Indian filmmaker Don Palathara’s latest project, “Monkey Play” (“Kurangukali”), has been chosen for inclusion in the Vancouver Film Festival’s newly established Business Hub Works-in-Progress program. The initiative is designed to present up to eight feature-length films in their final production stages to industry audiences.
The drama is set in the Idukki region of Kerala and centers on Sethu and Nikita, a couple processing the death of their young daughter. When Sethu discovers and brings home a feral child from the forest, the couple’s dynamic shifts as their grief manifests in diverging ways. The narrative explores how their attempts to process loss gradually lead them into territory where memory, perception, and reality become increasingly indistinguishable.
Palathara, whose previous credits include “1956, Central Travancore,” “Family,” and “Vith,” is recognized for his examination of human relationships through emotionally layered storytelling. According to the filmmaker, the project confronts parental loss while investigating the psychological aftermath through grief. The film combines elements of psychological thriller and drama with ambiguity regarding the nature of reality.
The cast includes Dileesh Pothan, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Rajesh Madhavan, and Arjun Radhakrishnan. Production involves Kerala-based Artisan Films, Mankind Cinemas, and Guardian Angel Films, with producers including Jomon Jacob, known for “The Great Indian Kitchen.”
The Vancouver Film Festival’s Works-in-Progress program runs Oct. 5-6 as part of the broader festival taking place Oct. 1-11. The curated initiative will feature four Canadian and four international projects, offering filmmakers the opportunity to screen works for leading international industry professionals.
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