Buffalo 8 Distribution has acquired worldwide rights to a pair of feature debuts from AK Studios: psychological folk horror “The Exile” and black-and-white silent comedy “Hucch.”

Both films hail from emerging filmmakers rooted in the Indian subcontinent and mark the latest acquisitions for the Santa Monica-based distributor, which specializes in indie fare with global appeal.

“The Exile,” written and directed by Samman Roy in his feature debut, is set in 1960s rural Bengal, where superstition and isolation create an unsettling atmosphere that blurs reality and haunting. The story follows Gouranga on a journey through a rarely-depicted world of rural Bengal described as intimate, unsettling, and deeply rooted in lived truths. The film previously won a prize at Indian project market Film Bazaar.

Buffalo 8 has set a Sept. 19 release for “The Exile” across Amazon, Vubiquity/Verizon Fios, Fandango at Home and Hoopla in North America, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand, with additional territories following Oct. 3.

“Hucch” marks the first feature from filmmaker Thinesh and takes a more comedic approach as a political satire told entirely without dialogue. Set in a small village in southern India, the absurdist comedy follows Ramasamy, a chilli farmer with an uncontrollable sneezing problem who must survive under a tyrannical zamindar who has banned sneezing under penalty of death. A release date has yet to be revealed.

“I am beyond excited about our partnership with Buffalo 8 for the staggered global release of these two films — stories that are deeply rooted in India yet carry universal appeal,” said Awadhesh Kumar, producer at AK Studios. “Buffalo 8 is a beacon of hope for distinctive indie films with their compelling distribution reach.”

Los Angeles-based AK Studios champions storytellers with diverse and original ideas rooted in South Asian culture while building global platforms through strategic distribution partnerships.

Watch the trailer for “The Exile” here: