SECOND CHANCE

Writer director Subhadra Mahajan and lead actress Dheera Johnson are available for interviews.

SECOND CHANCE by writer-director Subhadra Mahajan (‘Angry Indian Goddesses’) is celebrating its world premiere in the Proxima Competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2024. The debut film produced by Shyam Bora and Pan Nalin (‘Last Film Show’; India’s 2023 Oscar entry) is the only Indian film in competition in this year’s edition of the festival.

Set against a picturesque winter scenery in the mighty Himalayas of Northern India SECOND CHANCE is about healing, personally as well as on a universal level. It is about bridging the gap between different social backgrounds, across generations, traditional versus modern life and self-obsession giving into nature. It is a story of hope in times of fractured societies, and of unlikely friendships in times of loneliness and isolation in a world where we are so constantly reminded of all things that divide us, that we have forgotten the things that unite us.

SYNOPSIS
Nia, 25, stands on a mountaintop on a winter morning wishing away the worst trauma of her young life – an illicit abortion. She fled the city to her family’s summer retreat in the Himalayas alone. She’s depressed, desolate and detached. The caretaker of the house departs on an errand, leaving his mother-in-law Bhemi, 70, in charge along with his son Sunny, 8. A weathered mountain woman, Bhemi’s days are filled with labour, but her sense of humour doesn’t disguise the years of wisdom she offers while Sunny’s endless mischief forces Nia back into a childhood that she had long forgotten.
As a stark, stunning winter sets in, these 3 souls find themselves bound together beyond age and class divides. Even as Nia starts to smile again, the demons of her past keep catching up on her, throwing her back into the trauma she is trying so hard to escape. Nia faces the ultimate test of love, pain and forgiveness as she struggles to heal and give her life a second chance.

Subhadra Mahajan was born and raised in Himachal Pradesh and currently resides in Mumbai. She has had a long collaboration with filmmaker Pan Nalin, most notably in co-writing ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ (2015) which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival, was Runner Up for the Grolsch Audience Choice Award and released theatrically in over 60 countries. It won accolades for being ground- breaking in its truthful, non-apologetic depiction of womanhood in contemporary India. Other films she has worked on with Nalin include ‘Faith Connections’ (2013); ‘Beyond The Known World’ (2017); and ‘Last Film Show’ (2021) which opened the Spotlight Section of Tribeca Film Festival in 2021 and was India’s official entry to the Oscars® of 2023. SECOND CHANCE is her debut feature film project.

The cast features non-professional actors from the area where the film is shot, led by Dheera Johnson, Thakri Devi and Kanav Thakur.

SECOND CHANCE is produced by Shyam Bora of Metanormal Motion Pictures, India in co-production with Latent Pictures and in association with Bridge PostWorks and Moonweave Studios.

Industry labs and markets the film participated in include: Produire Au Sud Kolkata 2019, NFDC Film Bazaar Co-production Market 2020, Cannes Marche du Film Co-production Day 2021 (presented by NFDC FilmBazaar) and Film Independent Global Media Makers program 2022.

104 min. / India 2024 / B&W

Production Company:
Metanormal Motion Pictures E16 Anandlok, 110091, New Delhi
India

World Sales:
Diversion
220/4 Soi Ladprao 42, Lane 4-1 Bangkok 10310 Thailand www.diversion-th.com/sales sales@diversion-th.com

©/CREDITS:

Stills: © Metanormal Motion Pictures