• ORIGINALS

    |

    FILMS

    |

  • ORIGINALS

    |

    FILMS

    |

ORIGINALS

Films directed by Sarah Thomas

The Unsung

Scarred

ALL FILMS

THE UNSUNG


The Unsung is a film on a dying tribe on the coastal region of Karnataka -- the Halakki Vokkaliga. This once culturally rich tribe with a treasure trove of folk songs, passed down orally from generations is now grappling against the tide of modernisaton, with only a handful of old ladies who identify with the tribe, their traditions and cultures. With the passing of these few old women, their very culture fades away.

​

The film touches on the struggles of the tribe, the clash between modernisation and their culture, the fight to keep their forests alive and the painstakingly long battle to be included in the Scheduled Tribe list in India. The Halakki Vokkaliga's story is a reflection of several hundred other tribes going through drastic changes in lifestyle, losing bits of their identity amidst the growth and development in the country. Their day to day battles on several fronts go unheard, unnoticed.

​

It is a record of not just a fading tribe but the fading diversity of India, as the country loses forgotten tribes living on the fringes of society.

​

This film is an unsung story of the last of the singing tribe, as they perish.


The Unsung is a film on a dying tribe on the coastal region of Karnataka -- the Halakki Vokkaliga. This once culturally rich tribe with a treasure trove of folk songs, passed down orally from generations is now grappling against the tide of modernisaton, with only a handful of old ladies who identify with the tribe, their traditions and cultures. With the passing of these few old women, their very culture fades away.

​

The film touches on the struggles of the tribe, the clash between modernisation and their culture, the fight to keep their forests alive and the painstakingly long battle to be included in the Scheduled Tribe list in India. The Halakki Vokkaliga's story is a reflection of several hundred other tribes going through drastic changes in lifestyle, losing bits of their identity amidst the growth and development in the country. Their day to day battles on several fronts go unheard, unnoticed.

​

It is a record of not just a fading tribe but the fading diversity of India, as the country loses forgotten tribes living on the fringes of society.

​

This film is an unsung story of the last of the singing tribe, as they perish.

A DOCUMENTARY ON A FADING TRIBE

AWARDS &
NOMINATIONS

Winner

First Frame International Students’ Film Festival, 2013

Winner

India’s First National Students’ Film Award, 2013

Winner

Best Director - South Asian Film Festival of Australia, 2023

Winner

Best Editor - 10th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival, 2020

Winner

Best Documentary Film, Best Music Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing - Rolling Frames International Film Festival (2014)

Winner

Best Documentary - Big Syn Film Festival, United Kingdom 2019

Winner

Best Documentary - 20th Altin Saffron Film Festival Turkey, 2019

Winner

Best Documentary - Ahmedabad International Film Festival, 2024

Special Mention Award

9th Kolkata Shorts International Film Festival, 2020

Special Mention Award

Big Syn International Film Festival London, 2019

Honourable Mention

Films That Move, Jamaica 2025

Honourable Mention

World Culture Festival, Karachi 2025

Finalist

Afghanisthan International Human Rights Film Festival, 2018

Semi Finalist

Rhode Island International Film Festival, 2020 (Oscar Qualifying & BAFTA Qualifying Festival)

Official Selection

Port Said Film Festival, Egypt 2024

Official Selection

Jackson Doc Fest, USA 2024

Official Selection

Women’s International Film Festival Nigeria, 2022

Official Selection

6th Golden Tree International Documentary Film Festival, Germany, 2021

Official Selection

The Paus Premieres Festival, 2021

Official Selection

International Ethnographic Film Festival, Ukraine 2020

Official Selection

New York World Film Festival, 2020

Official Selection

Human Environment Care Film Festival, Toronto, 2020

Official Selection

Pune Short Film Festival, 2020

Official Selection

Flickfair Film Festival, New York, 2020

Official Selection

Nukhu Award, New York, 2020

Official Selection

Liberation DocFest Bangladesh, 2020

Official Selection

Lift Off Global Network, Filmmaker Sessions, UK, 2020

Official Selection

Ethos Film Festival, Romania 2020 organised by the Bistria Nasaud Country

Official Selection

MICE International Exhibition of Ethnographic Cinema - Museo do Pablo

Official Selection

National Documentary and Short Film Festival, Thrissur, 2020

Official Selection

International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), 2019

Official Selection

Jaipur International Film Festival, 2019

Official Selection

People’s Choice Awards, Big Syn Film Festival, London 2020

Official Selection

Ankur Film Festival, Nasik 2019

Official Selection

Smita Patil International Documentary Film Festival, Pune 2019

Official Selection

Lift Off Global Network Sessions United Kingdom, 2019

Official Selection

World of Women Film Fair Awards, Middle East 2019

Official Selection

International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (State Award-IDSFFK, 2015)

Official Selection

Mumbai Women's International Film Festival

Official Selection

San Mauro Film Festival, 2018

IN THE PRESS

SCARRED

A FILM ON ACID ATTACKS ON WOMEN IN INDIA

Scarred is a film on acid attacks on women across the country. The second documentary all India to be made on the issue of acid attacks and the first to gain a nation wide platform.


The documentary seeks to tell the stories of the brave survivors who are victims of this heinous crime. It seeks to give these women a voice and bring the viewer in close contact to the survivors, while simultaneously exploring the underlying misogyny and toxic masculinity entrenched in society that allow the perpetuation of this crime.


The film throws light on the patriarchal systems -- judicial, social, cultural -- that provide the perpetrators with a sense of impunity and that have through the years allowed for patriarchal narratives to dominate different sections of society.


