Asha Magrati as Maya inside the gas station | image: screenshot from official video clip
Deepak Rauniyar and Asha Magrati’s short film Private Property has secured international sales representation from Parallax Films ahead of its world premiere at the 79th Locarno Film Festival, adding fresh industry momentum to the Nepali-linked production.
The 18-minute social thriller will screen in Pardi di Domani – Concorso Corti d’Autore, Locarno’s competition for short and medium-length works by established filmmakers. It will compete for the Pardino d’Oro for Best Auteur Short Film and is also among the six titles from the section selected for consideration for the festival’s Pardo for Change Award.
The new development follows Glamour Nepal’s earlier report confirming that Private Property had been selected for the prestigious Swiss festival. Its partnership with Parallax Films now gives the project an international sales company to introduce it to festival programmers, distributors and potential theatrical or streaming partners.
A tense encounter between two outsiders
Shot in English and Nepali, Private Property is set during an overnight shift at a gas station in the United States.
The story centres on Maya, a Nepali immigrant trying to build a future, and Danny, an unhoused Black veteran searching for warmth and shelter. When both struggle over the same limited space, the confrontation gradually escalates, pushing Maya to seek help from the law before reaching for a gun (Scroll to the end of this article to watch the first clip from Private Property).
Locarno’s official synopsis presents the two characters as outsiders whose need for safety and belonging places them in direct conflict. The film is an international co-production involving the United States, Nepal, France and Australia.
Rauniyar wrote the screenplay with Asha Magrati, who also produced the short and stars as Maya.
Speaking to Variety, Magrati said the character required her to move beyond her own instincts and personal experience. She described that difficulty as one of the reasons the role interested her, arguing that curiosity about unfamiliar lives remains central to both filmmaking and performance.
Parallax plans an international festival campaign
Parallax Films co-founder and head of international sales Cao Liuying described Private Property as a tightly constructed social thriller offering an uncommon perspective on contemporary America.
According to Variety, Parallax believes the film challenges familiar screen narratives surrounding immigrants rather than delivering the kind of character journey audiences may expect. The company is preparing a significant festival campaign, while possible theatrical and streaming collaborations are being discussed.
Those distribution conversations have not yet resulted in any publicly announced platform or release deal.
Rauniyar welcomed Parallax’s involvement, praising the company’s taste and track record. He said discussions about the film’s international strategy were already underway and that the filmmakers planned to meet the sales team in Locarno to advance those plans.
Asha Magrati leads the cast
Magrati is joined on screen by Nick Sencey, Hem Thapa, Nicole McCarty, Joe McAlear and Tylar McCarty.
The official Locarno credits list Magrati, Kiersten Houser, Kim Carr and Sheldon Chau as producers. Chau also served as cinematographer, while J. Him Lee edited the film. The festival page credits Aadi Films as the principal production company, with Salt for Sugar Films and Screenxcope as co-producers and Parallax Films handling international sales.
The Variety report additionally names Rajendra Thakurathi among the co-producers, David Barker and Shruti Ganguly as executive producers, Vivek Maddala as composer and Dog-Eared Pictures among the companies attached to the project.
A significant Locarno milestone
Although Rauniyar and Magrati have longstanding links to Locarno, Private Property marks Rauniyar’s first film in the festival’s official selection.
Their first two features, Highway and White Sun, were previously presented through Locarno’s Open Doors programme, which supports filmmakers and projects from underrepresented regions. Rauniyar also served on a festival jury in 2018.
His wider festival journey includes screenings at Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Busan and Sydney. White Sun won the Interfilm Award at Venice in 2016 and later represented Nepal in the race for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His 2024 feature Pooja, Sir premiered in the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival.
What the sales deal means for the film
For a short film, international sales representation can provide access to festivals, broadcasters, curated theatrical programmes and streaming buyers that may otherwise be difficult to reach.
Parallax’s involvement therefore gives Private Property a stronger commercial and festival-facing platform before its first public screening.
The official Locarno schedule lists screenings on August 8, 9 and 10, with the first presentation taking place at La Sala.
The film arrives at Locarno not only as a new work from one of Nepal’s most internationally visible filmmakers, but also as a story engaging with immigration, race, homelessness, fear and the search for belonging in present-day America.
A first clip from Private Property has also been released ahead of the premiere, offering audiences an early look at Magrati’s performance and the film’s tense gas-station setting.
Watch the Official Video Clip:
