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Mumbai, November, 22 2017: Filmmaker Sanjay Patel’s upcoming film Union Leader – the first Indo-Canadian collaboration is all set to be screened at the prestigious International Film Festival of India – Goa – India’s largest and oldest film festival to be held on Nov 20th, 2017. It is also the only Indian film to be screened in the Cinema of The World category at IFFI Goa 2017. The artful and engaging film has already been screened at more than half a dozen prestigious film festivals including Academy qualifying festivals like the St. Louis International Film Festival, USA.
Union Leader features a stellar cast comprised of Rahul Bhat(of Ugly fame), Tillotama Shome (of Monsoon Wedding, A Death in the Gunj fame). The story of Union Leader is inspired from real life events that filmmaker Sanjay Patel experienced as he worked as an engineer in chemical plants in India. The plight of the workers trapped in an endless cycle of abuse and generational poverty as they become victims of the poor health and safety standards in Indian factories.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTvA25S9ux0&t=1s
Starting the film’s India journey at IFFI, Sanjay Patel, the director of Union Leader says,
In this day and age, it is a sad fact that our labour workforce still works under such terrible working conditions in Indian factories without any escape. Union Leader is a powerful story about the brutal reality of our times, a story inspired by real life incidents. This is an inspirational story that I was compelled to make, shot against the backdrop of toxic chemical plants shot on real locations. We are thrilled to have our India premiere in IFFI with this special film, and plan to bring it to our audiences for a wider release soon after.
Union Leader has garnered positive reviews and acclaims across significant film festivals around the world, including 17th Kansas International Film Festival, 24th CineSol Film Festival and 51st HOF International Film Festival to name a few. Union Leader is an Indo-Canadian co-production by Dim Light Pictures and is slated to release in cinemas across India on 19 January, 2018,
Synopsis: Resigned to his fate as a worker in a notoriously shoddy chemical plant, Jay wants little more than for his wife and son to escape their life of poverty but soon he realises that he must not only find a way to support his family, but also overcome grave social and legal injustice in the system.
About IFFI Goa: The International Film Festival (IFFI) is an annual film festival that takes place in Goa annually. Founded in 1952, conducted jointly by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Directorate of Film Festivals and the Government of Goa, it is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of the film art.
