New York Film Academy (NYFA) Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Prarthana Mohan recently won the Indiana Spotlight Award for Best Director at the Heartland International Film Festival for her film The MisEducation of Bindu; NYFA Los Angeles Chair of Filmmaking Ed Timpe co-produced the film.
The feature-length comedy tells the story of a bullied high school sophomore from India who must seek help from her classmates after forging her mother’s signature to test out of high school and discovering the test has a fee she cannot afford. The film co-stars Priyanka Bose, Megan Suri, and David Arquette (Scream, Never Been Kissed.)
The MisEducation of Bindi was executive produced by the Duplass Brothers (Togetherness, Room 104) and was directed by Mohan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kay Tuxford and co-produced the film with Ed Timpe.
The production was shot in Indiana, where Timpe went to school, and is tied deeply to the community. “We really want to take the film back to Indiana,” Mohan tells IndyStar. “We want to take it back to Indianapolis and the communities nearby because they were so gracious and kind and welcoming.”
The film screened at the state’s 28th annual Heartland International Film Festival, Indiana’s largest and longest-running fest. This year’s festival, which ran from October 10 – 20, featured more than 100 independent films, 200 visiting filmmakers, and 300 film screenings.
New York Film Academy congratulates the filmmakers on the success of their film The MisEducation of Bindu and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Prarthana Mohan on her well-deserved Best Director award!