Chapters

After spending several years in the United States, the protagonist, a recent retiree decides to move back to India. While packing his belongings, he recollects glimpses of his younger days with his friends and family. As the curtain draws on the chapters of his life in a foreign land, he departs for the airport with mixed feelings. A young Indian couple, filled with dreams and excitement for their chapter in the US unloads their bags from the car.

  • Pinaki Mondal
    Director
  • Pinaki Mondal
    Writer
  • Pinaki Mondal
    Producer
  • Arpita Chatterjee
    Producer
  • Phursot Productions
    Producer
  • Alok Dhar
    Key Cast
    "Abinash Roy"
  • Smriti Nandi
    Key Cast
    "Trina Roy"
  • Sriyansi Nandi
    Key Cast
    "Little baby girl"
  • Rajashree Chakraborty
    Key Cast
    "Bipasha"
  • Samikshan Dutta
    Key Cast
    "Sayantan"
  • Sushovan Haldar
    Key Cast
    "Koushik"
  • Srijanee Das
    Key Cast
    "Payel"
  • Shyam Sundar Nandi
    Key Cast
    "Manoj"
  • Sushmita Barman
    Key Cast
    "Sonali"
  • Arpita Chatterjee
    Key Cast
    "Rajani"
  • Elizabeth A. Kosmacek
    Key Cast
    "Pedestrian female"
  • Paul J. Davis
    Key Cast
    "Pedestrian male"
  • Joshua A. McDowell
    Key Cast
    "Runner"
  • Anuska Dhar
    Key Cast
    "Abinash's daughter"
  • Ridwan Islam
    Key Cast
    "New couple male"
  • Sreyashi Bhattacharya
    Key Cast
    "New couple female"
  • Kyle L. McAndrews
    Key Cast
    "Uber driver"
  • Rashmik Guha Amin
    Music
  • The Mutineers Alabama
    Additional Music
  • Mala Bera
    Music, instruments: Tabla
  • Dibyendu Shai
    Music: vocal
  • Pinaki Mondal
    Cinematography
  • Arpita Chatterjee
    Assistant cinematographer
  • Pinaki Mondal
    Editing
  • Debashis Dutta
    Supporting assistants
  • Vandana Singh
    Supporting assistants
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 16, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    Bengali
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Crown Wood International Film Festival
    Kolkata
    India
    Best Western Short Film
  • Beyond Border International Film Festival
    Kolkata
    India
    Best Amateur Film
  • Virgin Spring Cinefest
    Kolkata
    India
    Best Amateur Film
  • Tagore International Film Festival
    Birbhum
    India
    Winner Amateur Film
  • Black Swan International Film Festival
    Kolkata
    India
    Outstanding Achivement Award - Short Film
  • Paris Cinema Awards
    Paris, Île-de-France
    France
    Best Director Short Film
  • Mainstreet Short Film Festival at The Esquire
    Carthage, Texas
    United States
    Semi-finalist
  • First-Time Filmmaker Sessions By Lift-Off Global Network
    England
    United Kingdom
    Official Selection
  • North America Bengali Conference - International Short Film Festival
    Las Vegas
    United States
    Official Selection and Screening
  • 2022 Film Streams Local Filmmakers Showcase
    Omaha
    United States
    August 26, 2022
    First place
Director Biography - Pinaki Mondal

Although a scientist by profession, I have a keen interest in film-making. For several years, I have been making short videos based mostly on my life experiences. Some of my published works can be found on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/PinakiMondal) and on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/pinakimondal). I had also contributed to the “Life in a Day 2020” documentary and a small part of my contribution found a place in the final cut. Chapters is my first independent attempt at film-making.

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Director Statement

The short film, Chapters is about the Indian immigrant experience. It depicts how we tend to seek and shape the world around us as the unstoppable hands of time flip though the book of life. A younger mind will seek out the fruits promised by life in the earlier chapters, even though in later life the possibility remains that all those achievements may become irrelevant and the mind would turn back to the roots. Through Chapters, I want to tell the world my story- a story of the Indian immigrant psyche.