Nil Battey Sannata (The New Classmate)
Set in Agra, India, Nil Battey Sannata is a story of Chanda, a domestic help and her 14-year-old daughter, Appu. Chanda is determined to educate her daughter to break the cycle but Appu is happy to take over being a household help from her mother, and is not interested in studying. Chanda decides to enroll in school, with the help of her employer, to encourage her daughter to complete her education. Competition challenges their relationship creating distance between mother and daughter. In a country where one-third of girls drop out of schools and the education system, this film highlights Chanda’s empowered journey to earn her and her daughter their right place in the sun.