About Karuvachy Films
- At Karuvachy Films, our mission is to produce high-quality films that entertain, inspire, and challenge audiences. We strive to tell stories that make a positive impact on the world.We are a Toronto-Chennai based independent film content boutique specializing in cutting edge documentary, narrative feature films, televised broadcasts, theatrical and OTT content. We aim to produce new age content about our people around, unveil truth and push filmmakers to connect with audiences. We like to act as positive change catalysts in the communities we are based out of and make the world a better place to inhabit.
Our Team
Our Vision – Bringing Stories to Life
- We envision a world where cinema transcends boundaries, ignites meaningful conversations, and shapes diverse perspectives. Karuvachy Films strives to be a pioneering force in storytelling, dedicated to amplifying unheard voices and redefining narratives that truly matter. With innovation and artistic excellence at our core, we are committ
- We envision a world where cinema transcends boundaries, ignites meaningful conversations, and shapes diverse perspectives. Karuvachy Films strives to be a pioneering force in storytelling, dedicated to amplifying unheard voices and redefining narratives that truly matter. With innovation and artistic excellence at our core, we are committed to pushing creative boundaries, exploring untold stories, and bringing fresh, thought-provoking ideas to the forefront. Through our work, we aim to inspire social change, foster deeper connections, and leave a lasting imprint on global audiences, ensuring that every story we tell resonates, challenges, and transforms the way people see the world. We believe in the power of storytelling to bridge cultures, spark emotions, and create a more inclusive cinematic landscape.
Leena Manimekalai Director - Producer
- Leena Manimekalai, Founder of the start-up Karuvachy Films, a Master of Fine Arts(Film) Graduate from York University, Canada, has twenty years of production history with major media brands in South India like Sun Network, Star Vijay, Zee Network, Maa TV, Eenadu, Kalaingar TV and Doordarshan and has two feature films and a dozen documenta
- Leena Manimekalai, Founder of the start-up Karuvachy Films, a Master of Fine Arts(Film) Graduate from York University, Canada, has twenty years of production history with major media brands in South India like Sun Network, Star Vijay, Zee Network, Maa TV, Eenadu, Kalaingar TV and Doordarshan and has two feature films and a dozen documentary features to her credits as Producer-Writer-Director. Her award-winning fiction and non-fiction features have traveled across hundred International Film Festivals across the globe and her daring documentaries have a broadcast history in Channel Four, Al Jazeera, NHK Japan, NDTV, ARD Germany, HallMark TV- USA. Mubi, the avant-garde OTT platform is streaming six of her films curated under “Spotlight Leena Manimekalai”.
Elango Raghupathy Producer
Elango Raghupathy Producer
- Elango Raghupathy began his media career 20 years ago and gained the rare privilege of working in both Fiction and Non Fiction formats in Television, OTT and Feature Films. He is well known in South Asian Film Industry for his several cutting edge Tv productions as an Executive Producer in leading Television Networks Star, Zee and Sun and
- Elango Raghupathy began his media career 20 years ago and gained the rare privilege of working in both Fiction and Non Fiction formats in Television, OTT and Feature Films. He is well known in South Asian Film Industry for his several cutting edge Tv productions as an Executive Producer in leading Television Networks Star, Zee and Sun and in Feature films like “Sengadal the Dead sea" “Maadathy, an unfairy tale”. He has a unique experience as a Campaign Manager for couple of International organizations, where he was leading an entire outdoor broadcast van and a team of 40 craftsmen producing events with multi camera setup. He is currently producing an Independent Tamil feature directed by Leena Manimekalai.
Maadathy
Maadathy/An Unfairy Tale
Nobodies do not have gods; they are gods!
India is a land of Subaltern deities. Each deity has an unique legend and these legends are often interwoven with socio-historic tropes of India.
Puthirai vannaar is an 'unseeable' Dalit caste group, in southern India.Their forced-occupation is to wash clothes of other Dalits, the dead and the menstruating women. This film is a tale about a young girl who grew up in Puthirai vannaar caste group and how she came to be immortalised as their local deity, Maadathy.
Independent Feature Film I Drama I Mystery
Color I Cinemascope(1:2.35) I 2K I DCP I Dolby 5.1
Original Language I Tamil
Subtitles I English, French
I Will not keep quiet
I Will Not Keep Quiet
Sexual violence is not just an individual tragedy; it is a systemic crime woven into the fabric of power and silence. I Will Not Keep Quiet follows the survivors of State, Military, Societal, Familial, and Cultural rapes across the Indian subcontinent, chronicling their relentless fight against trauma, stigma, and injustice.
