SRFTI short film Nipaniya becomes only Indian entry at Red Sea International Film Festival 2025

One of the most powerful short films from the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Nipaniya (Dropless), is ready to make its international impact as the only Indian choice in the International Shorts competition at the 5th Red Sea International Film Festival. The movie, directed by Anamika Pal, explores the serious crisis of a new mother whose milk dries up—a scenario that starkly brings to focus problems of gender bias and inherent indifference among women themselves.

SRFTI short film Nipaniya heads to Red Sea International Film Festival

Anamika, who belongs to the shepherding community in Uttar Pradesh, spoke on the personal value of the choice. In an interview by a leading publication, the director expressed that being selected for the festival is a tremendous source of courage, especially as this trip marks her first time traveling outside her hometown and college city to an entirely new country. This international recognition is significant because, back in her small town, her family and acquaintances don’t truly grasp the nature of her work.

The plot of the movie revolves around the new mother's obligatory 13-day visit to her in-laws’ during a funeral. When the health of her child declines, she does what is deemed a ‘domestic sin’ by sneaking a glass of pure milk. The director was inspired by a similar anecdote from real life that she heard when she was growing up in Allahabad, concerning an offshoot daughter-in-law who was universally derided for the same act.

The movie’s storyline hints that such a mindset is a product of prolonged oppression resulting in an internalised gender prejudice where women start feeling that they deserve less than men in turn perpetuating the same among others. Nipaniya was also a collective initiative by a three-woman team comprising producer Gauri Maheshram, cinematographer Disha Sharma and editor Rani Bed Banshi. It promises a touching, critical examination of the behind-the-door silent suffering of Indian family dynamics.

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