Venice Horizons Title ‘Pooja, Sir’ Unveils First Sales, Teaser

Deepak Rauniyar‘s “Pooja, Sir,” which is in the Venice Film Festival‘s Horizons strand competition this year, has revealed several territory sales and a first teaser.

The film is inspired by real events which took place in Southern Nepal during the 2015 race protests, involving the Madhesi community. In the film, when two boys are kidnapped in a border town in Nepal, Detective Inspector Pooja is sent from Kathmandu to solve the case. However, upon her arrival, the brewing political unrest and violent protests throw her off course, compelling her to seek help from Mamata, a local Madhesi policewoman. By putting aside systemic discrimination and pushing through everyday misogyny, the women attempt to solve the case.

The cast is led by Asha Magrati and also includes Nepali cinema superstar Dayahang Rai, Nikita Chandak, Reecha Sharma, Bijay Baral, Gaumaya Gurung, Aarti Mandal, Ghanashyam Mishra, Prameshwar Kumar Jha, Pashupati Rai and Niraj Shrestha.

The film is produced by Rauniyar and Magrati for Aadi Films, Ram Babu Gurung for Baasuri Films and Alan R. Milligan for Tannhauser Gate. It has also received funding from the Norwegian Film Institute’s Sorfond.

The producers have sold the film to ARP Sélection for France, Trigon-film for Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and The Tea Folks Films and Byankatesh Entertainment for Nepal.

“‘Pooja, Sir’ is a film that takes us right to the heart of its intrigues, culture, and landscapes. In that respect, it is unexpected and fascinating. We are delighted to present it to audiences in France,” said Michèle Halberstadt of ARP.

Rauniyar’s first feature, “Highway,” premiered at the 2012 Berlinale and played Locarno, while his sophomore feature “White Sun” in 2016 won awards at the Venice, Palm Springs, Fribourg and Singapore festivals. He is also a Berlinale Talents alumnus and his short film “Four Nights” played at Berlinale Shorts in 2022.

“Once again, Deepak Rauniyar crafts a story rooted in the social realities of his home country, this time through the lens of the crime genre, depicting discrimination on various layers. We believe that with its compelling narrative and the outstanding performance of Asha Magrati, this film will be one of the standout gems in this year’s Venice selection,” said Meret Ruggle of Trigon-film.

Watch the teaser here: