'Girls Will Be Girls,' 'Nocturnes' shine at Sundance—Everything to know
Indian cinema had a proud moment at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival as two films, Girls Will Be Girls and Nocturnes, took home major awards. GWBG, a coming-of-age drama—actor couple Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal's maiden production—won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic category and the Special Jury Award for Acting for lead actor Preeti Panigrahi. Meanwhile, the documentary feature film Nocturnes received the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Craft. Let's dive deeper into these projects.
'Overwhelming response at Sundance has been stuff of dreams'
Chadha and Fazal are celebrating their first production venture's triumphs at Sundance. On Friday, they said in a joint statement, "We embarked on this journey with [GWBG] with courage and the overwhelming response at Sundance has been the stuff of dreams!" "This experience reinforces our belief in the power of storytelling and the need to champion diverse narratives that resonate globally." "This recognition motivates us to continue pushing boundaries and telling new stories," it added.
From plot to cast, know everything about 'GWBG'
Helmed by Shuchi Talati, Girls Will Be Girls is backed by Chadha-Fazal's Pushing Buttons Studios, Blink Digital, and Dolce Vita Films. The story revolves around 16-year-old Mira, whose rebellious journey intersects with her mother's unfulfilled dreams. Set in a small Himalayan hill town in northern India, the story takes place in a boarding school. The film features the stellar cast of multi-award-winning Malayalam actor Kani Kusruti and Jitin Gulati and introduces debutants Panigrahi and Kesav Binoy Kiron in the lead.
Meanwhile, what is 'Nocturnes' all about?
Helmed by directors Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan, this captivating documentary on the lives of moths unfolds in the obscurity of night. Two inquisitive observers embark on an expedition to decipher the mysteries of nocturnal creatures in a remote ecological "hot spot" bordering India and Bhutan. The result is a profoundly immersive film that transports audiences to a seldom-seen locale, encouraging a closer examination of the concealed interconnections within the natural world.
'Nocturnes' continues winning streak for Indian documentaries at Sundance
Nocturnes's win at Sundance marks the fourth consecutive year that an Indian documentary has been awarded at the prestigious festival. Past winners include Writing With Fire, which won the Audience Award and Special Jury Award: Impact for Change in 2021; All That Breathes, which won the Grand Jury Prize in 2022; and Against The Tide that won the Special Jury Award for Vérité Filmmaking in 2023.
