Saila Kariat (Producer | Writer | Director of the Valley), Suchitra Pillai (Roopa in The Valley) along with notables from the industry like Ms. Pooja Bhatt, Dr. Anureet Sethi (Clinical Psychologist) and our moderator, Ace TV-Radio Host & YouTube Sensation Siddharth Kannan came together on World Mental Health Day to launch the trailer of the award winning feature film – The Valley. It was followed by a meaningful discussion on the struggle for meaning in the success driven modern world, the growing problem of depression and potential ways to combat it.
The Valley brings to light a very prominent topic that is very relevant in today’s day and age. It explores the struggle of one family to survive intact amidst a culture in which relationships and human connection are almost impossible to maintain. The film recently won Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival and has been recognized at various international film festivals.
Pooja Bhatt, Actress and Filmmaker says, “I am glad to be a part of this panel and support such a film that creates more awareness on topics like depression which are not talked about in shame”. Moderator Siddharth Kannan, Ace TV-Radio Host & YouTube Sensation says, “To moderate a session on World Mental Health Day to bring out in the open the mental illness that a lot of people go through and how to identify and reach out to them truly made me feel more enriched as a person”.
The Valley has premiered at Cinequest to a huge audience and has since screened at over 18 film festivals including The Long Island International Film Expo, Asian American Film Festival, Carmel International Film Festival, Bushwick Film Festival and Awareness Film Festival. It has been nominated under the categories of Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Editing at fesitvals. It won numerous awards including Best Feature Film at Long Island International Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival and Washington DC South Asian Film Festival. After receiving tremendous recognition internationally, the award winning film will be screened in India for the very first time at Jio MAMI 19th Annual Mumbai Film Festival.
About the film, Saila Kariat, Producer, Writer and Director says, “The Valley is a labor of love for me, and watching it come to life from my script to the big screen has been an amazing journey. In my mind it deals with themes of ambition and the drive for success versus human connection, through the story of a young girl suffering from depression, who makes the ultimate tragic choice. Different people have drawn different meanings from the movie, which has been really interesting to see. The cast and crew did a great job, and Alyy Khan and Suchitra Pillai given unforgettable performances. The Valley has been in many festivals all over the world, and it will have its India premiere at MAMI on October 14 at 7PM at PVR JUHU. It is my hope that The Valley finds an audience in all demographics all over the world and we are fortunate that we could announce the trailer on a significant day like World Mental Health Day.”
Suchitra Pillai, Actress in The Valley says, “A killer cast and a fabulous director Saila Kariat made this one of the best things I worked on. Please change quote given to press accordingly.” Her co-star Alyy Khan says, “Director Saila Kariat’s sublime & thought provoking film The Valley is a must watch for all parents & cinephiles, especially those with teenage kids. It’s a body of work I’m extremely proud to be associated with.”
