Copyright Variety
The first teaser has been unveiled for “Early Days,” a Mumbai-set drama about the perils of influencer culture that will world premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival. The India-Singapore co-production, directed by feature directorial debutant Priyankar Patra, has been selected for the festival’s New Visions Competition, which runs Dec. 4-13 in Jeddah. The film marks a timely exploration of digital-age relationships, following a young couple thrust into social media visibility as they navigate love, ambition and economic survival in India’s most expensive city. Blending cinematic realism with the visual language of social media, “Early Days” captures what Patra describes as “what happens when life itself becomes performance.” “I wanted to tell a story that feels intimate but universal,” said Patra, whose previous credits include producing several international festival titles under the For Films banner. The project is executive produced by Aditya Vikram Sengupta, whose films “Labour of Love” won an award at Venice, while “Once Upon A Time In Calcutta,” where Patra was one of the producers, premiered there. Co-producers Isabella Sreyashii Sen and Olivier Dock, co-CEOs of Singapore’s Hazelnut Media, bring global distribution expertise to the project. “Priyankar’s voice is distinct and urgent,” Sengupta said. “This film captures our times with empathy and sharp observation.” The cast features newcomers Manasi Kaushik and Sarthak Sharma, with a creative team including editor-producer-composer Anupam Sinha Roy, sound designer Sukrit Sen and production designer Sayanika Mukherjee. Patra shot the film. Sen and Dock said they were drawn to how the film “interrogates the human cost of online aspiration —it’s both a deeply personal story and a quietly incisive social portrait.” For Films, based in Mumbai, focuses on character-driven cinema exploring intersections of technology, emotion and modern Indian life. Hazelnut Media specializes in impact production with a focus on cross-cultural storytelling. Watch the teaser here:
