Global Sales Secured: Deepak Rauniyar’s ‘Private Property’ Set for Locarno World Premiere
In a major development ahead of the 79th Locarno Film Festival, international sales powerhouse Parallax Films has officially boarded the new short film Private Property. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Deepak Rauniyar and co-written with Asha Magrati, the film is poised to make a significant impact on the festival circuit, entering the competitive Pardi di Domani: Concorso Corti d’Autore section.
The project, which represents a sophisticated cross-continental collaboration between the United States, Nepal, France, and Australia, is also vying for the prestigious Pardino d’Oro for Best Auteur Short Film and has been selected as one of only six contenders for the festival’s esteemed Pardo for Change Award.
A Tense Exploration of the American Experience
Private Property serves as a piercing, tightly crafted social thriller that subverts traditional cinematic tropes surrounding the immigrant experience in the United States. The narrative unfolds at a desolate gas station during the graveyard shift. The plot centers on an intense, claustrophobic collision between two marginalized figures: Maya, a Nepali immigrant struggling to navigate the complexities of her new life, and Danny, an unhoused Black veteran.
What begins as a dispute over a single space at the gas station rapidly devolves into a harrowing confrontation. As the power dynamics shift, the story forces Maya into an impossible corner—first compelling her to seek recourse through the law, and ultimately, as the pressure mounts, pushing her toward the chilling finality of a firearm.
By grounding its narrative in the grit of a late-night gas station, the film acts as a microcosm for deeper societal fractures. It eschews the “model minority” or “passive victim” narratives often expected of immigrant-led stories, choosing instead to present characters with agency, desperation, and dangerous potential.
Chronology: From Open Doors to Main Competition
Deepak Rauniyar’s relationship with the Locarno Film Festival is both long-standing and deeply personal. While Private Property marks his first appearance in the festival’s official selection as a director, his history with the event serves as a testament to his evolution as an auteur.
In the earlier stages of his career, Rauniyar and Magrati utilized Locarno’s Open Doors program—a vital initiative designed to support filmmakers from regions with limited cinematic infrastructure—to platform their initial projects. Rauniyar’s debut feature, Highway (2012), was a watershed moment for Nepali cinema, becoming the first production from the country to premiere at a top-tier international film festival. It debuted at the Berlinale and subsequently screened at Locarno before securing a week-long run at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
His follow-up, White Sun (2016), solidified his reputation on the world stage, winning the Interfilm Prize at the Venice Film Festival and securing top honors at the Singapore and Palm Springs festivals. The film also made history by representing Nepal in the Academy Awards’ Best International Feature category.
By 2018, the festival’s relationship with the filmmaker had come full circle, with Rauniyar serving as a member of the festival’s jury. Now, with the world premiere of Private Property, Rauniyar returns not just as an industry veteran, but as a contender for one of the most coveted awards in short-form filmmaking.
The Collaborative Force: Parallax Films and Global Ambitions
The acquisition by Parallax Films signifies a strategic push to bring Private Property to a global audience. Cao Liuying, co-founder and head of international sales at Parallax, noted that the film’s unique perspective and stylistic choices were key drivers in the decision to represent the project.
"‘Private Property’ is a tightly crafted social thriller that examines contemporary America in a way we rarely see," Liuying remarked. "It refuses the narrative about immigrants audiences have come to expect."
Liuying highlighted the film’s final sequence, which offers a stylistic nod to Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. By ending on an ambiguous, provocative image rather than a moralizing conclusion, the film leaves the audience to grapple with the fallout of the characters’ choices. Parallax Films is currently finalizing a robust festival strategy, with active discussions underway regarding theatrical releases and high-profile streaming partnerships.
Artistic Intent: A Deep Dive into Character
For Asha Magrati, who takes on the lead role of Maya while also serving as the film’s producer, the project was an exercise in radical empathy. Embodying a character so fundamentally different from herself required a deliberate departure from her personal history.
"Embodying her wasn’t natural—she is so different from me—but that was the very reason to make this film," Magrati explained. "After all, if we are not curious about what we don’t know, why make a film? Why play a character?"
Rauniyar shared this enthusiasm for the collaboration, praising Parallax’s established track record and curatorial taste. "I’m very happy about Parallax coming on board. They have such a record and such taste—they’ve distributed so many of my favorite films of recent years—and I’m excited about this collaboration."
Technical Production and Supporting Data
The production of Private Property was a logistical feat, requiring the coordination of multiple international production banners. The film was produced by Aadi Films (USA), with co-production support from Salt for Sugar Films (France), Screenxcope (Australia), and Dog-Eared Pictures (USA).
The creative team behind the camera includes:
- Director of Photography: Sheldon Chau
- Editor: J. Him Lee
- Music: Vivek Maddala
- Producers: Asha Magrati, Kiersten Houser, Kim Carr, and Sheldon Chau
- Co-Producers: Avantika Singh Desbouvries, Rajendra Thakurathi, and Sakib Iftekhar
- Executive Producers: David Barker and Shruti Ganguly
The ensemble cast features Nick Sencey as the veteran, Danny, alongside Hem Thapa, Nicole McCarty, Joe McAlear, and Tylar McCarty.
The Road Ahead: Implications and Future Projects
The momentum surrounding Private Property comes at a busy time for Rauniyar. Beyond the immediate buzz of the Locarno premiere, he is currently developing his next feature, The Taste of Salt.
The film explores themes of migration, class, and belonging through the lens of a young cook’s coming-of-age journey, inspired by the rise of MasterChef contestant Santosh Shah. The Taste of Salt was showcased as a work-in-progress at the 2024 Berlinale Co-Production Market and is being produced by Sam Taylor’s U.K.-based banner, Film and Music Entertainment, in partnership with Rauniyar’s Aadi Films.
Rauniyar’s career continues to be defined by his long-standing partnership with the New York-based Louverture Films, the influential production company co-founded by Danny Glover and Joslyn Barnes. This support network has enabled Rauniyar to maintain a consistent output of socially conscious, high-art cinema that challenges the boundaries of international co-productions.
As Private Property prepares for its debut, the industry will be watching closely. The film represents a synthesis of Rauniyar’s years of experience on the festival circuit and his desire to push the boundaries of genre filmmaking. Whether in the quiet, desperate exchanges of a gas station at 3:00 AM or the broader, more complex conversations regarding the American Dream, Rauniyar’s latest work promises to be a defining moment in his filmography—and a vital addition to the international cinematic conversation on the realities of modern life.
As Rauniyar himself noted regarding his return to the festival: "It’s an honor and a privilege. I hope the film screens at its home, in the United States, soon." For now, the world will first look toward Locarno to see if this tense, powerful vision resonates with the jury and the global audience alike.
