One of Bollywood's most loved couples Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal have recently turned producers and started their own creator's lab. The couple's newly formed production company 'Pushing Buttons Studios has greenlit their first script 'Girls Will be Girls' which is written and will be directed by debutant Shuchi Talati.&nbsp; 
 
'Girls Will Be Girls' is the only Indian script invited to the prestigious Berlinale Script Station 2021 - a lab that selects only 10 projects from around the world each year. It is also the only Indian project at the Jerusalem Script Lab this year where it will be presented formally at the Jerusalem Film Festival in July. Previously, Ritesh Batra’s second film, Photograph, had also participated in the same programme. 
 
The film is set in an elite boarding school in a small Himalayan hill town in the North of India. It follows the story of sixteen-year-old Mira, whose sexy, rebellious coming-of-age is hijacked by her mother who never got to come-of-age. Mother and daughter grow up together through the course of the script and their fraught but ultimately loving relationship is the beating heart of the film.&nbsp; 
 
Talking about the film, Richa Chadha tells us, “The world that Shuchi has created is relatable, often cruel but never hopeless or nihilistic. It's honest awkwardness will make you chuckle, not weep. It’s full of relatable, lived-in episodes, that one finds oddly satisfying - like popping a zit. The mother in our story routinely dodges the self- sacrificing stereotype of the typical Indian mom - she’s complicated, grey, and not a martyr. The dynamic between mother and daughter is so under-explored in Indian and world cinema that the possibilities of 'Girls Will Be Girls' presents &nbsp;are very exciting." 
 
Ali Fazal tells us, “This is the first time that Richa and I are collaborating on a film as producers and the experience so far has been very rewarding. This film being our first is close to our hearts. I am also excited that our studio will enter the market with such a progressive, female-led story. We hope to be able to tell thought-provoking and universal stories with humour and love” 
 
Shuchi and Richa first presented 'Girls Will Be Girls' as part of the NFDC’s Film Bazaar co-production market, where they found like-minded producing partners in Sanjay Gulati from Crawling Angel Films, Delhi and Claire Chassagne of Dolce Vita Film, France. 
 
Crawling Angel Films, under the aegis of Sanjay Gulati and Pooja Chauhan, has a track record of producing groundbreaking, award-winning films from the subcontinent which have played at premiere festivals the world over including Berlinale, Rotterdam, Busan et al. 
 
Shuchi and Richa have been longtime collaborators. They co-directed a documentary about adults living with autism and Down’s syndrome while they were students at Sophia College in Mumbai as an assignment. As Richa became an actor and Shuchi became a director, the two remained close friends and often talked about making films together. Richa tells us, “In my opinion, Shuchi is an amazing voice and I’ve been following her evolution for years, knowing that one day an incandescent film would be born from her brain. She is definitely a filmmaker to watch out for” 
 
Both Richa and Ali are known for critically acclaimed films. While Fazal has been the lead in the Hollywood film 'Victoria and Abdul' alongside Dame Judi Dench and will be seen in Kenneth Branagh's magnum opus 'Death on the Nile' later this year. He is also a member of the Academy. Richa Chadha too has travelled with her films to Cannes and been on the jury of international film festivals at Marrakech and Nara, Japan. &nbsp; 
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One of Bollywood's most loved couples Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal have recently turned producers and started their own creator's lab. The couple's newly formed production company 'Pushing Buttons Studios has greenlit their first script 'Girls Will be Girls' which is written and will be directed by debutant Shuchi Talati.

