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Youngest Indian at Cannes 22-Year-Old Karen Kshiti Suvarna Movie SEPTEMBER 21 World Premiere at 79th Cannes Film Festival SEPTEMBER 21, the debut feature from 22-year-old writer-director Karen Kshiti Suvarna, will have its world premiere on May 16, 2026 at 5:45 PM at the Palais Theatre, as part of Marché du Film at Festival de Cannes 2026. Shot in Hindi and Kannada, the film centers on Alzheimer’s disease through the fractured relationship of a father and son. The father, living with dementia, believes his wife is quarantined next door due to COVID-19. His estranged son returns home, forced to choose between personal ambition and duty. “The struggles faced by caregivers are much greater than the struggles faced by Alzheimer’s patients,”says Suvarna. _SEPTEMBER 21_ shifts focus to the unseen emotional toll on families, using silence and restraint as its primary language. Pravin Singh Sisodia leads as the Alzheimer’s patient, delivering a performance of quiet devastation. The ensemble includes Priyanka Upendra, Zarina Wahab, Ajith Shidhaye, and Amit Behl. Produced by Visica Films, FMD Productions, and HumaraMovie with Filmsmax, the project is endorsed by the Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI). The film is written by Rajshekhar & Music by Vinayy Chandraa. HumaraMovie, partnered by Preety Ali, wife of Bollywood director Imtiaz Ali, has previously backed festival titles _Follower_ and _Tortoise Under the Earth_. Visica Films is known for emotionally driven independent narratives. Karen Kshiti Suvarna, 22, marks one of the youngest Indian directors to debut at Cannes. Her approach favors emotional gravity over exposition. “I wanted the audience to feel that silence and emotional weight,” she says. The film’s selection for Marché du Film signals its universal resonance. Cannes has long championed debut voices that challenge social narratives, and _SEPTEMBER 21_ positions Alzheimer’s and caregiving within that global conversation.