Priyanka Chopra Jonas joins Pranav Bhasin’s Oscar-qualified short film We Were Here as Executive Producer, amplifying its witty take on AI and human resilience. The film, with over 20 wins at 80 festivals, explores the fear of technology replacing jobs through a comedic lens, and is set to premiere on The New Yorker’s YouTube channel.
Spanning over 80 international festivals and more than 20 wins, Pranav Bhasin’s Oscar qualified short film We Were Here has completed an impressive festival run. And with this, the director eyes an even bigger vision, now with Priyanka Chopra Jonas joining as the Executive Producer alongside actor Andrew Scott.
Backed by Yash Gonsai, the film stars him, Satish Kashyap, Dvendra Dodke, Arindol Bagchi, Shubham Kujur and Kalpana Gagdekar.
The film centers on three retired men in a small Indian town who are convinced that machines are taking over human jobs. In retaliation, they protest by pretending to be household appliances, which takes an unexpected turn when one of their children joins an artificial intelligence company.
A comedy about technology and the fear of becoming dispensable, the short film aims to answer the larger, more elusive realities that govern the lives of ordinary people.
We Were Here has bagged major wins at some of the world’s most respected short-film festivals, including the Best Live-Action Short Film Under 15 Minutes and Best Comedy Short at Palm Springs International ShortFest, which secured its eligibility for Academy Award consideration.
Joining the film as an executive producer, Chopra Jonas expressed, "This film offers a refreshing, witty take on a subject that feels very timely. I jumped at the opportunity to come on board as an Executive Producer to amplify this creative team and ensure their brilliant, original vision gets the spotlight it deserves."
Thinking back to the film’s journey and his growing team, writer-director Bhasin said, "We Were Here started as a small, silly idea about three uncles trying to stop the spread of AI, and somewhere along the way, I fell in love with them, their friendships, and their stubborn resilience."
"As a young filmmaker, I find it pretty surreal to have a tribe of highly accomplished and committed EPs, including Andrew Scott, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and V. We're all really excited to find creative ways to get this film to wider audiences," he adds.
Alongside Chopra Jonas and Scott, the film is also backed by Peter S. Kim and Nalini Sharma of Basement Video, Neha Kaul, Megha Kadakia, Priya Giri Desai and Shruti Ganguly of Prism Entertainment, Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Film Companion Studios, Anjula Acharia and Pan Nalin as its producers.
We Were Here has been acquired by The New Yorker and will premiere on its official YouTube channels.