THEME
Holy Cowboys is a window into the world of COW VIGILANTISM THROUGH THE EYES OF young boys from a small town in india.
It captures the CURRENT WAVE of hindu nationalism through violent vigilantism in the name of the cow - a docile animal considered sacred and likened to a nourishing mother.
SYNOPSIS
A Hindu teen and his friends tread the bizarre world of a 'cow protection' vigilante group to end consumption of beef, exploring what it means to be a savior of the holy cow in modern day India.
The film takes a hybrid approach to shed light on the growing Hindu nationalist influence on youth, and their brand of retributive justice in the name of cow. All while the stray cattle forage the garbage dumps, on the streets of the same country that considers it sacred.
Director
Varun Chopra (He/him) is an India & US based filmmaker. He is Sundance Institute's Ignite Fellow and 2021 Film Independent Screenwriting lab fellow.
Born and raised in New Delhi, Varun graduated from LMU School of Film and Television in Los Angeles where he was the recipient of the coveted SFTV Dean’s Scholarship.
His work has screened across the globe and released by platforms like PBS, Vimeo Staff picks, Nowness among others.
Varun is a Young Directors Award recipient and has directed an array of projects across East Africa, Asia and North America. He has created content for brands like National Geographic, Condé Nast, Fox Life among others.
He is represented at The Corner Shop in the US & UK for commercial and film work.
TEAM
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PRODUCER
Anna Hashmi is the Emmy and BAFTA winning founder, and Executive Producer of The Corner Shop. The name of the company reflects her south Asian heritage and influences the culture of the company, the work they produce and the eclectic + authentic roster of directors and creators.
Her industry experience is extensive, working first in the UK, then internationally before moving to the USA, working across advertising, branded content, scripted tv, film and documentary films, with offices in Los Angeles and London. She has produced short films for Channel 4, Participant Media, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian among numerous commercial campaigns, and is based between London and LA.
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EDITOR
Carol Nguyen is a Vietnamese Canadian editor-director based in Montreal and Toronto. Her most recent film “No Crying at the Dinner Table” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and had its international premiere at IDFA 2019, where she was additionally invited as the Opening Night speaker. In 2020, “No Crying” also received the Jury Prize for Short Documentary at SXSW. Carol is a 2018 Sundance Ignite fellow, Adobe Creativity Scholar and a TIFF Share Her Journey ambassador.
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Cinematographer
Martin Taube is an LA based Cinematographer and filmmaker from Sweden. He started out at an early age and has throughout the years won multiple awards for everything from cinematography to directing, and editing to writing. He shoots everything from commercials to documentaries and narrative films.
