Kolkata director Priyankar Patra’s first feature film has been selected for the 5th Red Sea International Film Festival, where it will compete in the New Visions segment. The film, titled “Early Days (ED)”, examines the socio-economic landscape of young influencers and the personal costs attached to building an online identity.
This marks the first time a Kolkata-based director’s film on social media influencing as a profession has been featured in competition at an international festival.
ALSO READ | Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra share a glimpse of their baby girl: Here’s what her name means
Behind online aspiration
Set in contemporary Mumbai, ED follows a young couple named Preeti and Samrat as they move to the city and navigate their relationship, ambitions, and the uncertainties of life as aspiring influencers. The cast includes newcomers Manasi Kaushik and Sarthak Sharma, with Anupam Sinha Roy as editor-producer, Sukrit Sen as sound designer, and Sayanika Mukherjee as production designer.
As reported by Times of India(TOI), the film is produced by For Films (India) in association with Hazelnut Media (Singapore).
The film looks beyond the glossy world of social media to capture what the makers describe as “the fragile balance between love, ambition and self-invention in a hyper-connected world.”
ALSO READ | 'I couldn't say no to his love...', Tanushree ties not in America, but with who?
Executive producer Aditya Vikram Sengupta noted that the film is rooted in the present moment and “captures our times with empathy and sharp observation.” Co-producers Isabella Sreyashii Sen and Olivier Dock said they were drawn to the project for the way it “interrogates the human cost of online aspiration.”
Patra told TOI that the idea emerged from watching his younger cousin’s early struggles as a new content creator in Mumbai. Curious about the growing number of young people choosing influencing as a career, he began exploring the economics and emotional realities behind it, how newcomers secure brand deals, their first breaks, and the pressures they face. The director described the film as having a “sympathetic and lived-in look,” shaped by the experiences of people around him.
This selection follows another Kolkata-connected entry at the festival - SRFTI’s Anamika Pal’s short film “Nipaniya (Dropless)”, which is part of the International Shorts competition.
