodies and identities that refuse simplification. Pregnancy is one of the most deeply gendered experiences in our societies – ritualized, politicized and controlled. By placing a trans man at its center, the film questions how fragile our definitions of gender can be. Ultimately, it is a film about becoming.”
Support for “Aman” comes from the Sumitra Gupta Foundation for the Arts, the Keshav Suri Foundation, and the Kashish Q Drishti Film Grant, presented by the Kashish Arts Foundation, with additional support from Renuka Shahane and Lotus Visual Productions.
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