Award-winning filmmaker Eisha Marjara’s “Calorie” is set to make its Asian premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, with Compass Productions unveiling a trailer ahead of the screening.
The coming-of-age drama, which recently swept Toronto’s IFFSA festival with wins for best film, director, and actress (Canadian film), will launch its Canada-wide theatrical release on Nov. 28 through distributor Filmoption International.
The film follows three generations of women whose present and past collide during an emotionally charged summer in India. Monika (Ellora Patnaik), a stressed-out single mother, sends her two teenage daughters — calorie-obsessed Alia (Shanaya Dhillon-Birmhan) and rebellious Simi (Ashley Ganger) — to India to visit their great aunt and uncle, hoping to connect them with their Punjabi roots. What begins as a reluctant trip transforms into a coming-of-age journey as the sisters discover a hidden family tragedy that threatens to splinter the entire family.
The production stars Patnaik alongside Indian thespian Anupam Kher, known for “Silver Linings Playbook,” Ganger from Netflix’s “Grand Army,” and introduces Dhillon-Birmhan in her first major starring role. The cast also includes Dolly Ahluwalia, a Indian National Film Award winner for “Vicky Donor.”
Inspired by real events, the film draws from Marjara’s personal history. In summer 1985, her mother and younger sister boarded Air India flight 182 from Montreal, which exploded mid-air, killing all 329 passengers. Marjara, who was due to be on that flight, channels this tragedy into a narrative about intergenerational trauma and healing.
“The film serves as a way to mend the complicated fabric of this past to those affected by it and provide a broader picture that leans towards connection and healing by putting a family at its centre,” Marjara said. “We witness a Sikh Canadian family grappling with contemporary issues within walls of silence, misunderstanding, and buried hurt and see them come out on the other side more whole, more centered and united.”
Producer Joe Balass, who founded Compass Productions in 1997, emphasized the decade-long journey to bring the project to screen. Dhillon-Birmhan was only 11 years old when filming began on what became her feature debut.
The feature was shot in both Canada and India, with cinematography by Marc Simpson-Threlford (CSC) and Christophe Dalpé. The film received support from Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund, CBC Films, Hollywood Suite, and ATN. It previously participated in Film Bazaar, as the market component of IFFI was known as earlier.
The project marks Marjara’s latest feature following her NFB documentary “Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen?,” which won the Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short at the 2024 Hot Docs Festival.
Watch the trailer for “Calorie” here: