Sailesh Rathnakumar's 'Selvi' to compete at Sao Paulo International Film Festival

Tamil writer-director Sailesh Rathnakumar's debut feature "Selvi", starring National Award-winning actor Anjali Patil, will be screened at the 50th Sao Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil, where it will compete in the New Filmmakers Competition.

The film, which explores the largely unseen world of migrant home-care workers, will travel to Brazil following its screening at the Busan International Film Festival.

Set against the world of home-based caregiving, "Selvi" examines migration, friendship, guilt, exhaustion and determination before gradually turning into a psychological thriller about memory, survival and the choices people make to protect themselves.

Patil plays Selvi, a migrant home-care nurse from Tamil Nadu who works in the homes of wealthy families. Her shifts can stretch from 12 to 72 hours, leaving her with little control over her own time and life.

As an incident from Selvi's past resurfaces, the film moves beyond its story of migration and caregiving to explore how past experiences can shape the choices people make to survive.

Rathnakumar developed the screenplay with cinematographer Bargav Sridhar, drawing on their observations of home-care nurses who attended Sridhar's mother during months of critical illness.

The women, who had migrated from smaller towns in Tamil Nadu, lived in modest hostels while working in homes that were often vastly different from their own.

Rathnakumar, who himself migrated from Coimbatore to Chennai, brings that experience of migration into the film.

Patil said the film's selection was particularly meaningful as the Sao Paulo festival celebrates its 50th edition.

"Sao Paulo completing 50 years makes this selection really special. It’s a Golden Jubilee year for one of the most celebrated and largest film festivals in South America, so to be part of this edition makes us very proud," she said in a statement.

Patil also spoke about her personal connection with Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles, whose films "The Motorcycle Diaries" and "I'm Still Here" have influenced her since her days at the National School of Drama.

"It would be such an honour if he gets to watch Selvi there," she said.

The actor also expressed hope of meeting filmmaker S S Rajamouli, who is expected to attend the festival, and said she hoped he would get an opportunity to watch the film.

No member of the "Selvi" team will be able to represent the film in Sao Paulo because of its scheduling overlap with Busan, Patil said.

"For all of us, having the film travel from Busan to Sao Paulo is very special," she added.

"Selvi" is produced by the Red Sea Fund, an initiative of the Red Sea International Film Festival, and supported by Hong Kong Asia Film Financing.