First World

2025 · 15 min

Ruhi, a young Delhi woman struggles to express herself in Hollywood with the same joy and exuberance of the early Indian films she and her mother loved to watch. At last she is offered an audition for a Delhi woman in a lucrative series. When the white American director tells her that her skin tone and voice aren’t authentic, she finds her voice and asserts her identity. In refusing to become a stereotype, she preserves a loving relationship with her mother and her best friend, and even paves her way for a second chance at the part. “First World” explores how we express our cultural and gender identities and misunderstand even those we are closest to.

Directed by Ritendra Datta