Private Project

Impressions

Impressions(Smaran) is a tale of recollections from three generations of women in India, each looking to learn something from the other. A rebellious woman from the early 20th century who defied oppressive traditions and left behind a diary with her memoirs, her daughter-in-law who preserved this diary and a young girl, who wants to document the lives of these women as women are still absent from the dominant historical narrative.

  • Purandhya Sharma
    Director
  • Purandhya Sharma
    Writer
  • Purandhya Sharma
    Producer
  • Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication
    Producer
  • Praveen Sharma
    Key Cast
  • Purandhya Sharma
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Smaran
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 15, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    945 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    Hindi
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Purandhya Sharma


Purandhya is an independent filmmaker from India, currently based in Los Angeles, California. Her work explores themes of gender, history, culture, and society, often centering on the lived experiences of women. Her recent projects include Dolma, Have A Good One and Sweet Savory Life. Her documentary Smaran won Best Screenplay (Student Documentary) at the 9th Kolkata Shorts International Film Festival 2020 and was officially selected at festivals such as the 17th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival 2021 and the 3rd Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival 2020. Purandhya holds an MFA in Film & TV Production from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles and has studied Creative Documentary Filmmaking at Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication. She also has a Master’s in Literature from the University of Delhi, which deeply informs her storytelling. She is drawn to personal and socially engaged narratives, using film as a means to explore identity, belonging, and the ever-evolving search for the meaning of life.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I made this film to understand women of my great grandmother's generation and to explore the different kinds of freedom women enjoyed then and now. Making this film raised several questions for me on a personal level, such as, are women truly independent today? What are the battles of young women of today as compared to Savitri, my great grandmother, who was writing her memoirs in 1950s? Making this film not only helped me get closer to my roots but opened a world of questions and introspection. It is not just a film to preserve Savitri's memory as well as a world of storytelling based on life's experiences, but also a lens for me to reflect on my life.