At just 18, Mehar Malhotra moved to Mumbai to chase a career in film. The dream came with a price. As a student at the Film and Television Institute of India, she faced erratic work schedules that triggered insomnia, depression, and a steady erosion of her mental health.
On Wednesday, that lived experience found global recognition. Malhotra’s Punjabi short film _Parchaave Massiah Raatan De_ (Shadows of the Moonless Nights), which portrays the same struggles, has been officially selected for ‘La Cinef’ at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
La Cinef is Cannes’ competition section dedicated to films from film schools worldwide. It highlights emerging voices and new cinematic language. Malhotra’s selection places her among a small group of student filmmakers whose work will be screened on one of cinema’s biggest stages.
_Parchaave Massiah Raatan De_ draws directly from her battle with sleepless nights and emotional burnout after entering the industry as a teenager. The film traces the quiet, often invisible toll that unpredictable hours and performance pressure take on young creatives. Through stark visuals and intimate storytelling, it examines how mental health deteriorates when rest becomes a luxury and deadlines never sleep.
For Malhotra, the project began as catharsis. “I was living what I was writing,” she said in a statement from FTII. “The camera became the only way to explain what 3 AM felt like when your mind refuses to shut off.”
Faculty at FTII called the selection a testament to personal storytelling’s power. The institute has a strong history at Cannes, but Malhotra’s entry stands out for its raw focus on mental health in creative professions — a topic still under-addressed in Indian cinema.
The 2026 Cannes Film Festival will run in May, with La Cinef screenings drawing producers, critics, and distributors scouting new talent. For Malhotra, the journey that began with sleepless nights in Mumbai now leads to the Croisette.
Her story is a reminder: sometimes you build a film while living inside it. And sometimes, the world watches.
From Insomnia to Cannes: FTII Student Mehar Malhotra’s Short Film Tackles Mental Health, Earns Festival Spot
Typography
- Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
- Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times
- Reading Mode
