film detail

At a school in the Himalayas, fifteen-year-old Sachin is bullied for cross-dressing in a folk dance performance. Anju, the middle-aged vice principal of the school, steps in, but it unravels more than she anticipated. As both quietly navigate their secret struggles, their lives begin to intertwine, forming a bond that neither can name but both of them need.

Shubham Negi is a poet, writer, and director from Himachal Pradesh. He was one of the winners of Netflix and Film Companion's TakeTen grant in 2024, through which he made his debut short film 'Hills Don't Dance Alone', which had its world premiere at the Academy-Award qualifying Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival in competition. It went on to screen at Tasveer, and emerged the winner of Best International Short at MISAFF ‘25. It is having its Indian Premiere at the Kolkata People’s Film Festival in Jan ‘26. His feature 'Soma Helang' was selected to be a part of the NFDC Co-Production Market 2024. The same project was developed through his fellowship at the Writer’s Ink Lab and emerged as one of the winners, securing him a mentorship from Vikramaditya Motwane (Udaan, Un Certain Regard, Cannes). He is also a two-time fellow of the QueerFrames Screenwriting Lab. His short film script ‘Makeup Room’ won the QDrishti short film grant 2025 at the Kashish Queer Film Festival and is currently in pre-production. It is being produced by Neeraj Churi (Cactus Pears), Vikramaditya Motwane, Yashasvi Juyal, among others. His short documentary ‘How Much Space Does a Firefly Take?’ won the Nagari Short Film Production Grant and is streaming on YouTube. His web show ‘Tuition’ was an official selection at the SWA Pitch Fest ‘25 and CineVesture Film Market ‘25. He also worked as a writing intern on Black Warrant's Season 2. In 2024, Netflix sent him to the Busan International Film Festival as a part of its Fund for Creative Equity cohort.