Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal’s production ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ heading to South by Southwest Festival

Mumbai: Girls Will Be Girls, the debut production of actor-couple Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal, is set to be screened at the 2024 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in the US.

The film, directed by Shuchi Talati, will be screened in the 'Festival Favourites' section of the film gala, held annually in Austin, Texas. The 2024 edition will run from March 8 to 16.

According to the makers, Girls Will Be Girls is set in a boarding school in a small Himalayan hill town in northern India. It follows the journey of Mira, a 16-year-old girl, whose rebellious awakening is intertwined with her mother's unfulfilled coming-of-age experiences.

The movie features Preeti Panagrahi, Kani Kusruti, Jitin Gulati, Preeti Panigrahi, and Kesav Binoy Kiron.

Girls Will Be Girls is an Indo-French co-production, a collaboration between Chadha and Fazal's joint venture Pushing Buttons Studios, and Blink Digital, Crawling Angel Films and Dolce Vita Films.

The movie had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last month where it picked up two awards -- the Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic, and the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting for Panagrahi.

"We are elated and honoured to have our debut production, 'Girls Will Be Girls,' selected for the prestigious SXSW Film Festival. This journey from concept to screen has been immensely rewarding, and the film's recognition at Sundance only fuelled our excitement," Fazal and Chadha said in a joint statement.

"Collaborating with an exceptional team led by director Shuchi Talati, we aimed to deliver a coming-of-age story that resonates universally. The selection in the Festival Favourites section at SXSW validates our collective efforts and affirms the film's impact. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the audience, critics, and the festivals for embracing 'Girls Will Be Girls' with such warmth," they added.