Pooja, Sir

A gripping thriller set near Nepal’s border with India, where a queer detective from Kathmandu investigates a kidnapping entangled in ethnic tensions and political unrest.

Inspired by the violent 2015 protests of Nepal’s Madhesi minority demanding democratic reforms, Deepak Rauniyar (White Sun GFF 2017) masterfully fuses the suspense of a crime thriller with the emotional weight of a sociopolitical drama.

Experienced investigator Pooja is dispatched to southern Nepal to handle the case of a kidnapped congressman’s son and his best friend. While initial evidence points to Madhesi activists, Pooja soon begins to suspect that the truth runs far deeper.

As the case unfolds, she must confront systemic biases against women in positions of power while carefully navigating her own identity – struggling to conceal her queerness in a society that refuses to accept it.

• Johan Blomqvist