One of Bollywood's most loved couples Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal have recently turned producers and started their own creator's lab. The couple's newly formed production company 'Pushing Buttons Studios has greenlit their first script 'Girls Will be Girls' which is written and will be directed by debutant Shuchi Talati. 'Girls Will Be Girls' is the only Indian script invited to the prestigious Berlinale Script Station 2021 - a lab that selects only 10 projects from around the world each year. It is also the only Indian project at the Jerusalem Script Lab this year where it will be presented formally at the Jerusalem Film Festival in July. Previously, Ritesh Batra’s second film, Photograph, had also participated in the same programme. The film is set in an elite boarding school in a small Himalayan hill town in the North of India. It follows the story of sixteen-year-old Mira, whose sexy, rebellious coming-of-age is hijacked by her mother who never got to come-of-age. Mother and daughter grow up together through the course of the script and their fraught but ultimately loving relationship is the beating heart of the film. Talking about the film, Richa Chadha tells us, “The world that Shuchi has created is relatable, often cruel but never hopeless or nihilistic. It's honest awkwardness will make you chuckle, not weep. It’s full of relatable, lived-in episodes, that one finds oddly satisfying - like popping a zit. The mother in our story routinely dodges the self- sacrificing stereotype of the typical Indian mom - she’s complicated, grey, and not a martyr. The dynamic between mother and daughter is so under-explored in Indian and world cinema that the possibilities of 'Girls Will Be Girls' presents are very exciting." Ali Fazal tells us, “This is the first time that Richa and I are collaborating on a film as producers and the experience so far has been very rewarding. This film being our first is close to our hearts. I am also excited that our studio will enter the market with such a progressive, female-led story. We hope to be able to tell thought-provoking and universal stories with humour and love” Shuchi and Richa first presented 'Girls Will Be Girls' as part of the NFDC’s Film Bazaar co-production market, where they found like-minded producing partners in Sanjay Gulati from Crawling Angel Films, Delhi and Claire Chassagne of Dolce Vita Film, France. Crawling Angel Films, under the aegis of Sanjay Gulati and Pooja Chauhan, has a track record of producing groundbreaking, award-winning films from the subcontinent which have played at premiere festivals the world over including Berlinale, Rotterdam, Busan et al. Shuchi and Richa have been longtime collaborators. They co-directed a documentary about adults living with autism and Down’s syndrome while they were students at Sophia College in Mumbai as an assignment. As Richa became an actor and Shuchi became a director, the two remained close friends and often talked about making films together. Richa tells us, “In my opinion, Shuchi is an amazing voice and I’ve been following her evolution for years, knowing that one day an incandescent film would be born from her brain. She is definitely a filmmaker to watch out for” Both Richa and Ali are known for critically acclaimed films. While Fazal has been the lead in the Hollywood film 'Victoria and Abdul' alongside Dame Judi Dench and will be seen in Kenneth Branagh's magnum opus 'Death on the Nile' later this year. He is also a member of the Academy. Richa Chadha too has travelled with her films to Cannes and been on the jury of international film festivals at Marrakech and Nara, Japan.

Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s first production is the only Indian film at Berlinale Script Station this year

The past year has been challenging for film-makers, who had to battle coronavirus travel restrictions and social distancing rules to participate in what is ordinarily a team activity.

But one film in this year`s Berlin Film Festival line-up embraced the spirit of the pandemic like no other: American director Natalie Morales`s 'Language Lessons'&nbsp;is a drama enacted via Zoom, revealing new artistic possibilities in the process. 
 
The film casts Morales as Carino, a language teacher from Costa Rica giving Spanish lessons via video call to Adam, a wealthy Oakland, California house husband played by Mark Duplass. But a sudden emotional blow transforms their relationship. 
 
"We didn`t know if it would work," Morales said of the film, shot over the summer by a skeleton crew entirely from the perspective of the two characters` webcams. 
 
"We didn`t really know how we were going to shoot it or if it was going to look good or if people were going to be bored to death or if we were going to be bored to death," she added. 
 
Duplass, who co-wrote the script with Morales, said he had been inspired by the experience of taking online language classes during lockdown. 
 
"We developed a bond just through the screen. And I thought this could be an interesting way to make a movie with the limitation of the COVID lockdown," he said." 
 
All of the films in this year`s Berlinale were shaped by the pandemic they were shot during. Actors wear masks in several films, notably Romanian director Radu Jude`s black sex comedy `Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn`, whose characters seem to poison their own environment as efficiently as any virus. 
But `Language Lessons` embraces the lived experiences of home workers during a pandemic year, exploring the curious ambivalence and intensity of online relationships conducted over weeks and months. 
 
"We`re still tired of Zoom, but we`re so used to it that it`s a language we understand," Morales said. "You relate to the nature of that relationship in a way that you wouldn`t have two years ago." 
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The past year has been challenging for film-makers, who had to battle coronavirus travel restrictions and social distancing rules to participate in what is ordinarily a team activity.

