After receiving a warm reception at the Cannes Film Festival, 2018, Nandita Das' directorial Manto is creating ripples at the Sydney Film Festival. Nandita expressed her happiness at the prestigious stage and said, "Yesterday was the Australian premiere of Manto. Sydney is the second stop after the world premiere in Cannes. Somehow, we associate "international" with the Western World or the Far-East but often forget “down under”, a whole continent of diverse people: Australia."

She further added, "The Sydney Film Festival is a lively, colorful and a welcoming space.  I have known its director for the last 10 years. Nashen Moodley, the then director of the Durban film festival had invited me for my first film, Firaaq. But this time is special; bringing Manto to the Sydney Film Festival for the Sydneysiders. I was curious to see what kind of reception it would get. When I reached the State Theatre, the venue for the special presentation of Manto, I was awed by the magnificent architecture of 1929.  A mix of Gothic, Neoclassical and Baroque styles, it was the perfect setting to screen Manto.  It was encouraging to see long lines outside the theatre and overwhelming to see a packed house with a capacity of 2000 seats. While it was largely a local “white” audience, there were also South-Asian faces that I saw as I introduced the film."

Recommended Read: For Manto, Rasika Dugal said no to makeup and prosthetics

Nandita shared how unlike Cannes, there is a Q&A with the director after every screening. She termed it as the best way to know how the audience feels and if the film resonates.  

Das was elated to see a very genuine collective applause for Manto. "Today is a sold-out show and I look forward to the screening and to the new questions it may bring with it," shared the proud director. 

Manto stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Rasika Dugal in the lead roles.