Script File

The Apple Picker's Son

Afaaq, a 12-year-old Kashmiri boy with supernatural powers, must come to terms with his abilities when his father, a migrant worker, decides to risk his life for a higher-paying job in a dangerous region, leaving Afaaq and his mother behind.

  • Yang Zimik
    Writer
  • Dulguun Bayasgalan
    Writer
  • Yang Zimik
    Director
  • Cathy Ni
    Producer
  • Liz Mealey
    Cinematographer
  • Oscar Oneill
    Production Designer
  • Shiyi Xie
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Student, Short Script
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Drama, Family, Social Justice, Indian Diaspora
  • Number of Pages:
    15
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    Hindi, Urdu
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - American Film Institute (AFI Conservatory)
Writer Biography - Yang Zimik, Dulguun Bayasgalan

Yang Zimik is a Directing Fellow at the AFI Conservatory, Los Angeles.

Yang worked in Bollywood for 5 years before becoming the Head Writer & Director at the WWI Jio VR Lab in 2018, experimenting with Virtual Reality filmmaking. He designed the curriculum, ‘Writing & Directing for VR’, the first of its kind in India. In 2021, Yang diversified his skills as Lead Narrative Designer at Studio Sirah, writing and designing the story for a collectible card game based on Indian Mythology.

---

Dulguun Bayasgalan is a Screenwriting Fellow at the AFI Conservatory, Los Angeles.

Dulguun is a filmmaker, musician and entrepreneur from Mongolia. He co-wrote the Mongolian film, IF ONLY I COULD HIBERNATE, which will premiere at this year’s Un Certain Regards at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2018, he starred in and wrote the music for the Mongolian feature, THEY SING UP ON THE HILL, which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival.

Add Writer Biography
Writer Statement

Yang is interested in telling stories of disenfranchisement and isolation. Yang’s life-long struggle with identity has gravitated him towards making films about people who lie on or beyond the periphery of society’s consciousness.

---

Dulguun wants to tell stories that exist on the intersection of old and new worlds–stories that examine how people must adapt to changes in their culture, in their home, and ultimately, in themselves.