Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal's production 'Girls Will Be Girls' wins Grand Jury Prize at IFFLA

Mumbai: "Girls Will Be Girls", the debut production of actor couple Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal, has won the Grand Jury Prize at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA).

Directed by Shuchi Talati, the coming-of-age movie has been backed by Chadha and Fazal, both 37, via their production house Pushing Buttons Studios. It stars Kani Kusruti and Preeti Panigrahi in the lead.

It's the latest feather in the team's cap as "Girls Will Be Girls" won the World Cinema Dramatic (Audience) at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It also received grand prizes at the Transylvania International Film Festival in Romania and the Biarritz Film Festival in France.

Winning the Grand Jury Prize at IFFLA is an incredible honour, said Chadha.

"It's gratifying to see the hard work and dedication of our entire team being recognized on such a prestigious platform. 'Girls Will Be Girls' is a story close to our hearts, and we are thrilled that it continues to resonate with audiences globally.

"This is a third win for the film this month which is huge. The response has been overwhelming and the love the film is getting is truly exceptional. We couldn’t be more happy with a better debut as producers," the actor-producer said in a statement.

"This journey has been nothing short of magical. From Sunburn to Cannes and now IFFLA, each accolade reaffirms our belief in the power of authentic storytelling. We are grateful for the support and love we've received, and we're excited to see where 'Girls Will Be Girls' will go next," added Fazal, who is awaiting the season three premiere of his popular series "Mirzapur".

"Girls Will Be Girls" is produced under Pushing Buttons Studios alongside Crawling Angel Films, Blink Digital and France's Dolce Vita Films.

The film follows the story of 16-year-old Mira (Panigrahi), who has a tense relationship with her mother (Kusruti). She is later sent to the boarding school in Himalayas and explores the journey of teenage love through the lens of societal judgement of female desire, the makers said in the release.