Sayani Gupta is stepping into a significant new chapter with her directorial debut Aasmani set to begin its festival journey at the 59th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, scheduled from April 24 to May 3.The short film, headlined by Revathy, has been selected as the closing title in the PG Magic Shorts category.Long considered a launchpad for global cinematic voices, the festival has historically featured early works by filmmakers such as Ang Lee, George Lucas, David Lynch, Robert Rodriguez and Spike Lee with Lynch notably beginning his career there. Aasmani is also in contention for the festival’s prestigious Remy Awards.Written, directed and produced by Gupta, the film also features Daria Bedi and Abhay Kaul in key roles.Expanding its international presence, Aasmani will next premiere on April 26 at the 11th Indie Meme Film Festival in Austin, Texas, where it has been nominated in two categories.Sayani, who is no stranger to the global festival circuit—with past screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival—has backed Aasmani under her banner Sayani Gupta Movies (SGM). The project is co-produced by Nikkhi Advani for Sumitra Gupta Foundation for Arts (SGFA), along with Dia Mirza and Ananya Rane under One India Stories (OIS).“The reason I have always wanted to produce was so I could build a community of like-minded people and, together, create an enabling, nourishing space for collaboration,” said Gupta, who has built her 14-year career across several acclaimed feature films and streaming titles.An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, Sayani’s body of work includes films such as Margarita with a Straw, Jolly LLB 2 and Article 15, along with the popular Prime Video series Four More Shots Please!, which concluded last year.She is currently developing two additional projects through international co-productions, further expanding her footprint as a filmmaker beyond acting.