This week, we sit down with writer-director Anu Valia to talk about her feature debut ‘We Strangers,’ which premiered at SXSW 2024.

Anu walks us through the journey from festival premiere to theatrical release, and how her relationship with the film has evolved along the way. We dig into the story of Ray, a woman navigating spaces where she feels like an outsider, and explore how Anu wove themes of identity, class, and belonging into her character’s journey.

Coming from directing episodes of ‘Shrinking,’ ‘Never Have I Ever,’ and ‘The Afterparty,’ Anu also shares what it was like making the leap to feature filmmaking and the collaborative nature of indie storytelling.