Indian independent film garners good response in Europe
Director Sudipto Roy had started shooting Kia and Cosmos as a guerrilla project
Kia and Cosmos, a film that captures the story of a 15-year-old girl- Kia and her investigative journey spurred by the murder of her neighbourhood cat- Cosmos, is slowly building a substantial European audience. After a hearty receptivity at the Cannes Film Festival this year, it is continuing its European voyage by heading to Milan and Barcelona.
In May 2018, when budget film Kia and Cosmos took to the screens of the Cannes Film Festival, its makers had their nails biting in anticipation of the response that the film would get from an ace of international audience.
Much to their relief, rather ecstatic joy, the film hailed positive and encouraging responses at the Cannes Marche du Film screening, where the film was showcased when it was still a work-in-progress.
After the mega film festival on the French Riviera, the film, now wrapped up and ready, is being greeted by two more film festivals in Europe.
Kia and Cosmos in Barcelona
Kia and Cosmos, the directorial debut of Sudipto Roy, will be screened in Barcelona on November 9, at the Asian Film Festival Barcelona 2018. An official entry in the competition, the film is among the ten Asian films selected to be showcased at the festival, which will open with Japan’s Shoplifters by Hirozaku Kore-eda that won the Cannes Golden Palm this year and is Japan’s entry to the Oscars. Among the Indian entries, there are films such as Liptstick Under My Burkha by Alankrita Srivastava.
The Asian Film Festival Barcelona will award a total of 15 prizes: prize for the best film, best director and best script for each of the sections in the contest, as well as the Audience and Young Jury prize.
Four nominations at Milan
The Milan International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema 2018, popularly known as Milan IFF, recently announced its official entries giving Kia and Cosmos four nominations. While Roy bagged the nomination for Best Director of a Foreign Language Feature Film, Abhinav Agnihotri was selected for the Best Sound Design, Anirban Maity for Best Editing of a Foreign Language Film, and Aditya Varma for the Best Cinematography of a Foreign Language Film.
The film will be screened on December 2, 2018, at the festival, which is one of a kind in Milan and will take place from December 1 to 8.
Meet Kia and the cast
Kia and Cosmos will see nationally renowned actors Swastika Mukherjee and Joy Sengupta in leading roles
A 15-year-old otherworldly girl diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), living with her single mother takes on the quest of writing a mystery novel spurred by the murder of the neighbourhood cat and subsequently with the help of her shadow teacher and her best friend and rickshaw puller, finds herself in an audacious journey from Kolkata to Kalimpong to uncover the mysterious disappearance of her father.
“From understanding autistic children and then playing Kia, a girl with PDD, the journey has been of many a learning,” says Ritwika Pal, who is making her debut in the film. “From guerrilla shoots where just a few of us would come together and work to eventually having an entire team and going international, the story of Kia and Cosmos evolved just like mine, as a person did,” she adds.
Kia and Cosmos will see nationally renowned actors such as Swastika Mukherjee and Joy Sengupta in leading roles. Sraman Chatterjee and Zahid Hossain are two of the other crucial names to add in the casting along with Bangladesh’s Amaan Reza and the veteran Mita Chatterjee.
The film is set for an Indian release next year. The film will also be a part of the upcoming NFDC Film Bazaar’s Viewing Room for industry professionals and film festival agents.
