Parallax Films has secured international sales rights for “Aman,” the new short film by writer-director Rahul Roye. The project follows a trans man who learns he is pregnant on the eve of his gender-affirming surgery.
The announcement precedes the film’s world premiere in the Short Cuts competition at the Toronto International Film Festival. Following its Canadian debut, the movie will travel to the BFI London Film Festival for its European premiere, competing in that festival’s selection of 10 international shorts.
Parallax Films is an international sales agency specializing in Sinophone cinema, with operations across Asia and Europe dedicated to promoting high-quality Asian productions globally.
Liuying Cao, founder of Parallax Films, praised the production as an ambitious work rooted in deep human emotion. “Rather than resorting to slogans, the film reaches the audience through pain that is visceral, embodied, and deeply human,” Cao said, adding that the team was thrilled to collaborate on such a moving queer film from India.
The 16-minute co-production involves partners from the U.K., U.S., India, and France, with dialogue in Hindi and Bengali. Executive producers include Nikkhil Advani and Dominique Welinski. The film is produced by Apoorva Bakshi for Awedacious Originals, Elle León Nostas for Aymara Films, Neeraj Churi for Lotus Visual Productions, Tushar Tyagi, and Abid Aziz Merchant.
In a joint statement, the producers highlighted Parallax’s bespoke approach, noting they sought a partner capable of handling the film’s sensitive and layered narrative with care. “Their instinct for both the film and its audience made the partnership feel immediate,” the producers said.
The cast features Kabir Maan, a transgender activist, in his acting debut as the title character. He is joined by Sirat Taneja, Guntaj Deep Singh, and Satakshi Nandy. Taneja previously appeared at Toronto in Deepa Mehta’s documentary “I Am Sirat.”
Roye described the film as an effort to create space for identities that resist simplification. “Pregnancy is one of the most deeply gendered experiences in our societies – ritualized, politicized and controlled,” Roye said. “By placing a trans man at its center, the film questions how fragile our definitions of gender can be. Ultimately, it is a film about becoming.”
The production received support from the Sumitra Gupta Foundation for the Arts, the Keshav Suri Foundation, and the Kashish Q Drishti Film Grant, presented by the Kashish Arts Foundation, with additional backing from Renuka Shahane and Lotus Visual Productions. “Aman” marks Roye’s third short film, following “Man & Wife” and “A Lullaby for Yellow Roses.”
Parallax usually handles Sinophone work. Why this one? Curious about their sales strategy here.
Kabir Maan’s debut is promising. Good to see Indian queer cinema getting global attention again.
A trans man pregnancy story? That sounds intense and emotionally complex. Hope it does justice.
Incredible representation. Can’t wait to see how this resonates at both festivals.