‘Girls Will Be Girls’ an Indian film wins the Audience Award and Lead actor Panigrahi gets the Jury Award for Acting
Our Bureau
Park City, UT
For the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, the jury and audience award-winning films were announced, recently during a ceremony at The Ray Theatre in Park City. The Awards Ceremony was held 2 days before the conclusion of the Festival, taking place January 18–28, 2024, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with a selection of titles available online nationwide from January 25–28, 2024.
This year marks the 40th edition of the Festival, bringing together audiences in Utah and beyond to celebrate Sundance’s rich history of supporting engaging new stories and groundbreaking independent artists. Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute said, “We congratulate all of our artists in the program this year for their contributions to an incredible slate and Festival experience. It was a joy to hear from audiences that were encountering stories that entertained, moved and challenged them.”
The Audience Award in the category of World Cinema Dramatic was awarded to Girls Will Be Girls / India, France, Norway (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Shuchi Talati, Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne). This film is set in a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, where a 16-year-old Mira discovers desire and romance. But her sexual, rebellious awakening is disrupted by her mother who never got to come of age herself. The film cast includes Preeti Panigrahi, Kani Kusruti, Kesav Binoy Kiron.
Moreover, a World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting was presented to Preeti Panigrahi, the lead actor for “Girls Will Be Girls.” The Jury was impressed with her luminous performance, completely moved and surprised, bringing to life a character with intelligence and vulnerability. In a film that dared to explore young female sexuality and agency with frankness and sweetness, this performance was delicate, uncompromising, and unforgettable.
The Sundance Film Festival, a program of the nonprofit, Sundance Institute, is the pre-eminent gathering of original storytellers and audiences seeking new voices and fresh perspectives. Since 1985, hundreds of films launched at the Festival have gone on to gain critical acclaim and reach new audiences worldwide, as per the release.
