20 Weeks is a romantic drama about love, science and how prenatal and genetic testing impacts everyday people. The story is about a Los Angeles couple in their thirties, who after learning that their baby has a very serious health issue in utero, must decide whether or not to move forward with the pregnancy.

Told in a nonlinear fashion, the film interweaves present and past moments of the love and courtship of Maya and Ronan. Together only a short time, the two fall madly in love, and when they’re surprised with an untimely pregnancy, they have nothing but love for their unborn child.

At their 20-week scan, their doctor diagnoses their baby with some serious issues that could be indicative of a larger syndrome. Maya and Ronan are confused and devastated by the news. Their doctor advises them of their options: they can terminate by week 24 or continue with the pregnancy. But before making any further choices, they are advised to undergo genetic testing to determine just how serious the issues could be.

Maya and Ronan don’t know what to do. They can’t think straight, and immediately, there is a huge wedge in their relationship. What follows is a roller coaster of highs and lows, and a very difficult set of decisions that have to be made.

Leena Pendharkar is an award-winning writer and director working in film,television and new media. Her second feature film, 20 Weeks, starring Amir Arison, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Sujata Day and Michelle Krusiec premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in the summer of 2017.

She also recently wrote and directed the short film,​​ Dandekar Makes a Sandwich​, which won the Grand Jury Prize for short filmmaking at the​​ Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles​, and was selected as a​​ Vimeo Staff Pick​. Her feature script,​​Days with Dandekar​, won a​​ Tribeca All Access​ grant and was work-shopped in the​​ FIND Screenwriters Lab​.

Her first feature film, ​​Raspberry Magic​, about a young girl’s connection to nature, with​​ Bella Thorne and​​Alison Brie​, screened in over 25 film festivals, and was called “heartwarming with a strong cross-over appeal” by​​ Variety​, and received the Audience Award at the Philadelphia Asian American film festival. It is now available on Starz TV,​​ DirectTV​, GooglePlay, Amazon and more.

Leena has also worked extensively in new media, and her satirical sketches,​​ So Natural​, were featured on Fail Blog and Funny or Die. Her short films for her YouTube channel,​​ So Natural TV​, have been showcased on Hello Giggles​, the​​ Comediva Network​ and many other platforms. She has also made commercials and done design/digital strategy work for a number of clients, through her production company,​​ Spicy MangoProductions​. Leena is an Assistant Professor in Film Production at Loyola Marymount University, where she teaches filmmaking. She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Documentary Film/New Media from the UC-Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.