Tamil film Selvi has won big at the 31st Busan International Film Festival, taking home two awards – the Taipei Film Commission Award and the Hylife Vision Award. The film stars National Award-winning actor Anjali Patil and had its world premiere at the festival on October 9.
Selvi wins two prizes at Busan Film Festival
Selvi’s win at Busan comes as part of the festival’s Vision section, which showcases films from across Asia. Each award carries a cash prize of KRW 10 million (around ₹7 lakh). Directed by Sailesh Rathnakumar, the film opened to a packed theatre at its world premiere last week, with its subsequent screenings also selling out.
Speaking about the film’s win, Anjali Patil said, “Sailesh has worked the hardest to bring this story to reality, and he deserves these wins. It’s his first, and we received feedback from people at the Taipei Film Commission that it doesn’t come as a surprise to see a debut with so much finesse and style. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut. We have always had that kind of confidence in him, and that makes us feel even prouder and more confident about whatever we are going through, will be going through or working on. As a producer, it gives you enough strength to keep working and keep making things that matter, with utmost honesty, attention and love. The honour and love that we have received from Korea, its audiences, cinephiles and the young generation of cinephiles is incredible. So, we kind of received this on behalf of all the people.”
This is the second year in a row that Indian films have left a mark at the Busan festival. Last year, Tribeny Rai’s Shape of Momo won the Taipei Film Commission Award, while the Hylife Vision Awards went to Tiger’ directed by Anshul Chauhan, and If on a Winter’s Night, directed by Sanju Surendran.
All about Selvi
Produced by Anjali Patil, who also plays the lead role, Selvi follows a migrant home-care nurse who works in the homes of affluent families. Her shifts can stretch from 12 to as long as 72 hours, leaving her with little control over her own life. When an incident from her past comes back into focus, she is forced to deal with a difficult situation. The film explores migration, friendship, caregiving and the choices people make to survive.
The film stars Anjali alongside Swathy Krishnan, Vinoth Kishan, Archana Padmini, Semmalar Annam and Mekha Rajan. Its technical team includes nine-time National Award winner A. Sreekar Prasad as editor and National Award-winning sound designer Anand Krishnamoorthi.
Selvi is co-produced by the Red Sea Fund, an initiative of the Red Sea International Film Festival, and supported by Hong Kong Asia Film Financing, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India. Following its Busan premiere, the film is set to screen at the 50th São Paulo International Film Festival.
(With ANI inputs)