International
Chinese film bags back-to-back Locarno top award
MUMBAI: A Chinese film has bagged the top honour at the Locarno Film Festival. Li Hongqi ‘s Han Jia (Winter Vacation), a coming-of-age story set it small town China won the Festival‘s Golden Leopard prize. This is the second consecutive year that a film from a Chinese director has bagged the festival‘s top prize.
Last year, it was Xiaolu Guo-directed She, a Chinese that had won the Golden Leopard. Combined with this year‘s winning film, this marks the first time since 1995-96 when the same country won back-to-back Golden Leopards.
Among the festival‘s other top prizes: Morgen, a border drama set on the boundary between Romania and Hungary from Marian Crisan won a Special Jury Prize while Denis Cote was given the Prize of the City and Region of Locarno for Best Director for the Canadian thriller Curling.
Emmanuel Bilodeau, who played the male lead in Curling won the best actor award while Jasna Duricic won the best actress honor for her work in Beli Belisvet (White White World).
The top prize carries an award of 90,000 Swiss francs ($85,000), while the Jury Prize and Best Director award are worth 30,000 Swiss francs ($28,000) each.
The award ceremony was followed by the world premiere of Sommervogel (Little Paradise), a first feature film from 64-year-old Swiss director Paul Riniker, a veteran of more than 70 documentaries.
Saturday, that was the closing day of the festival also saw the closing of the Open Doors co-production laboratory, which focused on films from Central Asia, and the final screenings of the well-received Ernst Lubitsch retrospective.
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.
