Marathi film Sthal (A Match), with all first-time actors, to premiere at Toronto International Film Festival

This is Jayant Digambar Somalkar’s debut Marathi feature. The writer-director also co-wrote and co-directed the Amazon Prime Original Series Guilty Minds

A still from Sthal (A Match)

Writer-director Jayant Digambar Somalkar could not be more thrilled. His debut Marathi feature film, Sthal (A Match), is all set for its world premiere at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2023, which will be held between September 7 and 17, 2023.

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Sthal (A Match) will be screened as part of the film festival's Discovery Programme, which showcases the first and second features of emerging filmmakers from around the world. It is the only Indian film to be selected in this category.

The film was shot in Jayant’s native village, Dongargaon, in Maharashtra's Chandrapur District. It features an ensemble cast of first-time actors from the village, such as Nandini Chikte as the protagonist Savita, along with Taranath Khiratkar, Sangita Sonekar, Suyog Dhawas, Sandip Somalkar, Sandip Parkhi, Swati Ulmale, Gauri Badki, and Mansi Pawar.

This is much like the approach that the then-debutant filmmaker Raam Reddy took with this award-winning and much-applauded 2015 Kannada film, Thithi.

Jayant, who wrote and directed the award-winning short Iyatta: Class (2016) and also co-wrote and co-directed the Amazon Prime Original Series Guilty Minds (2022), is excited about the premier of his first feature film.

Speaking about it, he said, "I am overwhelmed and proud that I will be able to showcase my village and my people on a global platform. People who never dreamt of facing a film camera are going to be part of one of the best and most prestigious film festivals in the world, TIFF."

What is the film about
Sthal (A Match) is narrated from the perspective of a young girl named Savita. Set in a village in Maharashtra, the film explores the tradition of arranged marriages in rural India, where the relentless pursuit of a girl’s marriage overshadows the very sustenance of life.

The film highlights patriarchy, colourism, and the social evil that is deeply rooted in society.

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