leena pendharkar

I was so excited to learn that a new project of mine, Dandekar Finds Home was recently selected to be a part of the FIND Screenwriter’s Lab.  It’s a 5-week lab where ten projects are selected to be workshopped and refined.  I’ve applied many times and never been accepted, so it was really wonderful to hear the good news.  Some people ask me, when did you have time to write another script?  Well, this is the life of a writer/director/indie filmmaker, you’re always working toward the next project.  I’m always writing a couple of things, pitching a couple of things and developing some things to write next.  I find it surprising when people say they once had an idea for a movie, because I think most writers have many ideas, all the time!  The workshop is a great forum for polishing the script, and talking through what parts might work/might not.  Having lead many such workshops as a teacher, I’m very excited to now work on my project.  Dandekar Finds Home is a story I had in my mind for a very long time, about a retiree who basically gets laid off from his job, and is sad about what is next.  Then, his daughters trade in his old Volvo for a brand new one, and he is even more upset.  He goes on a day-long journey to find this car, only to realize it’s always just out of his reach.  I’m excited about this story, it’s really visual, and is a wonderful metaphor for the “journey of life,” we’re all on…  It would be great to work with an Indian/South Asian actor who can really make this part complex and interesting…  But first, I’ll work on polishing the screenplay…