Never thought I would ever see a Shyam Benegal film make it to Blu-ray home video in a boutique release. So honoured to have been able to write the essay. Another much anticipated release from @secondrun.bsky.social & landmark restoration from Film Heritage Foundation in India. #ParallelCinema

The splendidly programmed final double bill from @ranjitsruprai.bsky.social in the new series of Bombay Mix. Unfortunately unable to attend in person now but have recorded an intro for Kundan Shah's JBDY, and which will be a very rare UK screening. Unmissable!

📷 Counterculture On Camera 📸 Join @ranjitsruprai.bsky.social, @bressonian.bsky.social (recorded intro) + film historian @britfilmmelanie.bsky.social for a double bill of JAANE BHI DO YAARO & BLOW-UP at Close-Up Cinema on SAT 27 SEP 2025 tinyurl.com/yc4m69ys Cool art by @bturnerinfo.bsky.social

Bombay Mix is back! A new season of double bills at Close-Up Film Centre on 13, 20 & 27 Sep 2025 with Dr. Kulraj Phullar, @phuonghhle.com & @bressonian.bsky.social 🇮🇳 MOTHER INDIA + 🇨🇺 I AM CUBA 🏠 BABUL + 🏡 OUR MOTHER’S HOUSE 📷 JAANE BHI DO YAARO + 📸 BLOW-UP Info: supakino.com/events

The recent Film Heritage Foundation 4K restoration of Shyam Benegal's MANTHAN (India, 1976) is coming to Blu-ray via @secondrun.bsky.social in October 2025. A classic of Indian Parallel Cinema. More details here on the special features which includes a new essay on the film by me: t.co/5O6252yT2M

Happening today. 🎞️ 👇📽️

Excited to be back at HOME cinemas in Manchester on Thursday 28 August at 6.30pm. I will be introducing director Prem Kapoor's BADNAM BASTI (India, 1971), India's first queer film, and which is part of @cineredis.bsky.social on tour. More info & tickets: homemcr.org/whats-on/bad...

Deeply grateful for a truly thoughtful appreciation of my new book on Indian Parallel Cinema; a work that took years of research, immersion, and no small measure of obsession to bring to life. The paperback edition will be released early next year. ❤️ mubi.com/en/notebook/...

Excited to be back at HOME cinemas in Manchester on Thursday 28 August at 6.30pm. I will be introducing director Prem Kapoor's BADNAM BASTI (India, 1971), India's first queer film, and which is part of @cineredis.bsky.social on tour. More info & tickets: homemcr.org/whats-on/bad...

In my intro to Badnam Basti at @cineredis.bsky.social I noted when I was researching the film, I stumbled upon an interview with Prem Kapoor in The Times of India in which he talks about a two part documentary he had finished making for the BBC on Indian cemeteries & Empire.

Excited to be in Bristol next week for @cineredis.bsky.social 2025 film festival where I will be introducing two screenings of Prem Kapoor's groundbreaking BADNAM BASTI. Thursday's screening (24 July) is sold out but still tickets available for Fri 25 July: 👇 🎞️ www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/1331...

'What happens to radical cinema in reactionary times?' by Arjun Sengupta. 🎞️ A quite splendid review of my new book on Parallel Cinema from Frontline India.👇 frontline.thehindu.com/books/indian...

'What happens to radical cinema in reactionary times?' by Arjun Sengupta. 🎞️ A quite splendid review of my new book on Parallel Cinema from Frontline India.👇 frontline.thehindu.com/books/indian...

Thank you so much for believing in us! These are our next steps... Watch this space! @ranjitsruprai.bsky.social & @bressonian.bsky.social Founders of The Cloud Door

If you want to see classics of South Asian cinema issued in beautiful new editions - which you obviously do - then make sure you are backing this brilliant project!

I supported this and you should too!

Excited to be in Bristol next week for @cineredis.bsky.social 2025 film festival where I will be introducing two screenings of Prem Kapoor's groundbreaking BADNAM BASTI. Thursday's screening (24 July) is sold out but still tickets available for Fri 25 July: 👇 🎞️ www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/1331...

Latest newsletter just landed in your inbox… please keep spreading the word about our new label and this first amazing film release… and keep making those pledges! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 www.kickstarter.com/projects/tcd...

Lovely to see this plan! Again, check out their feed and their current Kickstarter to get things up and running for them. It's a striking looking first film to start with, and having this kind of open range for the future is a delight.

I have just learned about this excellent new boutique Bluray house with a focus on South Asian cinema -- their initial Kickstarter for their first release will run for another two weeks and a half, but they're only at 20%. Spread the word! This really looks like the start of a beautiful effort here.

Parallel Days/Bollywood Nights opens @newyork.asiasociety.org on Friday, @bressonian.bsky.social and @ranjitsruprai.bsky.social are launching @the-cloud-door.bsky.social, and Guru Dutt turned 100 this week! www.criterion.com/current/post...

Every little bit you can contribute will all add up and help us reach our goal and succeed in getting started for many years to come.

☁️ 🚪 For nearly ten yrs, this home video dream has lived in my heart. You know my love for Indian Cinema runs deep. Now, more than ever, I ask: please pledge to the Kickstarter and give it the chance it deserves: kickstarter.com/projects/tcd...

