Dominic Sangma pauses trilogy for stone-mining drama at Busan

Indian filmmaker Dominic Sangma has paused the final part of his village trilogy to push a new drama about unregulated stone mining at Busan.

The project is Veil of Dust, and it is in development at the Asian Project Market, the pitching forum where directors bring unfinished films to find money and partners. The market runs within the Asian Contents & Film Market, the industry arm of the Busan International Film Festival, and its 2026 edition is scheduled for Oct. 10-13, according to market listings.

Veil of Dust centres on Nengsal, 35, who loses a leg in a mining explosion, and his wife Ajin, 32, as she fights for compensation, as reported by Variety. The story takes on unregulated stone mining. Sangma told the trade he set aside his trilogy closer because the subject felt too urgent to wait.

That trilogy began with Ma'ama and continued with Rapture. Rapture, the second film, premiered at Locarno in 2023 and later won the cultural diversity award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, while Ma'ama won best cinematography at the Shanghai International Film Festival and best film at the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival, according to Variety.

Sangma is working again with producer Xu Jianshang, who produced both Ma'ama and Rapture. The team is in Busan to raise finance and seek co-production partners, meaning producers from other countries who share costs and rights, plus other backers.

What makes this stand out is the switch. Sangma built his name on slow, village-rooted stories. Choosing a contemporary injury and compensation battle suggests a sharper, more immediate register.

Competition for attention is tight. Busan's Asian Project Market selected 30 projects for 2026, with Veil of Dust listed as an India-China project, as reported by Deadline. The official market list places it at No. 26 and names Sangma as the director.