Three Indian films will have their world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival at New York, USA. While Geeta Malik’s India Sweets and Spices, and Pan Nalin’s The Last Film Show will contest in the Spotlight Narrative category, Roshan Sethi’s 7 Days will compete in the Viewpoints category.
The 20th edition of the film festival will be held from June 9 to June 20.
The films are part of the 66 selections announced as the lineup. Out of this, 54 are slated for their world premieres. Over 50 additional films, which failed to release in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, will be screened this year.
Nalin’s Gujarati film The Last Film Show is the opening film in the Spotlight Section. It is about a nine-year-old boy in a remote village in India, who begins a life-long love affair with cinema when he bribes his way into a rundown movie palace to spend an entire summer watching films from the projection booth. The film stars actors Bhavin Rabari, Vikas Bata, Richa Meena, Bhavesh Shrimali, Dipen Raval, and Rahul Koli.
Malik’s India Sweets and Spices features Adil Hussain, Manisha Koirala, Sophia Ali, Deepti Gupta, and Rish Shah. The film is a “fresh and fun take on the classic coming of age story, a college freshman confronts her parents’ values in order to understand her own evolving identity”.
Hussain took to social media to announce his film’s premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.
So very happy to Announce that our film #IndiaSweetsAndSpices will World Premier at @Tribeca Film Festival, New York City this June! In the Lead @mkoirala @sophiaTali @rishshah23 @TheDeeptiGupta #VedSapru and me. Directed and Written by Brilliant @shetanifilms #GeetaMalik. pic.twitter.com/BtOmfrG9mu
— Adil hussain (@_AdilHussain) April 22, 2021
Sethi’s independent feature film 7 Days comes as relevant in the current times with the story revolving around the pandemic. According to the film’s synopsis: “As if their pre-arranged date, organised by their traditional Indian parents, wasn’t uncomfortable enough, Ravi and Rita are forced to shelter in place together as Covid-19’s reach intensifies. Hopefully for their sake, opposites do indeed attract.”
The film stars Karan Soni, Geraldine Viswanathan, Mark Duplass, Zenobia Shroff, Aparna Nancherla, Gita Reddy, and Jeffrey Self. It is written by Soni.
The films, chosen from 3,000 submissions, are spread across nine categories. Presented by AT&T, more than 60% of the films being screened this year are directed by women, BIPOC (Black, indigenous, and people of colour), and LGBTQ+ filmmakers.
“After a year of closed cinemas, cancelled gatherings, and virtual everything, it is with joy and hope that we finally invite New Yorkers out of their homes and back to the movies. Immersed in the city itself, Tribeca 2021 will bring once-in-a-lifetime big-screen experiences to filmmakers and audiences alike as we reconnect, re-imagine, and reopen through the shared experience of film,” said Cara Cusumano, festival director and vice president of programming for the Tribeca Festival.
