International
Natural Selection annexes SXSW Grand Jury award
MUMBAI: Robbie Pickering‘s Natural Selection has bagged the South by Southwest Film Festival‘s grand jury and audience awards for narrative feature. The award ceremony held in Austin, Texas, saw prizes in 27 categories being handed out.
Natural Selection, a dramedy in which a childless Christian housewife tracks down the illegitimate son of her dying husband, drew lot of buyers after its Sunday world premiere.
Acquisition in this year‘s festival seemed to be heavier than in earlier years, with buys including IFC Midnight picking up the British horror film Kill List and the Weinstein Co. buying football documentary Undefeated. Buyers were also seen interested in titles including Weekend and Fightville.
Natural Selection also picked up jury awards for screenplay, editing, music and breakthrough performances from Rachael Harris (The Hangover) and Matt O‘Leary (Live Free or Die Hard).
In the documentary feature competition, Tristan Patterson‘s Dragonslayer won the grand jury and cinematography awards, while Where Soldiers Come From won for editing and The City Dark for music.
In addition to Natural Selection, audience awards were given to Vikram Gandhi‘s Kumare (doc feature), Jeff Myer‘s Becoming Santa (Spotlight Premieres) and Andrew Haigh‘s Weekend (Emerging Visions).
International
Russia-India cinematic spectacle Persimmon of My Love set for grand Moscow debut
Hindi cinema style musical revives Indo-Soviet cinema ties for today
MUMBAI: A new chapter in cross-border storytelling is set to unfold as Persimmon of My Love gears up for its premiere in Moscow on 1 April 2026, marking the first large-scale cinematic collaboration between Russia and India in decades.
Positioned as a modern nod to the cultural exchange that once brought Indian classics to Soviet audiences, the film blends Hindi cinema flair with Russian storytelling, aiming to rekindle a long-standing cinematic friendship.
Directed by Marius Weisberg, the musical comedy follows two brothers navigating a lively world of music, family and romance. The lead roles are played by Demis Karibidis and Mikhail Galustyan, with Karibidis also contributing as a screenwriter.
Shot entirely in India, the production leans heavily into Hindi cinema style spectacle. Filming took place across Mumbai studios and the cities of Udaipur and Jodhpur, whose architecture was used to create the fictional setting of Khurmada. A crew of over 350 worked on the project, with large-scale sequences featuring up to 1,000 extras.
The film also brings Indian creative talent into the mix. Dance sequences are choreographed by Jay Kumar, while music by Zurab Matua features songs in both Hindi and Russian, adding to its cross-cultural appeal.
Backed by TNT channel, MyWayStudio and the Russian Cinema Fund, the project reflects a broader push to strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.
With its mix of colour, comedy and cross-border collaboration, Persimmon of My Love is not just a film release but a reminder that cinema, much like music, travels well across borders.
