THIS PLACE
Synopsis
THIS PLACE is the story of two young women falling in love for the first time. One is half-Iranian, half-Mohawk; the other is Tamil. Kawenniióhstha has just moved to
Toronto, to pursue her dream of becoming a poet. The city is also where her estranged father lives. Raised by her single Kanien'kehá:ka mother in Kahnawà:ke Mohawk territory, she never knew her dad. And he does not know she exists. She yearns to meet him, but struggles to make contact. For Malai, after the passing of her mother, her father’s alcoholism reaches its peak, pushing her to leave home with her elder brother. Years later, as her father battles terminal cancer, she tries to reconcile with him, while navigating her brother’s refusal to do the same. Through two families complicated by love and loss, this film intimately explores the stories of those living in the liminal space between cultures, displaced both at home and abroad. At the centre of it all remains Kawenniióhstha and Malai, whose journeys we follow together and apart.
Title | THIS PLACE |
Original Title | This Place |
Directed by | V.T. Nayani |
Starring | K. Devery Jacobs ; Priya Guns ; Ali Momen ; Muraly Srinarayanathas; Alex Joseph ; Brittany Leborgne ; Janisa Weekes |
Genre | Drama, Romance, Coming of Age, LGBT |
Running time | 87 min |
Language | English, French, Persian, Mohawk, Tamil |
Nationality | Canada |
Scriptwriter | Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs, Golshan Abdmoulaie, V. T. Nayani |
Cinematographer | Conor Fisher |
Produced by | Hometeam Films ; Mutuals Pictures |
Local Release | 2023 - Mid August |
Film Status | Completed |
Festivals
Toronto Film Festival 2022 - Discovery Section - World Premiere
Mardi Gras Film Festival 2023 - International Premiere
Outfest Fusion Film Festival 2023 - United States Premiere
San Francisco Frameline Film Festival 2023 - San Francisco Premiere
News
(THE EYEOPENER) EDITOR’S PICKS FROM TIFF 2022
(AUTOSTRADDLE) TIFF 2022: A QUEER AND TRANS FESTIVAL RECAP
(CBC) HOW COMMUNITIES CAME TOGETHER TO BRING THE 'HEARTWORK' OF QUEER LOVE STORY THIS PLACE TO LIFE
(A CREATIVE EYE) TMU ALUM PREMIERES NEW FILM 'THIS PLACE' AT TIFF
(DISAPPOINTMENTMEDIA) [TIFF 2022] THIS PLACE -- A LOVE STORY FOR THOSE SEEKING A NEW CHAPTER
(CANDID CINEMA) TIFF '22: 'THIS PLACE' REVIEW
(SHEDOESTHECITY) VT NAYANI'S 'THIS PLACE' IS A VIVID AND RESONANT TORONTO LOVE STORY
(VARIETY) PICTURE TREE INTL. BOARDS TORONTO ENTRY 'THIS PLACE,' DEBUTS TRAILER (EXCLUSIVE)