ANITA
DIRECTED BY SUSHMA KHADEPAUN
INDIA, UNITED STATES // 2020
19 MINS
Anita, a young Indian living in the US, returns to India for her sister's wedding. She counts on her husband's support to announce some great news. All excited, her family immediately assumes Anita is having a baby, but their joy is short-lived.
Reflective Encounters
“On returning to India from the US for her sister’s wedding, Anita finds herself juggling disparate parts of her personality. Writer and director Sushma Khadepaun creates an impressive amount of depth in this short, which tussles with expectation, identity and independence. In addition to her screenwriting skills, Khadepaun has a strong grasp on visual storytelling - a round mirror becomes a frame in which Anita is trapped, and off-centre placement of characters builds upon the sense of dissatisfaction that permeates the film.
Returning home after being away is a rich theme to draw upon for storytellers. Questions of who we truly are and what we want tend to bubble up to the surface when we spend time with family. Anita allows us to feel the protagonist's pulls of uncertainty, and the deep wounds that can be caused by those closest to us when they fail to respect our independence.
A complex portrait of a modern Indian woman, Anita feels like the beginning of a story that is ready to be told. Khadepaun is a skilful and generous filmmaker with a firm grip on storytelling and character building. Here, she shows an admirable willingness to create challenging narratives and interrogate relationships.”
— Malaika Kegode
Director’s Statement
I grew up in a community with the belief that a woman who moves to America lives an exciting, independent life. Anita is an exploration of this myth of the independent, young, expat wife and the struggle to maintain this façade.
The visual language of this film is rigid and deliberate to convey the increasing dissonance Anita feels upong returning to her family home and the eventual disillusionment of her American dream.
"Anita" is my thesis film for an MFA in Screenwriting & Directing at Columbia University in New York City. It also serves as a 'proof of concept' for my first feature length film, Salt.
Filmmaker Bio
Born and raised in India, Sushma is a writer/director based in New York. Her latest short film Anita had its world premiere in Venice's Orizzonti 2020.
She is the first Indian female director who has been in competition in Venice since 2000. Her previous short film, FOREN, had its world premiere at the Palm Springs International ShortFest in 2017.