Aranya Sahay's AI drama 'Humans in the Loop' has secured a U.S. distribution deal with Netflix for streaming starting November 10, alongside a limited theatrical run in Los Angeles beginning November 7. The film explores the human cost of AI training through the story of an Indigenous woman working in rural India's data-annotation facilities. A trailer has been unveiled, and an impact campaign will accompany the release.
Film Overview
Directed by Aranya Sahay, 'Humans in the Loop' follows an Indigenous woman laboring at a data-annotation facility in rural India, where she trains AI systems and sheds light on the unseen human efforts behind the global tech industry. The project was developed through a Museum of Imagined Futures fellowship, with production handled by Storiculture and Sauv Films. Producers include Mathivanan Rajendran, Sarabhi Ravichandran, and Shilpa Kumar. Executive producers are Indigenous filmmaker Bijjo Toppo, who mentored Sahay; Kiran Rao, whose film 'Laapataa Ladies' represented India in last year's Oscars; and Misaq Kazimi, who joined to lead the U.S. impact campaign.
The film previously won Fipresci India's Grand Prix award. Its cast features Sonal Madhushankar, Ridhima Singh, Geeta Guha, Anurag Lugun, Monika, and Sahay. Behind the scenes, cinematography was by Monica Tiwari and Harshit Saini, editing by Swaroop Reghu and Sahay, sound design by Kalhan Raina, score by Saransh “Khwagbah” Sharma, color by Uday Oswal and Toshik Saraf, and production design by Shubham Solanki.
Release Details
Boutique distributor One Rising is managing the limited theatrical release, which kicks off November 7 in Los Angeles and runs through November 13, positioning the film for awards consideration. Netflix will stream it in the U.S. from November 10. Sahay plans to attend screenings for Q&As on themes like AI ethics, global labor, and representation. The campaign extends to university venues and community screenings to foster discussions on responsible AI and Indigenous perspectives.
Misaq Kazimi commented: “'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.” Sahay added: “Having Misaq Kazimi in our team as an executive producer is the next big step in our journey... We’re thrilled to share this story with U.S. audiences and to continue the conversations it has already sparked about the invisible labor that builds AI and an inclusive lens on technology.”