The past year has been challenging for film-makers, who had to battle coronavirus travel restrictions and social distancing rules to participate in what is ordinarily a team activity. But one film in this year`s Berlin Film Festival line-up embraced the spirit of the pandemic like no other: American director Natalie Morales`s 'Language Lessons' is a drama enacted via Zoom, revealing new artistic possibilities in the process. The film casts Morales as Carino, a language teacher from Costa Rica giving Spanish lessons via video call to Adam, a wealthy Oakland, California house husband played by Mark Duplass. But a sudden emotional blow transforms their relationship. "We didn`t know if it would work," Morales said of the film, shot over the summer by a skeleton crew entirely from the perspective of the two characters` webcams. "We didn`t really know how we were going to shoot it or if it was going to look good or if people were going to be bored to death or if we were going to be bored to death," she added. Duplass, who co-wrote the script with Morales, said he had been inspired by the experience of taking online language classes during lockdown. "We developed a bond just through the screen. And I thought this could be an interesting way to make a movie with the limitation of the COVID lockdown," he said." All of the films in this year`s Berlinale were shaped by the pandemic they were shot during. Actors wear masks in several films, notably Romanian director Radu Jude`s black sex comedy `Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn`, whose characters seem to poison their own environment as efficiently as any virus. But `Language Lessons` embraces the lived experiences of home workers during a pandemic year, exploring the curious ambivalence and intensity of online relationships conducted over weeks and months. "We`re still tired of Zoom, but we`re so used to it that it`s a language we understand," Morales said. "You relate to the nature of that relationship in a way that you wouldn`t have two years ago."

Shot during pandemic, Berlinale film explores lives lived on Zoom

Berlin Film Festival has changed its plans due to the pandemic. The prestigious film festival was scheduled to take place in February 2021 but organisers called it off due to the rise in Covid cases in Germany.&nbsp; 
 
European Film Market will run in a virtual format from March 1 to 5."As an answer to the times in which we are living, we have decided to split our offer into two distinct, yet related events that we hope will be able to fulfil our mission. While in March the film industry will be gathered (online) and will be able to support and give light to our selection, in summer -- like a new beginning, 71 years after the first edition -- our audiences will be able to celebrate the filmmakers and their team, in theaters and under the stars," Variety quoted Artistic director Carlo Chatrian.&nbsp; 
 
"They will have the opportunity to enjoy the different sections and identities of the festival, to watch the films of the international competition and celebrate the winners in a joyful atmosphere, carrying the Golden and Silver Bears in their hands," Chatrian added. 
The executive director of Berlinale Mariette Rissenbeek, on the other hand, said that while everybody has a "great desire" to meet for the festival in person, the current situation of the COVID pandemic does not allow a physical festival. 
 
"At the same time, it is important to offer the film industry a market within the first quarter of the year. With the change in the festival format in 2021, we will have the chance to protect the health of all guests and to support the restart of the cinema industry," Variety quoted Rissenbeek. 
 
"With the summer event, we want to celebrate a festival for the cinema and offer the Berlinale audience the long-awaited community experience of cinema and culture," added Rissenbeek. 
 
The Berlinale had long been looking for having a physical event in April but the German government isn`t certain of whether the situation of COVID is going to get better in the country.&nbsp; 
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Berlin Film Festival has changed its plans due to the pandemic. The prestigious film festival was scheduled to take place in February 2021 but organisers called it off due to the rise in Covid cases in Germany.

Berlin Film Festival has changed its plans due to the pandemic. The prestigious film festival was scheduled to take place in February 2021 but organisers called it off due to the rise in Covid cases in Germany. European Film Market will run in a virtual format from March 1 to 5."As an answer to the times in which we are living, we have decided to split our offer into two distinct, yet related events that we hope will be able to fulfil our mission. While in March the film industry will be gathered (online) and will be able to support and give light to our selection, in summer -- like a new beginning, 71 years after the first edition -- our audiences will be able to celebrate the filmmakers and their team, in theaters and under the stars," Variety quoted Artistic director Carlo Chatrian. "They will have the opportunity to enjoy the different sections and identities of the festival, to watch the films of the international competition and celebrate the winners in a joyful atmosphere, carrying the Golden and Silver Bears in their hands," Chatrian added. The executive director of Berlinale Mariette Rissenbeek, on the other hand, said that while everybody has a "great desire" to meet for the festival in person, the current situation of the COVID pandemic does not allow a physical festival. "At the same time, it is important to offer the film industry a market within the first quarter of the year. With the change in the festival format in 2021, we will have the chance to protect the health of all guests and to support the restart of the cinema industry," Variety quoted Rissenbeek. "With the summer event, we want to celebrate a festival for the cinema and offer the Berlinale audience the long-awaited community experience of cinema and culture," added Rissenbeek. The Berlinale had long been looking for having a physical event in April but the German government isn`t certain of whether the situation of COVID is going to get better in the country.

Berlin Film Festival to have both virtual and physical event next year