My first release

We make a film to say something to the world. Somewhere through the long and painful journey, the apparatus of filmmaking humbles us, makes us realise it's a miracle a film even gets made, let alone released. Unknown to us, as a coping mechanism, we quietly stop expecting a release at all. We make do with showing our film to our loved ones on our hard disks, again and again and again.

And then one day, some of us get the privilege of a release. Only then do we realise what we were missing. A stranger, sitting somewhere far away, at a time of their choosing, watches our labour of love. What began as a figment of imagination in one head now belongs to everyone, each of them forming their own relationship with it. Our film becomes larger than us. Larger than we could ever have imagined.

After working on multiple feature films, series and shorts, it took me 7 years to get my first release. Thank you so much to everyone making the effort to watch Riha. Even more gratitude to those reaching out after watching it, with such warmth and love. You don't know it, but it's because of you that I've begun hoping again.