What does it mean to belong to a place, a tribe, a family? Two women — one Tamil, the other half Mohawk, half Iranian — search for answers to these questions and more as they meet, explore the city of Toronto, and slowly begin to fall in love. Poet Kawenniióhstha, a newcomer to the city, is in search of the father she’s never known. Malai and her older brother grapple with the alcoholic past of their gravely ill father, even as he tries to reconnect with them.

Toronto itself, the most diverse city in the world, provides the vibrant backdrop to the women’s stories. In their debut feature, director V.T. Nayani invites us to reflect on our own relationship to the land, its inhabitants, and its guardians. Executive produced, co-written, and starring the luminous Devery Jacobs (Film Independent Spirit Award winner for Reservation Dogs), This Place is a thoughtful and sensitively portrayed meditation on location, family, and identity. The film speaks to the struggles of identity, the creative process, family dynamics, and the universal search for love and acceptance.