When a bullied Indian teen forges her mother’s signature to test out of school, she discovers she must pay a test fee by 7th period, leaving her no choice but to turn to the students she desperately wants to leave. This comedy of errors follows Bindu as she’ll do just about anything to raise the $55.75 she needs to test her way out of school. From selling gossip to five-dollar tokes, the journey takes Bindu on a roller coaster ride through the life of a teenager, hitting on the sticky realities of high school life. With a skill for creating strong female characters, Mohan weaves her own experiences of being a young girl growing up in a conservative family from India into this charmingly funny and thoughtful indie comedy.
Bio
Prarthana Mohan was born and raised in Chennai, the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Mohan completed her MFA in film production with an emphasis in directing at Chapman University in California. Mohan was the recipient of the Leo Freedman Award for excellence in visual storytelling. Her thesis film, Turn Around, was showcased in the Cannes Short Film Corner
and screened at multiple film festivals.
Screening with:
The Real Thing
Director: Julianna Villarosa / 2:45
Using physical media (16mm, VHS) destroyed by Coca-Cola, this experimental short contrasts the famous ad “I’d Like To Buy The World A Coke” with The Coca-Cola Company’s most recent scandal: unconscionable water privatization in Chiapas, Mexico.