In a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, Mira is a successful student shouldering high expectations from her parents and her teachers. But as she wrestles with new desires and ample curiosity inspired by the handsome Sri, she finds herself at odds with the school’s strict rules and her mother’s incessant involvement in her new romance. As Mira strives to escape the watchful eyes of her teachers, mother and fellow students and find time alone with Sri, Mira approaches learning about love with the same dedication that she applies to her studies, resulting in sometimes comic and shocking conclusions. While the film is a beautiful coming-of-age story, the romance between the lead protagonists is a sensitive exploration of female desire that observes how conservative cultures entrap women under strict expectations and norms.
Run time 117 minutes, English and Hindi, 2024
Directed by Shuchi Talati
"A resonant and impeccably written film on generational female awakening, mother-daughter affection and rivalry, and bodily autonomy, Girls Will Be Girls is exactly the kind of feminine coming-of-age film (for any age) that we need more of."
Harper's Bazaar - February 5, 2024 - Tomris Laffly
"Talati never succumbs to obvious choices in her romantic scenes, and the result is a subtle coming-of-age film that reveals a lot more than most sexual awakening films."
San Jose Mercury News - January 30, 2024 - Randy Myers
"With her first feature, Talati expertly captures the quiet wonder and aching intensity of adolescence, first love, and caring about someone whose dueling duties and desires sometimes stop them from behaving as they know they should."
indieWire - January 24, 2024 - Proma Khosla
"The film is one that fully recognizes the power of a lingering gaze, a suppressed smile, the slightest movement of the littlest finger, and one which uses them all to maximum effect."
Slant Magazine - January 24, 2024 - Ross McIndoe
"[This] tale of sexual coming-of-age is rooted in the kind of cultural and character specificity that elevates a film past mere premise into something more complex and moving."
RogerEbert.com - January 22, 2024 - Marya E. Gates
"This film shows the nuanced impact of patriarchy past and present and the unlikely bonds we can form to fight back."
Autostraddle - January 23, 2024 - Drew Gregory
Sundance Film Festival
Park City, UT
January 20, 2024
SXSW
Austin TX
March 8, 2024
Annapolis Film Festival
Annapolis, MD
April 7, 2024
Cleveland Film Festival
Cleveland, OH
April 4 and 5, 2024
Central Michigan International Film Festival
Mount Pleasant, MI
April 3, 2024
TIFF
Toronto, CA
April 14, 2024
MSP Film Festival
Minneapolis, MN
April 18, 2024
India Meme Film Festival
AUSTIN, TX
April 21, 2024
USA Film Festival
Angelika Film Center Dallas
Dallas, TX
April 17 - 26, 2024
Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle, WA
May 9 and 13, 2024
Center for Asian American Media Festival
SF Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco, CA
May 18, 2024
Berkshire International Film Festival
Great Barrington, MA
June 2, 2024
Nantucket Film Festival
Nantucket, MA
June 19 - 24, 2024
Provincetown Film Festival
Provincetown, RI
June 12th - 16th
Cinetopia Film Festival
Michigan Theater
Ann Arbor, MI
June 16th and June 20th
Indian Film Festival Los Angeles
Landmark Theatres Sunset #1
June 29th
South Bay Film Society
Torrence, CA
July 10th
Maine International Film Festival
Waterville, ME
July 12th - 22nd
Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival
Middlebury, VT
August 21st - 25th
Greenwich International Film Festival
Greenwich, CT
September 5th
DC South Asian Film Festival
Washington D.C.
September 13th - 15th
Vancouver International Film Festival
Vancouver, Canada
September 13th - 19th
Marquee Arts
Ann Arbor Michigan
September 18th
Nashville Film Festival
Nashville, TN
September 19th - 25th
The Coolidge
Boston, MA
September 20th-26th
The Dundee
Omaha, NE
September 20th - 26th
The Roxie
San Francisco
September 20th - 26th
The Main
Minneapolis/St. Paul
September 20th - 26th
Chicago South Asian Film Festival
Chicago
September 22
Closing Night Film!
Screenshot Asia Film Festival
Pittsburgh, PA
September 25th - 27th
Film Forum
New York, NY
September 13th - 26th
Extended Until October 3rd
The Nuart
Los Angeles
September 27th - October 3rd
Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle
September 17th - October 3rd
TIFF Light Box
Toronto
September 27th - October 3rd
E! Street
Washington D.C.
September 27th - October 3rd
ByTowne Cinema
Ottawa, OT
September 27th - October 3rd
Angelika Dallas
Dallas, TV
September 27th - October 3rd
The Avon
Providence, RI
October 18th - October 24th
The Screening Room at 1313
Wilmington, DE
October 4th - 10th
Riviera Theater
Santa Barbara, CA
Opens October 4th
Hawaii International Film Festival
Hawaii
October 2nd - 12th
Glendale Theater
Los Angeles
October 4th - 10th
Gene Siskel Theater
Chicago, IL
October 4th - 10th
Mary D. Fisher
Sedona, AZ
October 4th - 10th
Landmark Westwood
Los Angeles, CA
Opens October 4th
South Asian Film Festival at the Enzian Theater
Maitland, FL
October 5th
Portland Museum of Art
Portland, ME
October 11th - 13th
Cornell Cinema
Ithaca, NY
Thursday, October 3 and Saturday, October 19
The Gateway
Columbus, OH
October 11th - 17th
Mayfair Theatre
Ottawa, ON
October 11th - 17th
Philadelphia Film Society
Philadelphia
October 17th - 27th
Amherst Cinema
Amherst, MA
October 20th-26th
St Johns Women’s International Film Festival
St. John’s, New Foundland
October 22 - 26th
The Flix
Boise, ID
October 25th - 31st
Fairhope Film Festival
Fairhope, AL
November 7 - 10
22nd Annual Regent Park Film Festival
Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas St. East Toronto, ON, Canada
December 1st
Mostly British Film Festival
San Francisco, CA
February 6th
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