Through raw testimonies and intimate portrayals, this film captures their hidden wars—battles with fear, depression, guilt, suicidal thoughts, and an unyielding social order that seeks to erase their voices. It documents their encounters with the State machinery, the hurdles of legal systems, and their pursuit of justice, resilience, and healing. Ultimately, it is a tale of survival, defiance, and the power of speaking out.
Documentary | Color | Cinemascope (1:2.35) | 2K | Dolby 5.1
Original Languages | English, Malayalam, Hindi, Marwari, Urdu, Manipuri
Subtitles | English | 90 minutes
Kaathadi/ Kite
Kaathadi / Kite
Desire is rebellion. Memory is resistance. Kaathadi / Kite is an intimate, hybrid cinematic journey where a Tamil queer woman turns the lens on herself—her body, her longing, her past—searching for a love radical enough to set her free.
Blurring the lines between memoir and performance, the film weaves poetry, dance, movement theatre, painting, and documentary into an evocative tapestry of embodied memories. From rage to ecstasy, from loss to liberation, she navigates the storm of generational gendered trauma, confronting the ghosts of history to carve out a space for unshackled love.
Hybrid Feature | Color | 1.85:1 | DCP | Dolby 5.1
Original Language | Tamil
Subtitles | English | 60 minutes
Saracura
Saracura
The Amazon is burning, its rivers are vanishing, and its people are being displaced. Saracura is a participatory climate cinema project that unfolds in the heart of the Amazon, where indigenous wisdom meets a crisis beyond measure.
Home to one-fifth of the world’s freshwater, the Amazon now faces a historic drought, fueled by the warming of the tropical North Atlantic Ocean and South America's Pacific Coast—intensified by climate change. This catastrophe has ignited wildfires, poisoned the air, and shattered ecosystems, forcing remote communities into survival mode.
Co-created with the Quilombolas of Saracura—descendants of African fugitives from the Trans-Atlantic slave trade who found refuge in the Amazon—this feature film captures the lived horror of climate change, where the past and present collide in a battle for survival. As the forest gasps for air, its people stand resilient, fighting to hold on to a home that is slipping away.
Climate Horror | Color | Cinemascope | 4K | Dolby 5.1
Original Language | Portuguese
Subtitles | English | 120 minutes
The Sunshine
The Sunshine
War devours everything—homes, families, love. The Sunshine follows Armstrong, a refugee fleeing the battle-scarred landscapes of North Sri Lanka, embarking on a harrowing odyssey across India, Nepal, and Thailand in search of an uncertain future.
As he navigates treacherous borders and unforgiving landscapes, the ghosts of his past linger—the echoes of war, the ache of lost love, and the shores that foam with blood. Every step forward is a gamble, every encounter a test of survival. In this world of shifting identities and fragile hope, Armstrong must find his own reckoning—before the journey consumes him.
Drama | Color | Cinemascope | 4K | Dolby 5.1
Original Languages | English, Tamil, Sinhala, Thai, French
Subtitles | English | 120 minutes
Love Queen Of Malabar
Love Queen Of Malabar
A rare friendship. A poetic rebellion. A journey across continents.
In 1995, captivated by the confessional memoirs and fiery verses of Kamala Das—India’s most controversial and celebrated poet—Canadian feminist filmmaker Merrily Weisbord traveled to Kerala, seeking the woman behind the words. Das, hailed as the Mother of Modern Indian Poetry and a Nobel-shortlisted literary force, had shattered conventions, writing fearlessly about female desire, love, and betrayal. As Time Magazine wrote, she was “the first upper-class Hindu woman to write about her own illicit affairs.”
What followed was an extraordinary relationship that blurred the lines between biography and self-discovery. The Love Queen of Malabar is a cinematic voyage between East and West, past and present, spirituality and transgression—an intimate portrait of two women whose meeting redefined the boundaries of love, literature, and liberation.
Drama | Color | Cinemascope | 4K | Dolby 5.1
Original Languages | English, Malayalam
Subtitles | English | 120 minutes
Pink Lines
Pink Lines
A screen adaptation of The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World’s Queer Frontiers—one of TIME’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2020, written by Mark Gevisser.
Spanning continents and cultures, The Pink Line traces the evolving battlegrounds of queer identity across the globe. From personal struggles to political revolutions, this documentary series delves into the stories of individuals whose lives are shaped by the shifting lines of gender and sexuality, confronting repression, resistance, and resilience.
Through intimate portraits and gripping narratives, The Pink Line explores how love, identity, and freedom are negotiated in a world where borders—both literal and ideological—are constantly being redrawn.
Documentary Series | Created by Leena Manimekalai