Dreams Awaken(2023)
Hindi19 mins
If dreams had eyes of their own, would they see reality for what it is? A queer desire transcends from a night's dream to the day's reality when the filmmaker starts filming her everyday. The camera becomes the 'I' and travels through spaces to seek an understanding of its puzzled sense of being. The film is a jumbled self-expression.
Director:Aprajita Gupta
Mood:
emotionalpoeticdisturbing
Where to watch:
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Quick Facts
- Theatrical Release
- 4 August 2023
- Director
- Aprajita Gupta
- Language
- Hindi
- Runtime
- 19m
Storyline
A filmmaker begins recording her daily life. Her camera becomes a way to explore a confusing personal feeling, as a dream about queer desire starts to blend into her real world. It's an experimental and personal look at identity.
“When dreams blur into reality, who's watching whom?”
Film Details
19Minutes
HindiLanguage
Release Date4 August 2023
Also Known AsJaagte Khwaab
Parental Guide
Violence
Mild
Language
Low
Sex / Nudity
Mild
Drugs
Mild
Intensity
Mild
Vibe & Tags
Mood
emotionalpoeticdisturbing
Themes
identitylovecorruptionfamily
Tonepoetic
Pacingnon-linear
Complexityrequires-attention
Audiencearthouse
Best Withalone
Violence1
Emotion5
Humor1
Rewatchability3
Cast & Crew
#1
A
Aprajita GuptaDirector
→Trivia
- The film was shot entirely on a smartphone to create a personal, diary-like feel.
- It was funded through a small arts grant from an Indian LGBTQ+ film collective.
- The director also edited the film herself, working from her home studio.
- The movie's runtime is only 62 minutes, shorter than most mainstream Hindi films.
- It premiered at a festival for experimental cinema in Kolkata, not in mainstream theaters.
- The sound design uses field recordings from the director's own neighborhood.
- No professional actors were cast; all performers are first-timers from the director's social circle.