Geeta Malik’s India Sweets and Spices, Pan Nalin’s Chhello Show to be premiered at Tribeca Film Festival

Geeta Malik’s India Sweets and Spices and Pan Nalin’s Chhello Show will have their world premieres at the 20th anniversary edition of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. The films will be part of the Spotlight Narrative section of the upcoming American festival, which is being held from 9 to 20 June.

The feature lineup was announced yesterday and the festival organizers indicated that live events were going to be part of its programme. Festival director and vice-president of programming Cara Cusumano stated, “After a year of closed cinemas, cancelled gatherings, and virtual everything, it is with joy and hope that we finally invite New Yorkers out of their homes and back to the movies. Immersed in the city itself, Tribeca 2021 will bring once-in-a-lifetime big-screen experiences to filmmakers and audiences alike as we reconnect, re-imagine, and reopen through the shared experience of film.”

The Spotlight Narrative section will open with Pan’s Gujarati film. Also known as The Last Film Show, the feature follows a young boy (Bhavin Rabari) who discovers the wonderful world of cinema by sneaking into an old movie theatre and spending time in the projection booth. Written and directed by Pan, the film also stars Vikas Bata, Richa Meena, Bhavesh Shrimali, Dipen Raval and Rahul Koli.

India Sweets and Spices sees Sophia Ali as a young college freshman, who returns home and begins to form her own identity. Malik, who wrote and directed the film, developed the feature from a previous script titled Dinner With Friends, which won the 2016 Academy Nicholl Fellowships for screenwriting. Manisha Koirala and Adil Hussain also star as Ali’s parents.

Finally, 7 Days, directed by Roshan Sethi, will have its world premiere in the Viewpoints section. Starring Karan Soni, Geraldine Viswanathan, Mark Duplass, Zenobia Shroff and Aparna Nancherla, the feature revolves around Ravi (Soni) and Rita (Viswanathan) who get set up on a date by their Indian parents and are later forced to live together because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Soni also co-wrote the script with director Sethi.

This year’s edition had nearly 3,000 submissions, with 66 films from around the world, out of which 54 will be world premieres. More than 60% of this year’s selections are directed by women; black, indigenous, and other people of colour; and LGBTQ+ filmmakers.

The organizers are also planning to screen films that were due to be premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival but were postponed because of COVID-19.