DocNights Screening at Alliance Française Chandigarh

DocNights, an initiative by Bitchitra Collective, brings award-winning documentaries by women and non-binary filmmakers to audiences across India. The Chandigarh edition features two acclaimed short films:

  • Because I Couldn’t Stop for Death (Dir. Shefali Khan) – The story of Sapna, a young grave painter in Delhi, who challenges social norms while building an independent future.
  • Log Kya Kahenge? (Dir. Rafina Khatun) – A portrait of Gulnaz, a young Muslim radio jockey breaking barriers as the first woman in her community to work outside the home.

 The one-hour screening will be followed by a Q&A with the directors,   moderated by filmmaker Garima Pura.

Meet the Moderator & Filmmakers

Garima Pura (Moderator)
Garima Pura is a screenwriter, curator, and programmer who co-wrote the Academy Award-winning documentary The Elephant Whisperers and Netflix’s Little Things. She has written for major streaming platforms and is a curator with DocNights by Bitchitra Collective, championing documentary cinema by women and non-binary filmmakers across India.

Shefali Khan (Director – Because I Couldn’t Stop for Death)
Shefali Khan is an independent writer, journalist, and filmmaker based in Delhi. Her work focuses on marginalized communities, exploring themes of gender, caste, migration, memory, and culture through both filmmaking and journalism.

Rafina Khatun (Director – Log Kya Kahenge?)
Rafina Khatun is a filmmaker and editor whose work highlights the lives of marginalized communities, particularly women. A graduate of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, she creates intimate documentaries rooted in lived experiences and social realities.

Free Entry | All Are Welcome

About the Moderator

Garima Pura

Garima Pura is an award-winning screenwriter, curator, and programmer. She co-wrote the Academy Award-winning documentary The Elephant Whisperers and the Netflix series Little Things, and has developed films and series for Netflix, Amazon Studios, and Hotstar. She has also directed human-interest documentaries for organizations including the British Asian Trust, USAID, and the Gates Foundation.

As a curator and programmer with DocNights by Bitchitra Collective—India’s leading collective of women and non-binary documentary filmmakers—Garima works to expand audiences for independent documentary cinema through community screenings and meaningful conversations between filmmakers and viewers. She will moderate the post-screening Q&A with the directors.