Shaneil Deo's short film Layla goes to Cannes

A 20 minute-long film,Layla, made by mana cinematographer Shaneil Deo has been officially selected to be screened at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. Shane who is presently working for the upcoming Telugu film Kshanam is elated to say the least.
'I wrote, directed and edited the short film which was shot in USA in September 2014. When submitting it under the short film festival corner, I was just hoping it would get shortlisted.But when I got a call saying that my film will be screened and will be part of the official selection, it felt incredible,' says Shane, flaunting the official invitation passes.
The film is based on the story of a young girl's attachment to her late dad's scooter. 'When we lose someone we love, their belongings become that much more precious all of a sudden reminding us of the loss. I think the emotion is universal and I tried to mirror the same in my short film, trying to capture the emotions of a girl who loses her father. How her dad's old scooter helps her come to terms with the loss and get back to life is the crux of the film,' says the Fiji-born Shaneil, who grew up in California before moving to Hyderabad to work in Tollywood five years ago. He has worked on several commercials, a handful of Telugu films and a couple of independent films so far.