Programmers' Picks: Shailaja Rao on SIFF 2026

The Seoul Guardians

The Seoul Guardians puts you inside the night of December 3, 2024, on the streets, inside the National Assembly, beside citizens and soldiers navigating the same volatile hours. The editing is precise, the tension never breaks, and the result is a close examination of what true democracy looks like when tested.

Love Chaos Kin

At a time when diversity and inclusion are under pressure, Love Chaos Kin shows what those values actually look like in practice, not as policy, but as a family’s everyday choices. Warm, clear-eyed, and quietly radical.

Shape of Momo

Tribeny Rai makes a striking debut with Shape of Momo. Bishnu returns home to her Himalayan village and confronts the expectations placed on the women in her family and community, a reminder that wanting to change things for the people closest to us is rarely as simple as it seems.

Roid

Mejbaur Rahman Sumon brings a painter’s care to every frame of Roid. In rural Bangladesh, a farmer repeatedly abandons his wife, a woman the village considers mad. Each time, she finds her way back. Folk tale, fable, and something harder to name. Sadhur Bou is a presence that stays with you.

Deadline

Deadline draws the viewer in despite its cold and devastating aesthetic. Kiwi Chow doesn’t sensationalize. He lets the narrative build, the frames drain of warmth, and the audience feel the weight on their own terms.