Audiences in both Ottawa and Toronto will have the chance to experience About Maya, a gripping new political thriller that follows the haunting journey of an exiled dictator’s daughter confronting long-buried secrets. Co-directed by Nasim Naghavi and Amir Ganjavie, the film is a taut and emotionally charged exploration of identity, guilt, and survival in the shadow of power and exile.
Following its successful Toronto premiere on May 3 at Innis Town Hall and Global Link, About Maya will now screen in Ottawa from June 9 to 15 at the Mayfair Theatre, one of the city’s most iconic independent cinemas.
The film is distributed by IndiCan Entertainment, a company committed to showcasing bold and socially relevant storytelling from across the globe.

A Story of Exile, Secrets, and Survival
About Maya follows the daughter of a deposed Middle Eastern dictator now living in the West. Having worked for years to erase her past and rebuild her identity, she is thrown into crisis when her Canadian husband dies under suspicious circumstances. As police, journalists, and political enemies close in, she must navigate a perilous web of hidden allegiances, family legacies, and moral dilemmas.
With its rich psychological undercurrents and sharp political commentary, About Maya is a timely meditation on the costs of power and the long shadows cast by authoritarian rule.

Uncover the Hidden Truths
📍 Ottawa Screening
🗓 Dates: June 9–15, 2025
🏛 Venue: Mayfair Theatre, 1074 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1S 3X3
🎟 Tickets: Available via Mayfair Theatre box office and website at here: https://mayfairtheatre.ca/movie/about-maya/
Distributed by: IndiCan Entertainment

⁣⁣IMDb qualifier's Toronto Independent Festival of CIFT was established in Toronto in 2015. In the short span of time, it became a well-recognized international festival in Toronto with more than 10000 patrons each year, and it is now after Tiff it is the most successful local festival that is held each year at TIFF Bell Light Box, the house of Toronto International Film Festival (Mayor of Toronto, John Tory, opened the past two editions of the festival; in the past years, Globe and Mail and CBC, two prominent news outlet in Canada covered the festival).
The eighth edition of the festival has both a bi-monthly and a yearly structure for film competition; on the first round, our jury selects the winners of each season through private screenings. In the case they get selected by the programming team of the yearly event, the winners of each season may be then considered for the yearly competition. If this happens, they will be shown and compete with other films-winners at the yearly event.

⁣Berlin Short Awards is a bi-monthly IMDb qualified online short awards event. We are happy to welcome filmmakers from all genres, particularly low or no-budget ones, and all countries, especially from those traditionally underrepresented in the global film industry. Our main goal is to showcase their brilliant projects in Berlin's beautiful city for a diverse audience of cinephiles. Berlin, as a city dates to the 13th century. Reminders of the city's turbulent 20th-century history can be seen in the parts of city. The city's also known for its art scene and modern landmarks like the gold-coloured, swoop-roofed Berliner Philharmonic, built in 1963. We encourage you to submit your work to this online event.
The selected projects are privately judged by a random team of invited experts from academia and the film industry worldwide, against a high standard of merit. From the official selection pool, which has a very competitive acceptance rate, Berlin Shorts Award chose the nominees and award winners of the month. All the Winners will receive the Official Laurels and the winning-category certificate.

⁣IMDb qualifier's Toronto Independent Festival of CIFT was established in Toronto in 2015. In the short span of time, it became a well-recognized international festival in Toronto with more than 10000 patrons each year, and it is now after Tiff it is the most successful local festival that is held each year at TIFF Bell Light Box, the house of Toronto International Film Festival (Mayor of Toronto, John Tory, opened the past two editions of the festival; in the past years, Globe and Mail and CBC, two prominent news outlet in Canada covered the festival).
The eighth edition of the festival has both a bi-monthly and a yearly structure for film competition; on the first round, our jury selects the winners of each season through private screenings. In the case they get selected by the programming team of the yearly event, the winners of each season may be then considered for the yearly competition. If this happens, they will be shown and compete with other films-winners at the yearly event.