The film has been featured in leading newspapers in India. It has been running in several film festivals and won all the categories in the Rolling Frames International Film Festival 2016 (Best Documentary, Best Editing, Best Music Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Direction). It was also nominated in the Mumbai Women’s International Film Festival 2017 and the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), a State Award 2016, Zero mm Youth Film Festival South Asia, 2016.


The film was a semi finalist in the San Mauro Film Festival 2018 and a finalist in the Afghanistan International Human Rights Film Festival, 2018.



Scarred is a film on acid attacks on women across the country. The second documentary all India to be made on the issue of acid attacks and the first to gain a nation wide platform.


The documentary seeks to tell the stories of the brave survivors who are victims of this heinous crime. It seeks to give these women a voice and bring the viewer in close contact to the survivors, while simultaneously exploring the underlying misogyny and toxic masculinity entrenched in society that allow the perpetuation of this crime.


The film throws light on the patriarchal systems -- judicial, social, cultural -- that provide the perpetrators with a sense of impunity and that have through the years allowed for patriarchal narratives to dominate different sections of society.


The film has been featured in leading newspapers in India. It has been running in several film festivals and won all the categories in the Rolling Frames International Film Festival 2016 (Best Documentary, Best Editing, Best Music Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Direction). It was also nominated in the Mumbai Women’s International Film Festival 2017 and the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), a State Award 2016, Zero mm Youth Film Festival South Asia, 2016.


The film was a semi finalist in the San Mauro Film Festival 2018 and a finalist in the Afghanistan International Human Rights Film Festival, 2018.



AWARDS &
NOMINATIONS

Winner

Best Documentary Film, Best Music Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing - Rolling Frames International Film Festival (2014)

Finalist

Afghanisthan International Human Rights Film Festival, 2018

Official Selection

World of Women Film Fair Awards, Middle East 2019

Official Selection

International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (State Award-IDSFFK, 2015)

Official Selection

Mumbai Women's International Film Festival

Official Selection

San Mauro Film Festival, 2018

Official Selction

Zero MM Youth Film Festival, 2017

Official Selection

Lift Off Global Network, Filmmaker Sessions 2019

IN THE PRESS

LETTERS TO MY ABUSERS

AN AI FILM BASED ON TRUE STORIES

‘Letters To My Abusers', is a series of films that feature letters written by victims of child sexual abuse to their abuser. The films aim to not only shed light on the pervasive issue of child sexual abuse but also to challenge societal norms, break the silence surrounding these experiences, and pave the way for a more empathetic and supportive future. This initiative, though small, aspires to create lasting ripples of change by not only illuminating the dark reality of child sexual abuse but also striving to create a space where victims can share their stories without fear, breaking the silence that often surrounds such abuse.
​
This is a personal project that started off as a documentary back in 2019 when I was in touch with 7 individuals who were victims of child sexual abuse. I had as a part of the documentary asked them to write letters to their abusers. And they did. Pouring their heart and soul into words that left my team and I shocked for the amount of pain these children had gone through. Due to several reasons post COVID we stopped filming but I kept the letters.

I have since met so many victims of sexual abuse, their stories so deeply hurtful. It isn’t something that happens in far remote corners, speak to the people around you and you’ll realise it is happening around you with your friends, perhaps your family. Makes you question humanity at large. If we cannot protect the most vulnerable and innocent — children, what right do we have to call ourselves human beings.

I took the consent of these individuals to create these films. The letters have been edited and rewritten to capture the essence of everything they've said while keeping them anonymous as per their request. I have edited out sections that give away any part of their identity. This is the first of 7 letters.
 
The film won the Czech AI Film Festival, 2024 and the Neuro Masters AI Film Festival 2025

‘Letters To My Abusers', is a series of films that feature letters written by victims of child sexual abuse to their abuser. The films aim to not only shed light on the pervasive issue of child sexual abuse but also to challenge societal norms, break the silence surrounding these experiences, and pave the way for a more empathetic and supportive future. This initiative, though small, aspires to create lasting ripples of change by not only illuminating the dark reality of child sexual abuse but also striving to create a space where victims can share their stories without fear, breaking the silence that often surrounds such abuse.
​
This is a personal project that started off as a documentary back in 2019 when I was in touch with 7 individuals who were victims of child sexual abuse. I had as a part of the documentary asked them to write letters to their abusers. And they did. Pouring their heart and soul into words that left my team and I shocked for the amount of pain these children had gone through. Due to several reasons post COVID we stopped filming but I kept the letters.

I have since met so many victims of sexual abuse, their stories so deeply hurtful. It isn’t something that happens in far remote corners, speak to the people around you and you’ll realise it is happening around you with your friends, perhaps your family. Makes you question humanity at large. If we cannot protect the most vulnerable and innocent — children, what right do we have to call ourselves human beings.

I took the consent of these individuals to create these films. The letters have been edited and rewritten to capture the essence of everything they've said while keeping them anonymous as per their request. I have edited out sections that give away any part of their identity. This is the first of 7 letters.
 
The film won the Czech AI Film Festival, 2024 and the Neuro Masters AI Film Festival 2025

AWARDS &
NOMINATIONS

WINNER

Neuro Masters AI Film Festival, Russia, 2025

Semi Finalist

Austin AI Film Festival, 2025

Semi Finalist

Czech International AI Film Festival 2024

AUTUMN OF LIFE

Script and Narration

Written by Sarah during her college years, Autumn of Life was one of her earliest experiences as a screenwriter. The film follows a generation of elderly women spending their twilight years in old-age homes, separated from the children they continue to love deeply. Through quiet, intimate moments, it reflects on ageing, abandonment and the loneliness of being left behind. The film received national recognition and won the national students' film award.

AWARDS &
NOMINATIONS

Winner

First Frame International Students’ Film Festival, 2013

Winner

India’s First National Students’ Film Award, 2013

Winner

Best Director - South Asian Film Festival of Australia, 2023

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