Riding high, having recently landed her very first job in America, Anita returns to India to attend her sister’s wedding. With her supportive husband by her side, and an exciting, independent life in New York, she knows she will be the source of admiration and maybe even some jealousy. But her pride quickly turns to disillusionment when eyes start to roll and daggers of insults abound, and soon, Anita will have to face the cracks in her picture-perfect life.

Aditi Vasudev’s (TARA VERSUS, IFFLA 2018) captivating performance makes an indelible mark in this quietly penetrating character study of a hip NRI couple who has moved miles away from the oppressive gender dynamics of the homeland. Committed to exploring the existential threat of female empowerment to the destructive forces of patriarchy, Sushma Khadepaun pushes her characters to their breaking points, where they have no choice but to shed their seemly armors and reveal their raw selves, in all their vulnerability and ugliness. Her astute lens patiently lingers on what is often left unseen, asking us to consider how deep the roots of patriarchal oppression lie and what it will take to weed them out.

Showcasing a singular emerging filmmaker, this Columbia University graduate thesis film had its world premiere at the 2020 Venice Biennale.

DIRECTOR

Born and raised in India, Sushma is a writer/director based in New York. Her latest short film ANITA had its world premiere in Venice's Orizzonti 2020. She is the first Indian female director who has been in competition in Venice since 2000. Her previous short film, FOREN, had its world premiere at the Palm Springs International ShortFest in 2017.