The
power
couple
actor-producer
duo,
Richa
Chadha
and
Ali
Fazal
have
achieved
a
historic
milestone
with
their
maiden
production
venture,
"Girls
Will
Be
Girls."
The
film
is
set
to
premiere
at
the
prestigious
Sundance
Film
Festival
in
the
highly
competitive
World
Dramatic
Feature
category,
a
remarkable
feat
for
their
debut
as
producers.
The
feature
has
been
selected
from
among
the
thousands
that
are
submitted
every
year,
as
Sundance
is
among
the
biggest
film
festivals
in
the
world.
"Girls
Will
Be
Girls" is
one
of
the
exclusive
16
films
chosen
to
participate
in
the
competition
section
of
the
festival.
This
accomplishment
positions
the
film
among
a
select
few
Indian
narrative
feature
films
to
have
achieved
such
recognition
at
Sundance.
Directed
by
Shuchi
Talati,
the
film
is
a
compelling
story
set
in
a
boarding
school
in
a
small
Himalayan
hill
town
in
northern
India.
It
follows
the
journey
of
Mira,
a
16-year-old
girl
whose
rebellious
awakening
is
intertwined
with
her
mother's
unfulfilled
coming-of-age
experiences.
Produced
under
the
banner
Pushing
Buttons
Studios,
launched
by
Richa
Chadha
and
Ali
Fazal
in
March
2021,
"Girls
Will
Be
Girls" marks
their
venture
into
film
production.
The
cast
includes
multi-award
winning
Malayalam
film
actress
Kani
Kusruti,
Jitin
Gulati
alongside
debutants
Preeti
Panigrahi
and
Kesav
Binoy
Kiron
in
lead
roles.
This
Indo-French
official
co-production,
a
collaboration
between
Pushing
Buttons
Studios,
Blink
Digital,
Crawling
Angel
Films
and
Dolce
Vita
Films,
represents
a
significant
milestone
in
Indian
cinema's
global
outreach.
"Girls
Will
Be
Girls"
has
already
garnered
international
acclaim,
receiving
international
grants
including
the
Cinema
Du
Monde,
the
Arte
Kino
Prize
and
the
VFF
Talent
Highlight
Award.
It
was
the
Berlinale
Talents
Project
Market
in
2022.
Speaking
of
this,
the
director
Shuchi
expressed,
"I
am
delighted
that
my
first
feature
has
been
selected
at
the
Mecca
of
cinema,
Sundance.
It
is
heartening
to
see
a
film
shot
and
conceptualized
in
India
make
it
to
this
mammoth
international
festival.
At
the
heart
of
this
coming
of
age
drama
is
a
love
story
between
a
mother
and
a
daughter,
and
even
though
it
is
very
rooted
in
Indian
ethos,
I
am
glad
it
resonates
with
people
across
many
continents."
Adding
to
her
thoughts,
producer
Richa
Chadha
said,
"Ali
and
I
embarked
on
this
production
with
a
vision
to
tell
unique
stories.
'Girls
Will
Be
Girls'
making
it
to
Sundance
validates
our
commitment
to
compelling
storytelling.
We
couldn't
be
more
thrilled.
This
journey
has
been
about
pushing
boundaries
and
redefining
narratives,
and
we
are
hopeful
audiences
worldwide
will
relate
with
the
film.I
am
also
elated
the
world
will
see
Shuchi's
fresh
voice
and
cinematic
persepective
and
some
excellent
performances
from
our
debutant
actors"
Concluding
their
thoughts,
Ali
said,
"Being
part
of
Sundance
with
our
debut
production
is
a
dream
realized.
'Girls
Will
Be
Girls'
is
not
just
a
film;
it's
a
celebration
of
storytelling,
and
we
hope
it
leaves
an
indelible
mark
on
the
hearts
of
the
audience.
This
project
is
a
labor
of
love,
and
the
recognition
at
Sundance
is
a
testament
to
the
dedication
and
passion
of
our
entire
team."