Private Project

Dreams Awaken (Jaagte Khwaab)

If dreams had eyes of their own, would they see reality for what it is? A queer desire transcends from a night's dream to the day's reality when the filmmaker starts filming her everyday. The camera becomes the 'I' and travels through spaces to seek an understanding of its puzzled sense of being. The film is a jumbled self-expression.

  • Aprajita Gupta
    Director
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 54 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 31, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    English, Hindi
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Creative Documentary Course, Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication, New Delhi
  • Dharamshala International Film Festival 2023
    Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh
    India
    November 7, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Liberation DocFest Bangladesh 2024
    Dhaka
    Bangladesh
    Bangladesh Premiere
    Official Selection
  • K. R. Mohanan Memorial International Documentary Film Festival
    Palakkad, Kerela
    India
    K.R. Mohanan Memorial Award
  • Lift-Off First-time Filmmaker's Session May 2023
  • Bangalore Queer Film Festival, 2023
    Bangalore
    India
    August 4, 2023
  • QIFF Playa del Carmen 2023
    Playa del Carmen
    Mexico
    November 6, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Beyond Borders Feminist Film Festival 2023
    Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi
    India
    November 30, 2023
    Delhi Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 10th India Week Hamburg, Lichtmess Theatre
    Hamburg
    Germany
    November 24, 2023
    Germany Premiere
    Curated Selection
Director Biography - Aprajita Gupta

Aprajita Gupta is an independent documentary filmmaker who recently graduated from the Creative Documentary Course at Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication, New Delhi. Her diploma documentary, "Jaagte Khwaab" (Dreams Awaken), explores the themes of identity and sexuality. It won the K. R. Mohanan Memorial Award at the 2023 K. R. Mohanan Memorial International Documentary Festival, Kerala. She is working on her next documentary short film, tentatively titled, "Women and Their Fields", under the reFrame Fellowship Grant 2023 and "Wanderers, no more?" under Uncode Fellowship 2023.
With a particular interest in the lives of women, she closely examines the notions of home and belonging and observes family dynamics. Her interests include home and belonging, family dynamics, sexuality and gender, urban and rural migration, and discovering new artistic processes.

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