Drawing from the themes in Tomas Vengris’ and Yile Yara Vianello’s films, this panel explores the nuanced ways in which filmmakers develop narratives around relationships, love, and the often complex tension between personal desires and societal expectations. The panel will be moderated by Padmapriya Janakiraman, founder of Padma’s Lit Club, bringing her unique perspective to guide the conversation on how these filmmakers portray intimate, relatable human experiences that resonate with audiences across cultures.

About Penalists

Yile Yara Vianello

Yile Yara Vianello is an Italian actress. Born in Bahia (Brazil) in 1999, she soon moved to Italy, where she spent her early years growing up in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. It was there that she first met Alice Rohrwacher and made her debut in auteur cinema at the age of 12, playing the lead role in Corpo Celeste (Cannes Film Festival 2011). After the high school’s years, she returned to the screen as the protagonist in Danilo Caputo’s Semina il Vento (Berlinale 2020). Shortly afterward, she appeared in Laura Bispuri’s Il Paradiso del Pavone (Venice Film Festival, Orizzonti section, 2021). Her recent projects include Il Vento Soffia Dove Vuole by Marco Righi (Karlovy Vary Film Festival 2023), La Chimera by Alice Rohrwacher (Cannes Film Festival 2023), La Bella Estate by Laura Luchetti (Locarno Film Festival 2023), and L’anno dell’Uovo by Claudio Casale (Venice Film Festival 2023). In 2024, she received the Italian Rising Star award at the David di Donatello Awards. Discovered at the age of twelve by Alice Rohrwacher in her stunning debut film Corpo Celeste, Yile Yara Vianello embodies the mystery in the cinema of the multi-award-winning Italian director, nurturing her acting career and her films characters through an experiential journey rooted in the school of life.

Tomas Vengris

Tomas Vengris is a Lithuanian/American filmmaker. He received his BA from Columbia University and completed his M.F.A. in directing at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, CA. His directorial debut Motherland, a Lithuanian, Latvian, German and Greek co-production, won the European Audience Award in the ArteKino Film Festival, BEST FILM in the Baltic Competition at the PÖFF Black Nights Film Festival and was selected in the Narrative Category for the 2020 European Film Awards. His AFI Thesis film, Kalifornija was a national finalist in the Student Academy Awards. His short film, Squirrel, premiered in the Berlin International Film Festival followed by a US premiere at SXSW. Tomas has worked as an editor under several internationally acclaimed directors, including Terrence Malick, Kelly Reichardt, Macon Blair, and Lena Dunham.

Padmapriya Janakiraman (moderator)

Padmapriya is a dancer and actor working for the past 15 years in the Indian film industry with main lead credits in more than 60 films across 6 languages. She has won the President of India’s medal for acting and her films have travelled to international festivals like Venice and Toronto. Trained in business administration in India and public policy at New York University with work experience spanning the arts, private and not for profit sectors, she founded Collective Crew or CC in late 2022. The for-profit venture is a new age media and entertainment start-up focused on promoting and producing books to screen women-centered content sourced primarily from Indian literature. CC is driven by the belief that ‘diversity’ is key to good entertainment as it promotes both relatability and novelty. As part of Collective Crew mission, Padmapriya has initiated a not-for-profit effort, Padma’s Lit Club, to build a thriving economy for female authors and publishing houses while changing gender perceptions through the power of diverse, women-centered stories. She is the founding member of the Women in Cinema Collective that works towards creating equal space and opportunities for women in cinema.

A hybrid panel focused on the exchange of ideas and business discussions that enable the cinematic adaptation of literary works—both fiction and non-fiction—from various languages.

About the Facilitators

Patricia Font

Patricia Font, director and screenwriter from Barcelona. In 2015 received the Goya Award for Best Short Film for Café para llevar (Coffee to Go). She’s directed series such as Pulseras Rojas (Red Band Society), Citas (Dates), Les de l’Hoquei (Hockey Girls), La templanza (The temperance) and Moebius. Her feature films are Gente que viene y bah (In family I trust), Pared con Pared (Love divided) and El maestro que prometió el mar (The teacher who promised the sea).

Pierric Bailly

Pierric Bailly, grew up in a small village lost in the middle of the forest. After briefly studying cinema in Montpellier, he began working in a factory, while writing. He is the author of seven books, all published by P.O.L, including L’homme des bois in 2017, Les enfants des autres in 2020 (currently being adapted for the cinema), Le roman de Jim in 2021 (adapted by Arnaud and Jean-Marie Larrieu in 2024) and La foudre in 2023. He now lives between Lyon and the Jura, in the locations of his novels.

Vikas Swarup

Vikas Swarup (born 22 June 1961) is a retired Indian diplomat and acclaimed writer, best known as the author of Q & A, which was adapted into the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. He retired in 2021 as Secretary (West) in India’s Ministry of External Affairs, having also served as India’s High Commissioner to Canada and as the Ministry's spokesperson. Swarup joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1986 and held various posts across Turkey, the U.S., Ethiopia, the U.K., South Africa, and Japan. His other novels, Six Suspects and The Accidental Apprentice, have been widely translated, with Six Suspects adapted into a popular web series. Swarup is a frequent speaker at literary festivals and institutions worldwide. His most recently published book is titled The Girl with Seven Lives.

Padmapriya Janakiraman (moderator)

Padmapriya is a dancer and actor working for the past 15 years in the Indian film industry with main lead credits in more than 60 films across 6 languages. She has won the President of India’s medal for acting and her films have travelled to international festivals like Venice and Toronto. Trained in business administration in India and public policy at New York University with work experience spanning the arts, private and not for profit sectors, she founded Collective Crew or CC in late 2022. The for-profit venture is a new age media and entertainment start-up focused on promoting and producing books to screen women-centered content sourced primarily from Indian literature. CC is driven by the belief that ‘diversity’ is key to good entertainment as it promotes both relatability and novelty. As part of Collective Crew mission, Padmapriya has initiated a not-for-profit effort, Padma’s Lit Club, to build a thriving economy for female authors and publishing houses while changing gender perceptions through the power of diverse, women-centered stories. She is the founding member of the Women in Cinema Collective that works towards creating equal space and opportunities for women in cinema.