Film on Mother Teresa goes to Venice film festival

Time of India

3 days ago

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Kolkata: A feature film on Mother Teresa, which follows seven consecutive days at a pivotal moment in her life when she decides to leave the Loreto Convent Entally in Kolkata and launch the Missionaries of Charity, has been selected as the opening film of the Orizzonti programme at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.
"Mother", directed by Teona Strugar Mitevska and co-produced by a Kolkata-based company helmed by SRFTI's Shaunak Sur and Prateek Bagi, is competing with 18 films in the Orizzonti programme. The unit has thanked the chief minister for providing support for making Kolkata a shooting-friendly destination for international cinema.
The last Kolkata film that went to Venice was "Once Upon A Time in Calcutta" in 2021.
Set in 1948, "Mother" follows a devout Catholic nun driven by her passion to aid the vulnerable. To pursue her calling, she awaits a response from the Vatican, seeking release from her duties as Mother Superior. But tension mounts when she discovers that the successor she chooses harbours a secret.
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Mother Teresa
, the film's director was born in Skopje in North Macedonia. In 2010-2011, she first came to Kolkata after being commissioned a documentary by a European television company.
The documentary never happened but the director returned last year to shoot a feature film with Swedish actor Noomi Rapace playing the lead. Others in the cast include Sylvia Hoeks, Nikola Ristanovski, Akshay Kapoor and Amrita Chattopadhyay.
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The Kolkata leg of the movie was filmed for 11 days across Howrah Bridge, Bara Bazaar, Kumartuli, Southern Avenue, Kalighat, Ahiritola, and at Loreto Convent and St Mary's School in Entally where Mother Teresa herself once taught.
"I was told that filming in India would be chaotic and that we might get only a fraction of what we need. But that was not the case at all. We actually received more support than expected. Kolkata welcomed us with open arms.
I already have other stories I would love to shoot here. The city surprised me, moved me, and inspired me," the director said.
Bagi recalled how a key scene was shot in Nov 2024 in Mazdoor Pada, a slum in Kolkata.
"Just a month later, the entire area was destroyed in a fire. That moment we captured has now become something more than a scene—it is a memory of a place that no longer exists. The film unintentionally became a witness. It preserves something that would otherwise be lost. That is what gives it lasting meaning," Bagi said.
Sur debunked the myth about shooting in Kolkata being difficult. "Kolkata is friendly for shooting international cinema.
Swarup Biswas of the Federation came down to our sets at Loreto Convent Entally to extend all support. Our Belgian DOP, Virginie Saint Martin, was initially anxious. The working style, the names and roles of crew members, even the gear protocols felt unfamiliar. But after the shoot, she said she'd love to take them back with her for future projects and gifted everyone in her unit a T-shirt that read Merci Beaucoup meaning thanks.
A special mention to assistant cinematographer Kenneth Cyrus who held it all together. The support from the chief minister's office, the cops, and the city itself made it all possible. This moment belongs to Kolkata as much as it does to the film," Sur said.