Shalini Adnani's debut feature Our Share of Sand has been selected for the 41st Venice Critics' Week (Settimana Internazionale della Critica), the independent sidebar of the Venice International Film Festival dedicated to first features. The India-UK-Greece co-production is one of seven debut films selected for the competition and will have its world premiere during the festival in September.
Set in rural India, Our Share of Sand follows 12-year-old Maya, who returns with her mother to reconnect with her estranged father, a businessman involved in the sand-mining industry. After a tragic accident, Maya becomes a key witness in a police investigation, forcing her to confront questions of loyalty, truth and the environmental cost of illegal mining.
The film is written and directed by Shalini Adnani, a Chilean-born, London-based filmmaker of Indian origin. Her short film White Ant premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Our Share of Sand is backed by the BFI and Film4 and stars Maya Mehta, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Ellora Torchia, Krish Raj More, Ravi Patil and Jyoti Dogra. The film is produced by Fifth Mirror Pictures, Suitable Pictures and Heretic, with Global Constellation handling international sales.
Organised by the Italian National Union of Film Critics, Venice Critics' Week is one of the world's leading showcases for first-time feature filmmakers. Running alongside the Venice International Film Festival, it has launched the careers of numerous acclaimed directors by spotlighting bold new voices in world cinema.
