Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s inaugural production, ‘Girls Will Be Girls,’ secured two accolades at the Sundance Film Festival.
Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s debut production ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ has won two awards at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Additionally, the documentary named ‘Nocturnes,’ which is an India-US co-production, also received an honor at the festival’s annual awards. The event took place in Utah’s Park City.
The actor-couple achieved significant success with their first production, Girls Will Be Girls, affirming that it strengthened their faith in the potency of storytelling. The film is helmed and written by debutant Shuchi Talati. The movie won the Audience Award in the World Dramatic Entry category. Also, the lead of the movie, Preeti Panigrahi, bagged the Special Jury Award for lead actor. After the big win, Richa and Ali, in a joint statement, said they felt extremely lucky for the win.
The couple said, “We embarked on this journey with Girls Will Be Girls 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. As actors, we’ve always craved powerful stories, but getting those opportunities wasn’t always in our hands. That’s why it’s heartening to see our new actors receiving this global acclaim. This recognition motivates us to continue pushing boundaries and telling new stories.”
Apart from the actor-couple, the director of the film Shuchi also said that directing the film was a deeply personal and rewarding experience. “The film’s success at Sundance is a testament to the collaborative efforts of a dedicated team. Richa has protected this story and film like a Lioness. It’s heartening to see our story resonate with audiences and critics alike, and I hope it sparks important conversations about coming-of-age experiences, that we don’t often get to see on screen,” Shuchi said.
Girls will be Girls was produced by Richa and Ali’s production named Pushing Buttons Studios in collaboration with Blink Digital and Dolce Vita Films. The movie revolves around the journey of a 15-year-old teenage girl, whose rebellious awakening is interwoven with her mother’s unrealized coming-of-age encounters. The movie features Malayalam film actors Kani Kusruti, and Jitin Gulati, and debutants Preeti Panigrahi and Kesav Binoy Kiron in lead roles.
