Deaf to Happiness, 70min., India
Directed by Dhruv Vyas
A writer is trapped in a world where time is broken, memories do not exist, and nothing feels real. His hand moves against his will, endlessly writing something unseen while his mind fights for meaning. Desperate, he begins writing a story, one that must not end in tragedy.

https://www.instagram.com/deaftohappinessfilm/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Loneliness and a hunger to stretch the boundaries I was confined in. I have always been a timid and anxious person. I struggled to even voice what I wished, let alone do the things that would make me happy. In 2020, I decided that it’s enough I made a promise to myself that I would explore what I am capable of and reject whatever the inner critic inside of me shouted. I started teaching myself all things creativity while fighting my thoughts and slowly realised that maybe I can do something big, and that was making an entire movie alone. And I did it.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

Over the course of 11 months. I began writing in February 2024 and finished the film on January 23, 2025

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Dreadful Self-Discovery

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Myself. I thought making a movie alone would be the easiest thing for me since I had intense anxiety, and working with people, especially creatively, frightened me, but it turned out to be much scarier to do it alone. I had no one I could share my ideas with or brainstorm with, I had no way to know what I was doing and every single day of the shoot, I had to fight myself and my thoughts to shoot that scene because I had to develop self-belief; if I didn’t, then the film wouldn’t have been completed.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

It brought immense joy to my surreal heart! I loved how the audience caught on to a lot of things about the film and also acknowledged the film’s very un-mainstream approach to storytelling. I legit shouted with joy when the last person in the feedback video said that ‘deaf to happiness’ also sounds like ‘death to happiness’ and I LOVED THAT sooo much. It was a small detail that I thought wouldn’t be noticed.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I think when I first saw David Lynch’s work a few years back but I was not confident. But around 2021, I saw Bo Burnham’s ‘Inside’ a musical film he made entirely alone during the pandemic. After watching that I knew I could do something like that too.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

I’d say ‘Amélie’, that movie made the introvert in me feel seen back in my teenage years. That is probably the only film that I have watched countless times.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

I am fairly new to this entire thing to be honest. I don’t believe I have the expertise or the knowledge to help with this but I do appreciate what you guys are doing, helping filmmakers like me showcase our work. I appreciate this a lot!

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

Filmfreeway has been amazing!! I can monitor everything from here and I feel secure that my film is safely uploaded here.

10. What is your favorite meal? I love experimental food hehe or any kind of food that is spicy and have strong flavours. One of the famous stre
12. What is next for you? A new film?

YES, a couple of features, shorts and one television series, if possible. I have soooo many ideas to the point that I feel like my entire lifetime won’t be enough to execute and bring them all to fruition.