Just arrived in Mumbai, living in a tiny shack with paper-thin walls, acerbic Uma (a terrific Radhika Apte) and soft-spoken Gopal (Ashok Pathak) are trapped in a very new, very awkward arranged marriage.

At first, Uma does her best to cope with the heat, her lack of domestic skills, her bumbling spouse and their nosy neighbours, but the nocturnal world of the city changes her. Transformed into a disturbing and ruthless figure, Uma succumbs to her most feral impulses.

Writer-director Karan Kandhari’s feature debut, screened in Director’s Fortnight at Cannes 2024, Sister Midnight is a surreal, punkish and distinctive comedy packed with stylistic digressions. Boosted by Apte’s gift for physical comedy, it’s an audacious and idiosyncratic story about a woman fighting patriarchal norms and their far-reaching effects.

This special screening of Sister Midnight will be followed by an in-person Q&A with producer Al Clark hosted by Ben Wilkinson, director of Spirit of Independence film festival.

Part of Sheffield Film Festival, Showroom Cinema’s annual celebration of the city’s rich film heritage and the thriving film culture of Sheffield and the surrounding region.

Director Karan Kandhari
Year 2024
Duration 1h 50m
Language English Language
Cast Radhika Apte, Ashok Pathak, Chhaya Kadam