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Indonesian Premiere

SU

Amma, Do Giraffes Cry?

27 minutes | 2026 | Czech Republic, India | Documentary | Hindi, English, Czech

SYNOPSIS

Far away from home, an Indian filmmaker calls his zoologist mother from the Prague Zoo. As he describes the mysterious lives of the captive animals he observes – a gorilla scared of cameras, an insomniac anaconda, and penguins haunted by their own shadows – the zoo becomes a space for their memories to materialize. The distance between mother and son, human and animal evaporates, and the zoologist confronts a long-held belief.

SCHEDULE
Fri, 4 Dec 2026 | 13:15 | EMPIRE XXI | STUDIO 5
Sat, 5 Dec 2026 | 12:45 | EMPIRE XXI | STUDIO 5
CREDIT
Production CompanyFAMU
ProducerKartikeya Saxena, Tomáš Šimon
DirectorKartikeya Saxena
ScriptwriterKartikeya Saxena, Rashmi Saxena
CinematographerYa Ching Yang
Production Designer-
EditorShawrya Kumar
Main Cast-
Director’s Filmography-
Notable Achievement
  • Visions du Reel 2026
  • Docs Against Gravity 2026 – Student Academy Award Nominee
  • Ji.hlava 2026
  • Dharamshala International Film Festival 202
Contactandy@rainafilms.com
DIRECTOR'S BIOGRAPHY

Kartikeya Saxena

Born in Rajasthan, Kartikeya is an Indian filmmaker and cinematographer based in Prague. Influenced by folklore and oral tradition, his work explores landscape, memory, ecology, postcolonialism and architecture. His debut, Amma, Do Giraffes Cry?, premiered at Visions du Réel in 2026 and was nominated for the Doc Alliance Award for Best Short Film.

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