Dailies Presents: Santosh (2025): From Short To Long Form + Q&A

Join film-maker and curator Tomisin Adepeju for the next edition of "From Short to Long Form," which celebrates the debut features of bold, distinct film-makers alongside their short-form work.

In partnership with BFI Network, Tomisin will be presenting the poetic and timely work of BAFTA-nominated director Sandhya Suri. A celebrated documentary film-maker with her award winning Sundance debut I for India (2019), Suri transitioned to narrative fiction work with her BAFTA-nominated short The Field (2018) before directing her lauded fiction debut Santosh (2025) which premiered at Cannes and was for the BAFTA Outstanding Debut award.

We’ll be sharing The Field and Santosh followed by an in-depth post screening discussion with Suri about her craft, creative journey and deft examination of socially-conscious narratives.

THE FIELD (2018)
A poor agricultural labourer leads a double life in the village's last remaining cornfield. But the harvest is approaching.

SANTOSH (2025)
Newly widowed Santosh inherits her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low caste girl is found murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.

Sandhya Suri
Sandhya Suri is a British-Indian writer/director based in London. A graduate in pure mathematics, she received a scholarship to study documentary at The National Film and Television School. Her feature documentary "I For India" premiered in the World Competition section of the Sundance Film Festival, screened at over 20 international festivals and garnered several awards before being released theatrically to critical acclaim in the UK and the U.S. In 2016 she was selected for both the Sundance Screenwriters’ and Directors’ Lab with her first fiction feature "Santosh".

In 2018 She released the 19 minutes short "The Field" which was nominated for a BAFTA. This was followed by her narrative fiction debut, “Santosh” which screened in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section and was shortlisted for the Oscar for Best International Feature.

Tomisin Adepeju
Tomisin Adepeju is a British-Nigerian filmmaker, writer and curator. His award-winning shorts have screened at over 150 film festivals, including Sundance, BFI London Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival. He has just completed a new short for BBC Films and is currently developing his debut feature, The Light of the Living with Ken Loach’s Sixteen Films and BFI.

Tomisin's writings have appeared on MUBI, Sight and Sound and several other publications. He is the founder of DAILIES, a screening programme where he regularly curates shorts and feature films. He has programmed sold out events at BFI Southbank, Rio Cinema, Rich Mix and other spaces.

Director: Sandhya Suri

Starring: Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar