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USA202191 minEnglish Ontario PremiereComedy, Drama, Women Filmmakers

Monica (Sujata Day), a former spelling-bee champion, lives at home with her ailing mother and tutors young spelling-bee hopefuls whose parents hover around, in hopes that their children will follow in her footsteps. When she is offered a dream job in another city, she considers accepting it, until her estranged brother Sonny (Ritish Rajan) shows up unexpectedly, opening up old wounds and familial tensions. 

Day’s directorial debut is a comedy-drama that isn’t afraid to layer themes of intergenerational tensions, mental health stigma, and complicated sibling dynamics to create a touching portrait of a family trying to heal from a difficult past. Through the talents of an impressive cast of supporting actors, Day directs and simultaneously embodies an endearing and relatable image of a spirited millennial on a journey of acceptance and letting go, as she commits to a more meaningful relationship with her family, herself, and her own sense of freedom. 

- Mariam Zaidi

Cast

Sujata Day

Ritesh Rajan

Anna Khaja

Recognitions

OFFICIAL SELECTION

Seattle Asian American Film Festival, 2021

Asian American International Film Festival, 2020

 

AWARDS

Best Narrative Feature, CAAMFest Forward, 2020

Outstanding Directorial Debut Feature Film, South Asian Film Festival of America, 2020

Director Bio

Sujata Day

With her infectious personality and unique sense of humor, Pittsburgh native Sujata Day has established herself in Hollywood as a multi-hyphenate performer, creator, writer, and director. Day is known for her starring role as CeCe in Issa Rae’s The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. She is honoured to be the 2019 HBO Visionaries ambassador.

Availabile only to to Ontario audiences

12 Nov, 2021 7:00 pm

to 14 Nov, 2021 6:59 pm

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Rating

PG

Community Partner 

Accessibility

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