Private Project

Keepsake

A year after her father’s passing, Saira tries to connect with her mom and brother but struggles as they seem to have moved on without her.

  • Ritvik Dhavale
    Director
  • Bushra Burney
    Writer
  • Eduardo Ayres Soares
    Producer
    Chuck and Fern, Party Princess, Homecoming
  • Connie Qin
    Executive Producer
  • Francisco Velasquez
    Executive Producer
  • Joenique C. Rose
    Executive Producer
  • Nida Khurshid
    Key Cast
  • Anna Khaja
    Key Cast
  • Behzad Dabu
    Key Cast
  • Samiya Khan
    Key Cast
  • Jazmin Jamias
    Picture Editor
  • Robert Chuck
    Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 36 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 30, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    40,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Urdu
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Slamdance Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    February 23, 2026
    Special Session
Director Biography - Ritvik Dhavale

Ritvik Dhavale is a writer and director. The stories he wants to tell lie between these two worlds: some fully emerged into diaspora experiences, while others blur the line. Dhavale's journey into filmmaking began as a thespian in high school theater. He received his B.A. in Screenwriting from UCLA in 2017. He gained industry experience at CAA, Sundance Institute, and Netflix before fully dedicating himself to bringing stories to life. His latest short film Hema won the audience award at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and Gold Award at Proof Film Festival. He is a Film Independent Project Involve 2025 Fellow.

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Director Statement

When I was nineteen, I lost my mother. I still remember the day my dad decided to move away. I had to pack up the house and sort through everything that once made it a home. I kept one thing: my mother’s paintings. Keepsake is a story about moving on and how we all do it differently. Some people can move on quickly, others take their time. There’s a lot of Saira in me, that part that wants to process things only when I’m ready, even if the rest of the world has already turned the page.

What drew me to Bushra Burney’s script is how it captures that truth with humor and absurdity. The idea of a family dealing with loss while starting a Pakistani drama podcast felt so wonderfully unexpected. Stylistically, Keepsake lives in that space where pain and humor coexist in the same breath. Because that’s what moving on really looks like. It’s messy, funny, and sometimes involves swallowing your own ego to press “record” on a podcast when you least expect it.