Set in the crumbling environs of Calcutta, Labour of Love is a lyrical unfolding of two ordinary lives suspended in the duress of a spiralling recession. They are married to a cycle of work and domestic routine, and long stretches of waiting in the silence of an empty house. They share each other's solitude in pursuit of a distant dream that visits them briefly every morning. Incorporating poignant political undertones, director Aditya Vikram Sengupta creates a stylistically beautiful film that depicts the challenges of sustaining love in a fast transitioning world via a simultaneous sensation of breathlessness and space.
Aditya Vikram Sengupta: Aditya Vikram Sengupta was born in 1983 in Calcutta, India. At a very young age his interests meandered towards performing arts. He started training in western classical music and was an active dramatist throughout his childhood.
He studied literature at Calcutta University before pursuing design studies at the National Institute of Design. After specialising in Graphic Design, he trained himself in animation and film. His student shorts have screened at various international festivals including Clermont Ferrand, Animafest Zagreb and Sao Paulo IFF. His paintings have been showcased in galleries across India and one of his posters is exhibited at the Religious Art Museum, Tehran.
Aditya Vikram was working with a leading TV station as a promo director for three years before he decided to pursue filmmaking full time. He realised that filmmaking encompasses all his interests, allowing him to express himself in a wholesome manner.
His debut film Labour of Love premiered at the Venice Film Festival 2014 where it won the FEDEORA award for Best Debut Film. The film has since featured at several festivals including Rotterdam, London, Busan, Munich, Marrakech & Tallinn amongst others and has won 12 awards internationally. The film also received 2 National Film Awards in 2015 including the prestigious golden lotus for the Best Debut Film.
He has just completed production on his next feature Jonaki and is also developing another feature film Memories and My Mother.