Page 16 - Masala Lite Issue 176 August 2025

16 IN FOCUS

THE

Homegrown talent
Nihal Singhsachathet

went from creating stop-motion films at

the age of 10 to finding a home for

his feature film at Amazon Prime Video

over a decade later.

You shot the film in multiple cities around the world. What motivated you to

BY MAHMOOD HOSSAIN approach the film in this manner?

In the earlier years, I was obsessed with Jean-Luc Godard (French filmmaker) and

even the story of Sean Baker (writer and director of Oscar-winning Anora), on how

he started off on an iPhone. I think the naivety of youth made me believe, “Oh, I could

try that.” I was determined to make this film, so I read many books about short stories,
nyone who is invested in the world leaned on my own ‘international’ exposure through school and friends, and it all just

of cinema, be it significant players in fell into place. That had to be the concept for the film: seven different people being

the industry, YouTube film pundits, lonely in completely different environments such as New Zealand, London, Bangkok,

or cinephiles, will tell you that making a good and so on. Fortunately, the subjects in the film are all my friends from my years at

film is a nearly impossible mission. However, the International School of Bangkok. I was able to focus on their strengths as a

it becomes an entirely different, herculean performer, which made the filming more organic. Making this film, in a way, was kind

task to make a decent film with no budget of taking control of the narrative and showing the world as we had experienced it.
and have it land on one of the world’s biggest
streaming platforms, Amazon Prime Video. That’s quite a diverse cast you have. We’re starting to see more representation on

Thai-Indian filmmaker, based in New York, the big screen, how important is that for you being a Thai-Indian creating films
Nihal Singhsachathet, recently proved that for a global audience?
it could absolutely be done with his feature For me, it’s more than just a cultural aspect or representation. It’s about authenticity.

film All The Lonely People (2023), a collection For example, I wanted to make a film about how it really was for me in high school.

of seven stories capturing the lives of people The films we saw of the American high school experience were far removed from
attempting to overcome life’s everyday our experience in Thailand. On the other hand, there are big blockbusters with roles
struggles. I had the pleasure to sit down with reserved for Indians but it feels like they just shoehorned the actor in for the sake of
a promising talent hoping to share his work it. Why? You could have easily searched for a better actor for that role. Then again,

of art with the whole world, and hopefully we’re able to make films now that we couldn’t five years ago. You have to take the

leaving a lasting impression in the film industry. good with the bad when it comes to the movement of diversity.
But it’s important to bridge the gap. All The Lonely People gave us the space to uncover

You must be thrilled to have your feature film landing on Amazon. How did you
find out, what was your initial reaction? the universal truths within our stories—to show that even in moments in loneliness,

confusion, or feeling adrift, there’s a shared thread of humanity that connects us all.
It feels incredibly surreal. I had to do all the legwork to get this film where it is today.

In fact, I’m still in discussion with companies to secure distribution. Unfortunately, What’s next on the credits list?
the film isn’t being streamed in Asia, so that’s a priority at the moment. It’s a funny I’ve got a few script ideas pasted on my wall. But the most pressing project right now is

process because they don’t email or notify you that the film has been released, shooting music videos; this will keep me engaged until I can work on the next feature

you’re left to find out for yourself. I happened to check for it as I was falling asleep in a year or two. However, this time, a little bit of money in the budget would be nice

and genuinely felt it wasn’t real. I thought I would wake up the next morning and it [chuckles]. All The Lonely People was definitely a learning experience, and I felt proud

would have been just a dream. But there it was. It was honestly the most beautiful of what I was able to accomplish without financial
thing. All of a sudden, my work was being taken seriously. backing but it’s not something I would want to endure
for the second time. Ultimately, I want to explore what VIEW VIDEO
When did you know you had something truly special in your hands?
New York has to offer right now. It’s almost turning into

I grew up around my mother watching Bollywood movies and shared a few Hollywood Los Angeles, where every block feels like a movie set.
ones with my father. So, early on, I would always show my work to my mother; she I’m letting life here guide me where I need to be rather
has always been a really good test audience. She’s very stringent when it comes than imposing myself on how I would do things my way.
to critiquing work. When she saw All The Lonely People, she said, “I was looking for

something wrong but I couldn’t find it.” I was stunned. She’s very sophisticated in Spoken like a true artist.
these matters, but her tastes are what they are. She’s not going to bend her tastes
for you, no matter who you are.
MASALA LITE ISSUE 176 - AUGUST 2025