Los Angeles, CA, October 30, 2025–The critically acclaimed film Humans in the Loop, directed by Aranya Sahay, has announced they have secured two major distribution deals. Netflix will release the film in the US on November 10, and boutique firm One Rising will lead the US limited theatrical release and community impact screenings of the awards-eligible film, set for its theatrical opening November 7th in Los Angeles.
Humans in the Loop follows an Indigenous (Adivasi) woman in rural India who works at a data-labeling center, training artificial intelligence systems. The film uncovers the unseen human and cultural labor that fuels the global artificial intelligence (AI) industry, offering a powerful meditation on how machine intelligence is shaped by the people it depends on. Produced by Storiculture and developed under a fellowship from Museum of Imagined Futures, the writer-director was mentored by Executive Producer Bijjo Toppo, an award-winning indigenous filmmaker, and later helped by Executive Producer Kiran Rao, whose own film, Laapataa Ladies, was India’s official entry to the Oscars last year.
The film’s timely themes—exploring the ethical complexities and human cost of developing AI—have already gained significant momentum. Humans in the Loop won multiple best film awards during its festival run in the United States, as well as the prestigious Grand Prix award from the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, India).
To help the film reach audiences in the US, the team has onboarded Misaq Kazimi as Executive Producer. Kazimi has previously led a similar campaign for The Gardener, a film by Iranian auteur Mohsen Makhmalbaf. “Humans in the Loop has the rare ability to merge intimate human storytelling with one of the most urgent global conversations of our time: how we can prevent social inequities from making their way into AI and instead use it to enhance underrepresented voices,” said Kazimi. “We’re excited to help bring the film to audiences in the US, whether it’s in theaters, university halls, or intimate community screenings, and engage in conversations around Responsible AI and the role of indigenous life philosophies in shaping our future.”
Director Aranya Sahay added, “Having Misaq Kazimi in our team as an Executive Producer is the next big step in our journey. Misaq understands the heart of the film and its social relevance and is an impact filmmaker himself. We’re thrilled to share this story with US audiences and to continue the conversations it has already sparked about the invisible labor that builds AI and an inclusive lens on technology.”
The US release campaign will feature a series of impact screenings and a theatrical roadshow, starting with an awards-qualifying theatrical run in Los Angeles November 7-13 with director Aranya present to converse with audiences on the film’s themes such as AI, global labor, and representation.
HUMANS IN THE LOOP
Genres: Drama, Impact | Running Time: 74 minutes
Country of Origin: India | Language: Hindi (Subtitled in English)
Sound Mix: Dolby 5.1 | Aspect Ratio: 1.55:1
Writer/Director Aranya Sahay
Production Company Storiculture SAUV Films
Producers Mathivanan Rajendran, Sarabhi Ravichandran, Shilpa Kumar
Cast Sonal Madhushankar, Ridhima Singh, Geeta Guha, Anurag Lugun,
Monika, Aranya Sahay
Director of Photography Monica Tiwari, Harshit Saini
Editing Swaroop Reghu, Aranya Sahay
Sound Design Kalhan Raina
Music Saransh ‘KHWAGBAH’ Sharma
Colorist Uday Oswal, Toshik Saraf
Production Design Shubham Solanki
SOCIALS:
Aranya Sahay: @aranya.sahay (director) Mathivanan Rajendran: @mathivananr (producer) Kiran Rao: @raodyness (executive producer) Biju Toppo: @biju.toppo (executive producer) Misaq Kazimi @misaq.la (executive producer) Sonal Madhushankar: @sonal_madhushankar (actress) Storiculture: @storicultureworld MOIF: @museumofimaginedfutures SAUV Films: @sauvcommunications