North American Premiere
Set in a remote Himalayan town in India during the Kargil War, Secrets of a Mountain Serpent is a haunting tale where absence and silence set the rhythm of daily life. When a mysterious outsider arrives in the village, his presence stirs buried feelings among its women — including Barkha, a school teacher whose husband is stationed at the border. Director Nidhi Saxena’s film weaves together personal desire with ancient folklore in the form of a serpent that lives in the forbidden river, still waiting after a thousand years for a love left unfulfilled.
A meditation on desire, duty, memory, and freedom, Saxena’s film blurs myth and reality. Each frame is composed with lyrical restraint, and sound design is used to deepen the film’s mythical elements. Pointing her camera away from the frontlines of war, Saxena focuses on those who were left behind, and in doing so asks a pertinent question: Can you belong to someone and still belong to yourself?
Presented by
Adil Hussain, Trimala Adhikari, Pushpendra Singh
India/Italy/Sri Lanka
2025
In Hindi with English subtitles
Indigenous & Community Access
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Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Rahul Saxena
Producer
Vimukthi Jayasundara
Screenwriter
Nidhi Saxena
Cinematography
Vikas Urs
Editor
Saman Alvitigala
Production Design
Avni Goyal
Nidhi Saxena
Nidhi Saxena is an Indian filmmaker whose works delve into human vulnerability and existential themes. She is the first Indian woman director to receive both the Asian Cinema Fund (Post-Production) and a grant from Biennale College Cinema. She has led several acclaimed independent projects and social storytelling initiatives, including a program for the UN Population Fund training tribal adolescent girls in Rajasthan to express their lived realities through filmmaking. Her newest feature, Secret of a Mountain Serpent, was developed at the Venice Biennale College Cinema Script Lab and premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival.
Filmography: Sad Letters of an Imaginary Woman (2024)
FOCUS: Once, There Is a City
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