Sundance-winning producer Neeraj Churi has boarded “About an Intimate Matter” (Ekanto Byaktigoto Bishoy), a Bengali-language queer drama from Awedacious Originals that will world premiere at the 31st Busan International Film Festival.
The story centers on Swarna, a high school science teacher, and her partner Driti, who relocate to a quiet suburban town to start over. Their plans fall apart when one of Swarna’s students finds intimate images of her online and passes them around his class. The gossip hardens into something more official, as fellow teachers and school authorities start to treat her personal life as a disciplinary matter. With her job and her relationship both under strain, Swarna has to decide how far she will go to take back control of her own life.
The film’s look tracks Swarna’s state of mind. In its early stretches, Paul deliberately keeps the sky out of the frame, letting it creep back in as she finds her footing. He shot in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio to press in on her, and set the story in winter, when bodies stay covered and movement is restricted.
Raised in Kolkata, Paul trained in engineering and business before starting out in Bengali theater, later moving into illustration and street and documentary photography.
