She's better known for her poetry and music, but Shomshuklla Das' shot at a feature length film has added 'direction' to both her repertoire and her creative growth. Sandcastle, whioch is bothh written and helmed by her, examines the life of a middle class married in search of her identity. "It's a script-heavy film. What else can you expect from a poet and theatre person? I have stories to tell" says Shomshuklla. Having acted in several plays she is no stranger to theater, which is why casting was a cinch - most of the actors are stage veterans. After gathering attention at several film festivals and picking up the Best Cinematography Award at the Tenerife International Film Festival in London last year, Sandcastle has now been nominated at the Madrid Film Festival for the Best story, Best Foreign Language Feature Film and the Best Director.
But what should give hope to talented but niche filmakers is the fact that it is all set for a commercial release on March 14 across six cities - Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Banglore, Pune and Ahmedabad. Statistics suggest that barely seven percent of film directors in the world are women, and she says the achievement feels like a warm hug at the end of an exceptionally long and arduos journey. "I can only say that God has been very kind..."
