Khoriya: Nepali Migrant Stories Hit Busan Fest

Vishwendra Singh's debut feature, "Khoriya," will have its world premiere at the 31st Busan International Film Festival this October. The film, set on the outskirts of Delhi NCR, follows two Nepali half-brothers whose lives unravel after a bird flu outbreak devastates their poultry farm. Shot in Nepali and Hindi, "Khoriya" examines the struggles of Nepali migrant workers within Delhi's urban economy.

Future East Film announced its 2026-27 slate, which includes "Khoriya," Ashim Ahluwalia's "Unidentified Actress," Rayit Hashmat Qazi's "Sawdust," and the India-Italy co-production "Heroic Frenzies." "Unidentified Actress" centers on a documentary filmmaker searching for a vanished star in 1950s Bombay.

"Khoriya" evolved from a documentary Singh directed in 2019 about migrant workers. "I wanted to stay close to their silences, contradictions, loneliness and tenderness," Singh stated. Ahluwalia praised the film for its intimate portrayal of lives rarely seen on screen without sensationalism.