Sayani Gupta’s directorial debut Aasmani pulled from Indian Film Festival of New Zealand amid copyright dispute

A film festival invitation, a quiet accusation, and an actor who became a director deciding to finally speak out.That's the story surrounding Aasmani, Sayani Gupta's first film as a director, after the Indian Film Festival of New Zealand (TIFFNZ) decided not to show it.

The festival says it's worried about copyright and keeping things private.

According to Variety India, the decision follows an ongoing dispute over the film.

Aasmani is made with Nikkhi Advani for the Sumitra Gupta Foundation for Arts, along with Dia Mirza and Ananya Rane.

TIFFNZ's director, Petrina D'Rozario, explained that the festival had taken back its invitation for Aasmani and told the filmmaker.

She said the festival's job is to protect the filmmakers and the platform it provides, and that pulling the screening was the right move once a real copyright and confidentiality issue was raised in an ongoing process.She said this wasn't a decision on whether the film was right or wrong, but a step to keep TIFFNZ as a fair and trusted place.

Sayani Gupta said she wants to make it clear that Aasmani is her original film.

She said she had stayed quiet so far not because she accepted the claim, nor because she had nothing to say.She added, "Since the issue was brought up with the right people, I followed the proper steps and thought the facts should go there, not through messages or public comments.But silence can sometimes hide the truth in noise."  

She explained the story's start.

"I was raised in Bengal, in a world full of stories, myths, books, philosophy, and jokes, long before I dreamed of directing a film.My grandmother, a philosopher, had a big effect on how I see the world.Her loss deeply affected me." She said the film, about a clever grandmother, a cheeky granddaughter, and their blue car named Aasmani, is "a tribute to the strong women I stand on today and the values they taught me."  

Gupta addressed the conflict directly.

"A fellow FTII filmmaker raised a concern.She has every right to do so.And I have respectfully held onto my truth.The claim was made based on assumptions, without watching my short comedy film.I didn't know about her 'unfinished' documentary project." She said, "There's a difference between an allegation and a finding.What's been troubling is this becoming a copyright issue when it isn't one."  

She went on to say, "Copyright protects the way something is expressed, not every shared idea or feeling.

Surprisingly, this experience has taught me more about copyright than the last 15 years.I'm not a big company or an organization standing against an independent filmmaker.I am an independent filmmaker myself." Gupta concluded, "My film is about freedom.And I believe freedom is the only thing worth fighting for.There's a difference between speaking loudly and speaking the truth.The rest is up to facts, process, and time."  

Aasmani was written, directed, and co-produced by Gupta under her company Sayani Gupta Movies.

It stars veteran actor Revathy along with Daria Bedi and Abhay Kaul, and marks Gupta's official move into filmmaking.