🐸🎞️ We are so delighted and honoured to have filmmaker Kamal Swaroop support us in getting his film out on Blu-ray for the first time - OM DAR-B-DAR deserves its cult status to extend worldwide and you can help make this happen: www.kickstarter.com/projects/tcd...

Omar Ahmed & Ranjit S. Ruprai are launching The Cloud Door: a boutique UK home video label for South Asian films. I spoke with them for Old New about their Kickstarter campaign, the lack of Indian movies on Blu-ray, and the underground influence of their previously banned first release Om Dar-B-Dar:

Had a fun interview with oldnew.substack.com, about the new blu-ray label @the-cloud-door.bsky.social, in which Rob asked for an Indian film he should watch from @bressonian.bsky.social and myself… can you guess which ones we suggested (clues below)?

We're 15% funded! 👏 Back us. Share. Spread the word. We need all the support we can get. 👇 kickstarter.com/projects/tcd... #PhysicalMedia #IndianCinema #HomeVideo

Deeply grateful for a truly thoughtful appreciation of my new book on Indian Parallel Cinema; a work that took years of research, immersion, and no small measure of obsession to bring to life. The paperback edition will be released early next year. ❤️ mubi.com/en/notebook/...

For a long time, I said what Indian cinema needs is a kind of alternative to Criterion for Indian movies. And then, THIS happened! It's so exciting, and it really NEEDS us to step up and join the Kickstarter (I did!) #DesiWatch #Filmsky

☁️ 🚪 For nearly ten yrs, this home video dream has lived in my heart. You know my love for Indian Cinema runs deep. Now, more than ever, I ask: please pledge to the Kickstarter and give it the chance it deserves: kickstarter.com/projects/tcd...

Thank you to everyone who has backed us so far! Our first milestone achieved! 🎉 10% funded! ☁️🚪

We're so close -- nearly at 10% funded on Kickstarter! Every single pledge counts right now. If you've been thinking about backing us, now's the time to jump in and help push us over this first big milestone www.kickstarter.com/projects/tcd...

Please keep spreading the word about the Kickstarter; we need as much support as we can get. This is not a one-off. We are already in conversation about licensing film titles for the future and want to make this a label that releases all genres. www.kickstarter.com/projects/tcd...

☁️🚪The day has arrived! We are live with the Kickstarter and so are pre-orders for Om Dar-B-Dar. We are very excited to share with you details of the first release! ☁️🚪 www.kickstarter.com/projects/tcd...

***FUNDRAISER*** @the-cloud-door.bsky.social has finally launched their #Kickstarter! @ranjitsruprai.bsky.social and @bressonian.bsky.social have been working very hard to make The Cloud Door a reality and the day has finally come for everyone to show their support for this endeavor!

📢 3 DAYS TO GO! Please support us! We can't wait to share everything we've been working on with you!

Help us spread the word! We're aiming for 1,000 pre-orders of our first release to build a sustainable, long-term label dedicated to South Asian cinema.

☁️🚪 Pre-orders for the influential cult film OM DAR-B-DAR on blu-ray for the first time in a specially designed edition with new extras ☁️🚪 01 JULY 2025

📣 7 DAYS TO GO! We’ve been talking about this for years but we need your support. Spread the word. Be there on Day 1. 👋 📽️ On 1 July at 2 PM UK time, we launch the Kickstarter campaign and with it, our new boutique label: The Cloud Door from @bressonian.bsky.social & @ranjitsruprai.bsky.social.

One of Indian Cinema's greatest Cult films is coming to Blu-ray for the first time with special features. Kamal Swaroop's Om Dar-B-Dar (1988, India) is our first release. Sign up here for more info & latest news: the-cloud-door.com

Omar @bressonian.bsky.social & Ranjit @ranjitsruprai.bsky.social will be sharing the journey of launching our new blu-ray label over on Instagram instagram.com/the_cloud_door_ Please follow us on IG too and spread the word! Getting ready to launch pre-orders on 01 July 2025.

Housefull 5: Death Knell

Additional screening BADNAM BASTI on Fri 25 July at 7pm as the first one has sold out @cineredis.bsky.social. Tickets & more info here: www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/1331...

Excited to be coming to this. First time. And I will be Introducing Prem Kapoor's BADNAM BASTI on Thursday 24 July.

My contributor copies of ISHANOU arrived today. My @secondrun.bsky.social debut. Delighted I was able to write for this home video Blu-ray release of a brilliantly understated gem from Manipur, India.

Enjoyable discussion about Indian parallel cinema and new Indian independent cinema as part of this year’s #UKAsianFilmFestival at BFI today. Good to finally meet fellow Mancunian @bressonian.bsky.social and I’ll be getting your book once the paperback edition is out. #Filmsky

USKI ROTI Mani Kaul, 1969, India

ISHANOU (1990) dropping in May from @secondrun.bsky.social. The first Manipuri film on Blu. Superb 4K restoration from Film Heritage Foundation (India). Very excited to have written the essay for this hidden gem of a film.

Movie Mahal Resurrected open.substack.com/pub/bressoni...

Tales of Blood & Steel open.substack.com/pub/bressoni...