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About what? In the midst of the 2020 pandemic, Sumit and Priyanka, a young couple, return to their hometown - here they have to survive the lockdown. They once ran away from here together. Priyanka can’t get used to the suffocating atmosphere of her hometown, and Sumit constantly spends time in the company of his friends.
Who is the director? Parth Saurabh was born in the city of Darbhanga, where his film was shot. Studied directing at Whistling Woods Institute in Mumbai. While studying, he made a short documentary about the architecture of a small village in Xinjiang for the Chinese youth project Looking China. Wrote scripts for several feature-length feature films produced in India.
What do critics write? “Space plays a major role in Parth Saurabh's debut film, a treatise of sorts on the relationship between people and their environment. The buildings, both inhabited and ghostly, show clear signs of destruction (flood, fire, abandonment, silence). And in this context, a young couple. The director places them in a special frame created with the help of architecture (window profiles or door lintels) and objects.” Christina Aparicio
Awards: “On Both Sides of the Pond” is perhaps a record-breaking film: in addition to “The Spirit of Fire,” where it received a silver prize, the film participated in six festivals, including the San Sebastian International Film Festival (winner of the “New Directors” competition), New York Indian Film Festival, Barcelona Asian Film Festival.
