Ritika Sharma 
Modern Films is delighted to announce that the Sundance Film Festival winning feature Girls Will Be Girls (GWBG) will be released in UK/Eire cinemas from 20September. Press and outreach are in partnership with both AR:PR and Media House.
Directed by Shuchi Talati, the film won two major awards at this year’s Sundance Film Festival: Audience Award World Cinema Dramatic and World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting. Talati describes it as being about rebellion, sexual awakening and combating shame.
GWBG is a mother-daughter coming-of-age story set in a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas. When 16-year-old Mira discovers desire and romance, her sexual, rebellious awakening is disrupted by her mother who never got to come-of-age herself. It is part of a new wave of young filmmakers from India, making contemporary, impactful, edgy but accessible cinema.
Written and directed by Shuchi Talati and produced by Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne and Shuchi Talati, the film stars Preeti Panigrahi, Mani Kusruti (also in this year’s Cannes Film Festival winner All We Imagine as Light) and Kesav Binoy Kiron.
Early reviews include such quotes as:
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
★★★★★ The Upcoming
★★★★ Little White Lies
★★★★ Eye for Film
★★★★ D Movies
★★★★ Total Film
“A resonant and impeccably written film on generational female awakening, mother- daughter affection and rivalry, and bodily autonomy, Girls Will Be Girls is exactly the kind of feminine coming-of-age film (for any age) that we need more of.” Tomris Laffly, Harper’s Bazaar
“Adopts a gaze that is unflinching, yet gentle … a boxy 4:3 ratio suggests societal oppression … defiant in its refusal to limit coming-of-age to just adolescence.” Gayle Sequeira, Sight and Sound
“With her first feature, Talati expertly captures the quiet wonder and aching intensity of adolescence, first love, and caring about someone whose dueling duties and desires sometimes stop them from behaving as they know they should.” Proma Khosla, IndieWire
“Complex mother-daughter relationship … confident and deeply empathetic … a world that directs our gaze inwards, its walls brimming with the unsaid history of the conservative dominance only preserved for women … rewarding climax … wonderfully nuanced … unforgettable.”Santanu Das, Hindustan Times
Letterboxd reviews speak for themselves, as shown in this selection of quotes:
★★★★★❤️”When the situationship was so bad it brings you closer to your mother”
★★★★★❤️”Girls Will Be Girls is going to be a favorite film for a lot of people. It’s lovely, subtle, human-scale, and beautifully written, acted, and shot.”
★★★★★❤️”too real for me perhaps …………. too real”
★★★★❤️”It’s so confusing sometimes to be a girl”
★★★★❤️”an absolute banger debut from shuchi talati. great stuff.”
★★★★ “Which is worse: teenage boys or cool moms?”
★★★★ “Why watching international cinema is important. We all share the same experiences.”
★★★★ “Ultimately an impressive feature debut from Shuchi Talati with an endearing lead performance from newcomer, Preeti.”
★★★★ “Beautifully acted. Interesting insight into a part of Indian life and societal norms I wasn’t familiar with.”
“I loved it. It’s permeated by that awkwardness that marks the best coming-of-age stories, the setting is gorgeous, I love it.”
Talati’s previous works include such award-winning and acclaimed shorts as SXSW-selected A Period Piece, about an afternoon of period sex, and Mae and Ash that became a leading Vimeo Staff Pick. Talati is an alum of Berlinale Talents and her work has also been recognized by the New York State Council for the Arts and Région Île-de-France.
For more film information, see www.modernfilms.com/girlswillbegirls.
Release supported by BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Fund and Aide aux Cinémas du Monde.
