Skip to main content
The Housekeeper film image; woman fiddling with plants growing up grating

The Housekeeper

Deepa Didi

VIFF Short Forum

North American Premiere

Over time, the routines of Abhi, a young urbanite living in Mumbai, and Deepa, his housekeeper, intertwine.

Director
Cast

Zoya Shabana Khan, Manik Papneja, Mahi Girish Bhanushali, Yaashi Agarwal, Vipul Chanda, Asif Ali

Credits
Country of Origin

India

Year

2024

Language

In Hindi, English and Marathi with English subtitles

18+
24 min
Cinemas of Asia Drama Shorts

Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Pallavi Singh

Producer

Kedhhar Barrve, Surya Balakrishnan

Screenwriter

Deepanshu Mallik

Cinematography

Manoj Karmakar

Editor

Navtika Sharma, Abhro Banerjee

Production Design

Trupti Chavan

Original Music

Shubham Shirule

Surya Balakrishnan headshot

Surya Balakrishnan

Surya Balakrishnan is a filmmaker and co-founder of Footloose Films, a Mumbai-based advertising production house. A graphic design graduate and NYFA alum, Balakrishnan recently directed two episodes of the critically acclaimed Amazon Original Khauf. Her debut feature documentary, Amarkatha (2025), is an eco-political film set in Kashmir that explores the complexities of the Amarnath pilgrimage. A format-agnostic by choice, Balakrishnan gravitates toward stories that gently urge us to care.

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony

Dir. Habiba Nosheen
92 min

The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony follows a group of young female gymnasts in Pakistan's Machar Colony, a highly conservative fishing settlement. Habiba Nosheen's deeply empathetic documentary is a celebration of girlhood, resilience, and self-expression.

Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema Alliance Francaise

Midnight Momo

Dir. Tenzin Yeshi
83 min

Kunga, a waiter at a Queens momo shop, finds himself trapped in a loop of the final minutes of his shift. Midnight Momo is a frenetic, distinctly Tibetan American indie comedy that puts a working-class spin on the Buddhist cycle of suffering and rebirth.

International Village 9
Tangles
Tangles film image; two people hugging in a garden

Tangles

Dir. Leah Nelson
102 min

Based on the graphic memoir by Vancouver artist Sarah Leavitt, Tangles is a stunning, hand-drawn animated feature about a cartoonist coming to terms with her mom’s early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Nominated for the Caméra d’Or at Cannes 2026.

Vancouver Playhouse The Park Theatre The Rio Theatre
Death Has No Master
Death Has No Master film image; woman standing under a tree

Death Has No Master

Dir. Jorge Thielen Armand
106 min

When Caro returns to Venezuela to sell her late father’s cacao plantation, she finds the family mansion occupied by its former staff, who have no intention of leaving. After legal action proves ineffectual, Caro decides to dispense justice herself.

The Rio Theatre International Village 10

Once Upon a Time in Harlem

Dir. William Greaves, David Greaves
100 min

Once Upon a Time in Harlem splices together footage shot by William Greaves in 1972 of a group of Harlem Renaissance luminaries in conversation at Duke Ellington’s townhouse. The film is a living archive of memory, disagreement, style, and Black genius.

Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only

Coward

Dir. Lukas Dhont
120 min

With the First World War raging, two young Belgian soldiers develop an explosive chemistry while serving in their company’s theatre troupe. Coward is a reminder that transformative moments of tenderness can occur even amid the darkest circumstances.

The Park Theatre