After graduating from university in Delhi, Swarna returns to Kolkata to teach at a secondary school. A discussion about striking for better working conditions for teachers is underway at the school, but Swarna opposes the idea, insisting that education for students should come first. Then one day, she is brought before the school’s disciplinary committee after a parent files a complaint about a photograph she posted on Facebook. Her personal life is put under scrutiny, and the disciplinary committee members question everything from why she came back to Kolkata and her relationship with her roommate Driti to how she uses social media. The film’s dramatic progression, in which a seemingly trivial matter grows into a huge incident that shakes Swarna’s entire life, sharply captures how easily a woman’s taste and clothing can become targets of criticism and control. As an extremely intimate matter is transformed into an ideological battleground in an instant, the taut tension will keep audiences riveted to the screen.
Sandeep Kumar Paul began his career as a theater actor. Pursuing his interest in various visual art forms, he has worked in illustration and photography. He began making films with his debut short, The Way Back Home (2024). About an Intimate Matter is his feature directorial debut.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
