Private Project

Winner

As soon-to-be valedictorian Shreya Goswami faces the culmination of her entire academic career, a chance encounter with a perpetually plucky runner-up makes her question if high scores are really all that makes a winner.

  • Tanya Mahmood
    Director
  • Tanya Mahmood
    Writer
  • Tanya Mahmood
    Producer
  • Deepa Mahesh
    Key Cast
    "Shreya Goswami"
  • Grayson Hawthorn
    Key Cast
    "Delaney Cook"
  • Sam Hopper
    Key Cast
    "Mr. Brennan"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Coming-of-Age
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 3, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    70 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.4:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Smith College
Director Biography - Tanya Mahmood

Tanya Mahmood is a Mexican-Pakistani-American filmmaker from Dallas, Texas. Through her work, Tanya aims to draw on her mixed South Asian and Latina heritage to tell stories with humor and heart. Currently a rising senior at Smith College, Tanya is pursuing a BA in Film and Media Studies and English Literature. Her first short film, “Chocolate Caliente”, was an official selection for the 2023 Five College Film Festival.

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Director Statement

WINNER came from my experience going to high school in a predominately South Asian community. During high school, my peers and I were in constant competition over grades and class rank. Unlike Shreya, I was never the kid who was going to be a future valedictorian, but I still devoted most of my time and effort to maintaining my spot in the 90th percentile. However, upon graduating in the middle of a pandemic and below the top ten percent, I began to question: what were we all really fighting for? We were all racing towards the same finish line, but what was our end goal?

I never truly thought about what I wanted to do after high school, and it was only after delving into scriptwriting and filmmaking that I realized I wasn’t an academic at heart, but rather, an artist. I’ve found that the identity I held for so long wasn’t of my own creation, but rather, was the product of a community and culture that always pushed us to be number one, but never allowed us to dream. WINNER is a comedic take on academic rivalry, class rank, and what it really takes to begin finding yourself.