Reema Sengupta's "Counterfeit Kunkoo" has made it to the 2018 Sundance Film Festival line-up. She says it feels "surreal that the world is taking notice of such a small indie short film".
The 2018 edition of the film has introduced a new Indie Episodic section showcasing independent work in TV and serialised storytelling. The 2018 Sundance film festival will run from January 18-28.
"Counterfeit Kunkoo" has been selected in the Indie Episodic section. It is the only film (feature or short) representing India at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, read a statement.
"It feels really surreal that the world is taking notice of a small indie short film we made hustling in some claustrophobic lanes of Mumbai. We are the official selection in the International Narrative Shorts competition. Sundance will be the world premiere of the short film," Sengupta said.
She added: "We're absolutely thrilled! This is a huge deal! Sundance is one of the largest and most selective film festivals in the world. This year, out of 9000 short film entries, they chose less than 1 per cent - only 69 shorts. Also, 'Counterfeit Kunkoo' is the first Indian fiction short to be an official selection at Sundance in 15 years. We're also the second Indian fiction short to get selected to Sundance ever.. The pride of representing India is immense, as is the responsibility."
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"Counterfeit Kunkoo", a project of Catnip Productions, talks about housing discrimination, marital rape and reclaiming one's sexuality. The 15-minute film is an intimate perspective on the idiosyncrasies that come with the misogyny that seeps into our everyday lives.
Kunal Punjabi, co-producer, also said: "It was unreal to see the passion with which Reema - the writer, director and editor of the film - approached every aspect of the short film. The emotional stakes were high and the shooting conditions very difficult.
"It was also an absolute pleasure to see so many people coming together and helping with the film, only out of the faith they had in Reema's vision. We couldn't be happier to see a small Indian short film get recognised on such an enormous scale, and hope it'll inspire more young filmmakers to push themselves."
--IANS
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