⁣About us:
Welcome to the Austin International Art Festival page, a festival held in the beautiful city of Austin, US. This is a festival for both short and featured films. We accept films from all over the world, from American filmmakers and international ones. The main criterion for participating in the festival is artistic criteria and merits. Considering Austin's tremendous importance in the American cinematic environment and our professional platform, we hope to provide a suitable environment for the introduction of short films and feature films.
The festival believes that many films are produced in today's world, and many of these films want to know of their outcome as soon as possible. With this in mind, our program will be held monthly. The monthly festival is held in the form of an online award festival, which means that the works are reviewed and evaluated "privately" by the jury, and finally, the jury announces the best result. If they want, monthly winners can request a public online screening. We do also promote our winners through our social media and issue certificates for our winners. We do have an annual online l event as well. Once a year, few selected films will be chosen from all monthly winners and broadcast in an online platform. The jury of the above festival has been chosen from the expert members of cinema, from the university environment, from the working and professional background of cinema and the well-known cinema distributors.
We do believe our structure is the best answer to the reality of contemporary filmmaking. It allows the filmmaker to be informed of his work's result in the shortest time possible and enables them to provide a more suitable and timely platform for advertising and promoting the film.

Las Vegas is often referred to as Sin City because of its numerous adult attractions, which some may see as immoral or sinful. This city, located in Nevada, is one of the most-visited cities in the world. It has numerous venues for adult entertainment. Las Vegas is also a favourite spot for filmmaking, the activity which was also referred to as a sinful activity at its beginning. The iconic Las Vegas Strip is the setting for scads of Hollywood movies through the years because it’s immediately recognizable. “The Hangover,” “Casino”, “Leaving Las Vegas,” and “Last Vegas” are just a few of the many blockbuster films made here. There are a lot of diverse locations in the area: “you drive one hour, you’re up at the mountains. You drive another hour, you’re in the desert”. We hope you go utilize these potentials for our cinematic event.

⁣⁣⁣Rome has had a special place in the art and beauty of the world from years ago. The Roman baths, the outstanding architecture created in this beautiful city throughout history, the sculptures, and the paintings all reflect the special place of Rome in the art of the world. Meanwhile, Rome has always been a unique city among Italian filmmakers. Directors like Pasolini, Fellini and Antonioni, and other contemporary filmmakers have always used the city of Rome and its beauties in their films and created unexpected cinematic moments for us.
We hope to use Roman history and grandeur in favour of creating a unique festival atmosphere. This festival will be held seasonally in Rome, to show outstanding short films in this beautiful city each season. Roma short is dedicated to celebrating the works of independent filmmakers from around the world, and we pay special attention to ultra low-budget films by first and second-time directors. The festival hopes to provide a place for cinema lovers, independent filmmakers to get acquainted with the latest works in cinema. We hope to create a social space around cinema and promote new discourses about the future of cinema.
The festival has a seasonal structure. First of all, our jury will review the nominated films. We award films in each season . Seasonal semi-finalist selections are screened privately for consideration. Among the winner movies, a limited number will be selected for online screening. Winners will receive laurels. Seasonal winners will be listed on our website and Instagram.

⁣The Indianapolis Independent Film Festival warmly welcomes you to join our global community celebration of peace, love, and the art of filmmaking. We are a collaboration of multi-talented writers, film score composers, filmmakers, producers, and musicians, united in our mission to entertain, inform, inspire, encourage, and educate. Our goal is to recognize and honour artists who use their creative work to increase awareness, provide diverse perspectives, tackle complex social issues, and promote international connections. As an inspiring and intimate platform, the we offer writers, directors, and producers the opportunity to create new projects, develop tools for success, and establish new connections within the global film and entertainment industry.

⁣⁣⁣Dublin World Film Festival champions new film talent by providing a seasonal showcase and meeting point for new and established filmmakers, industry delegates and the local audience.
The festival is a friendly and inclusive festival in which the work of emerging filmmakers is presented in the context of an international programme. We believe that international collaboration is vital for filmmakers. The festival not only advocates the importance of short films in progressing future generations of filmmakers but provides a meeting place where the partnership can begin. The selection process has two parts. First, the submitted projects are judged through private screenings by our internal programming team, and they will select the semi-finals films of each edition. Then the Festival's jurors, a random team of invited experts mainly from the film industry, will privately review the films and award the best projects. All of the winners will receive the official laurel and an achievement certificate. The winner's announcements will be released through our social media to help promote the films.

⁣New Orleans International Film Awards’s mission is to bring international independent films to the widest possible audience in the region. The Festival aims to provide a cultural alternative to the commercial film experience, to support independent filmmakers, and promote the art of filmmaking.
New Orleans is part of an amazing worldwide community; a unique collaboration of multi-talented writers, film score composers and filmmakers. The festival mission is to entertain, inform, inspire, encourage and educate. We honor those artists who, through their creative work, actively increase awareness, provide multiple viewpoints, address complex social issues, and strengthen ties between international audiences. At the festvial, you can come together with other writers, directors and producers to create new opportunities, develop tools for success and forge new alliances within the international film and entertainment industry.