Private Project

The Forgotten

Afsa, a 70 year old woman with dementia, goes into her past as she brings herself to the turning point of her life 50 years ago, where she might have to choose the hardest decisions of her life, again

  • Mallika - Singh
    Director
  • Mallika Singh
    Writer
  • Walter Ma
    Producer
  • Karen Aruj
    Key Cast
    "Afsa Senior"
    father of the bride, Are you there God it's me Margaret, Outer Banks
  • Anna Marie Pugel
    Key Cast
    "Afsa Junior"
  • Ricky Robles Cruz
    Key Cast
    "Rami"
    Plane, Never give up, La Llamarada
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    drama, thriller, mystery
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 36 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 16, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Savannah College of Art and Design
Director Biography - Mallika - Singh

I am an aspiring production designer, and writer/ director from India, based currently in Atlanta, Georgia, and recently graduated in Film and Television from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Atlanta.

I'm a storyteller, looking for stories and getting inspired by them. I aim to make my work reflect my interest in world art, history, society, and cultures. Research is a strong push and a zone of interest in designing the vision. I'm motivated to build worlds that belong to those stories and convey emotions through my frames.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This project is a work of fiction, loosely based on small snippets of the truth of life. As a woman and as a filmmaker, my stand has always been pro-choice. However, I realize that even the freedom to make a choice is a privilege, not common and accessible to all. This story, to me, stands for that, from a woman’s perspective. I have always been attracted to grey characters, the morally ambiguous underdogs, and how they make their choices in the stories. The dated family setup being largely patriarchal, seldom with a scope of freedom and forgiveness for women, is a world of many and is also the world the protagonist Afsa belongs to, which, in a strong way, solidifies my commitment to this story. Afsa’s story explores a certain restrained rebellion, to fight a battle that was not her choosing, a choice to make between her survival and herself. While this project is constructed within the bounds of Indian cultural contexts, there is a universality in the dilemma for women, that goes beyond these constructs. As a filmmaker, I want to create this world of dark moody tones with the hope of the light at the end of the tunnel and capture these moments. Being from India, I understand the cultural undertones and predicaments of the characters, and I hope to bring them out honestly.
I aimed to make this a subtle, nuanced piece, exploring the female awareness of being. Today’s world and the world in the Protagonist’s head are different, and rightly so, because many such stories of the past are milestones in ensuring that the world, we have today is the way it is. I hope that the audience’s takeaway is reacquainting themselves with the morally grey female perspective, and lastly, an enjoyable watch.