Spanish genre distributor Wild Duck Productions has acquired rights to Indian filmmaker Bhargav Saikia’s folk horror “Bokshi” for a Halloween theatrical release, following the film’s successful festival run since its Rotterdam world premiere.
The deal was negotiated between Luis Rosales on behalf of Wild Duck and Brett Walker with Miguel Angel Govea of Alief, representing the filmmakers. Wild Duck is beginning Spanish dubbing next week.
“Bokshi,” which translates to “witch” in Nepali, has undergone significant creative evolution since its January 2025 world premiere in International Film Festival Rotterdam‘s Harbour section. Following IFFR, the film was recut into a leaner version focusing on eroticism with a sense of dread, in the vein of Robert Eggers’ work. This final cut premiered at Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival and subsequently played Sitges, SXSW Sydney, Razor Reel Flanders, and the U.K.’s Abertoir Wales festival.
The film follows Anahita, a troubled teen who finds solace in Shalini, a mysterious history teacher leading a trek to an ancient site called ‘The Navel.’ The school excursion takes a dark turn as connections emerge between the site and a cult worshipping Bokshi, a feared folkloric demoness.
Shot over 80 days across remote Himalayan locations in Sikkim, West Bengal and Assam, the independent production features dialogue in Hindi, English, Nepali and Boksirit – a fully developed fictional language created for the film by Dutch linguist Jan van Steenbergen.
“At its core, it is a cautionary tale that sheds light on universal and socially relevant themes of women empowerment and humanity’s relation with Mother Earth,” Saikia previously told Variety. “The film attempts to subvert the negative idea of the witch prevalent in society and presents it as a symbol of empowerment of the female.”
The film stars Mansi Multani (“A Suitable Boy”) and Prasanna Bisht (“Farrey”). Harsh Vaibhav penned the screenplay and serves as executive producer. Siddharth Sivasankaran and A. Vasanth handled cinematography, with music by Advait Nemlekar and editing by Himanshu Chutia Saikia.
Wild Duck Productions specializes in genre releases in the Spanish market. The company previously acquired Alief’s Fantasia selection “Nesting” at the European Film Market.
“Bokshi” is currently enjoying a successful India-wide festival run, with the filmmakers in discussions with exhibitors, streamers and broadcasters about windowing a national release. At the Cannes market, Alief reports strong interest from buyers in Southeast Asia, North America, the U.K. and Europe.
The project was developed over five years by Saikia’s Mumbai-based Lorien Motion Pictures. Saikia, who hails from the northeastern state of Assam, previously directed horror short “Awakenings” (2015), which screened at Sitges and Neuchâtel, and fantasy short “The Black Cat” (2017).
