Three films from Chennai-based Stray Factory to be screened at NYIFF 2021

Three films produced by Chennai-based independent studio Stray Factory will be screened at the New York Indian Film Festival this year.

The NYIFF, which is being held from June 4 to 13, will screen Nasir (directed by Arun Karthick), B. Selvi & Daughters (directed by Drishya), and Freddie’s Piano (directed by Aakash Prabhakar).

Nasir, which is an adaptation of a short story by eminent Tamil writer Dilip Kumar, has been widely acclaimed internationally, and recently also won the FIPRESCI India Grand Prix award.

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Speaking about his film, director Arun Karthick said: “The continuing accolades from audiences, festivals and critics only validate the gentle power of Dilip Kumar’s short story and the collaborative spirit of our amazing crew and cast who stood shoulder to shoulder in bringing Nasir to life.”

Stray Factory has grown from a Chennai theatre company to a digital content house running a popular YouTube channel, to finally making the foray into independent film over the last few years.

Mathivanan Rajendran, founder of Stray Factory, said, “NYIFF was the first film festival I ever visited, back in 2016. I remember being inspired by the independent voices platformed by this kind of festival. Now, to have three films at the same festival… It feels like I’ve come full circle.”

Drishya, whose film B. Selvi & Daughters stars actors Kalairaani and Gayathri Shankar, adds, “I hope that the film starts a real conversation at many levels about women’s motivations and challenges, specifically with regard to their careers and entrepreneurship. To that effect, over 90 percent of the film’s crew was female, hopefully a step towards the long overdue shift to the female gaze.”