About HIDS
It all began in 2019 with a casual lunch at the local Turkish restaurant when Aby Rao, Clodagh Lyons-Bastian and Scott Phillips got together to discuss films about immigration and refugees. Little did they realize they would embark on a journey called Home Is Distant Shores. That fall, the festival was hosted at NC Museum of Art with an incredible turnout of more than 500 people over 3 days in October. The audience not only enjoyed the engaging films but also got an opportunity to hear personal stories from several new and old immigrants. Their stories brought a smile and in some cases tears to our eyes and hence we couldn’t resist to repeat the experience again in 2021 and beyond.
Aby Rao
Festival Director
Aby Rao is the Co-Founder and Festival Director who also happens to be an Asian-American filmmaker who started his entertainment career in 2009 by producing mini-documentaries for Philadelphia's WYBE public television. His script, “Parallel Parking,” made it to the second round of the 2014 Sundance Screenwriters Lab. He is the recipient of the “Filmed In NC” grant for his first feature film, “Parallel Parking” which was completed in Fall 2018. His work has received vast success in film festivals, Short HD Satellite Channel and various online distribution platforms, such as Amazon Prime, Rolecall Watch, IndieFlix and IndiePix. His films have been screened at Cucalorus Film Festival, Carrboro Film Festival, Seattle South Asian Film Festival, NC Film and Video Film Festival, etc. In 2020, Aby was nominated for the Cary Magazine's ‘Movers and Shakers’ award for his contribution to the independent filmmaking industry. He identifies himself as an immigrant who moved to the United States a year after 9/11. He sometimes wonders if Morrisville, NC is his home or is his home for now.