Australia-India Screen Ties Strengthen as Migrant Drama ‘Home Before Night’ Heads to Film Bazaar

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran Ana Tiwary‘s Sydney-based production company indiVisual films – international is bringing “Home Before Night,” a cross-cultural drama with sci-fi elements, to India‘s Film Bazaar‘s co-production Market. “It is such a hauntingly beautiful story that mixes drama with elements of science fiction and authentically represents the experiences of migrants in Australia,” says Tiwary (“Terra Incognita”).

Written and directed by Kalani Gacon (“Sapana ko Awaz (The Sound of Dreaming)”), the film follows two women’s intertwined journeys: Chanda, a Nepali aged-care worker in Australia wrestling with permanent residency decisions, and Orana, an Australian of Nepali heritage searching for her estranged father.

Their stories converge through a memory-donation program designed for homesick migrants. “I want people to leave with an appreciation for the spaces between—those subtle, often overlooked places where identities intersect and cultures blend,” says Gacon, who drew from personal experience. “Like my protagonist, Orana, I, too, travelled across the world to find my father, uncovering unexpected truths about myself in the process.” Producer Sabin Gnawali, who joined the project to highlight Australia’s growing Nepali community, added: “The film’s exploration of identity and cultural belonging deeply resonates with me, particularly as a migrant myself.” Production is planned to begin in August 2025, filming in the Blue Mountains region of Australia and in Nepal, with post-production completed by early 2026 with a view to hitting the festival circuit starting in February 2026.