Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s Girls Will Be Girls has been selected for the prestigious Aide aux cinémas du monde fund based out of France.
Girls Will Be Girls, the maiden production venture of Pushing Buttons Studios, a unit jointly founded by Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha, is a female-led drama written and to be directed by debutante Shuchi Talati. The film explores a complicated mother-daughter relationship, and deals with their dual coming of age.
The Aide aux cinémas du monde grant is aimed at supporting foreign filmmakers, who wish to tell unique stories, and it is managed by CNC and Institut Français. Apart from Pushing Buttons Studios, Girls Will Be Girls is being produced by Sanjay Gulati and Pooja Chauhan of Crawling Angel Films, and Claire Chassagne of Dolce Vita Films.
Speaking of the honour, writer-director Shuchi Talati said, “When I got the news from our French producer, Claire Chassagne, I just stared at my phone screen. Getting the grant for Girls Will Be Girls had been one of my goals for years while I was writing the script. But I always told myself that it’s very competitive and we probably won’t get it and that’s alright. So it was a bit crazy to actually receive it! I teared up and called our team to celebrate. So many incredible films have won it in the past, so this is a huge validation. And, of course, the grant money is a huge boost for us to be able to make the film the way we want to, without any creative compromises!”
Adding to her thoughts, Ali Fazal said, “Richa and I are thrilled that being new producers, we’re making the correct choices for our first production. We’re grateful to our French co-producers , Claire from Dolce Vita Films, and Shuchi for their efforts in securing us this prestigious grant. It makes our maiden production an Indo-French one.”
Claire Chassagne, owner of Dolce Vita Films in France, said, “I am overjoyed that the film is granted Aide aux Cinémas du monde, which is a very competitive fund. For me, it is also a reward for my involvement in the development of the film for more than three years. On an economic level, this grant will allow the film to have more access in the international market, especially in France and Europe.”
Producers Pooja Chauhan and Sanjay Gulati of Crawling Angel Films, said, “Selection for the prestigious grant not only gives us happiness but it is also a validation of the path that Crawling Angel Films has chosen to tell strong local stories that connect globally.”
The script was also selected at this year’s Jerusalem Script Lab and Berlinale Script Station. It was also presented at the recently concluded market, Gotham Week, in New York.