International
LA Film Fest ends with screening of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
MUMBAI:Stephane Lafleur‘s Familiar Ground has won the Narrative Film Competition at the The Los Angeles Film Festival while Beverly Kopf and Bobbie Birleffi‘s Wish Me Away took away the best documentary award. Both the awards include a $15,000 cash prize.
Amber Sealey, Kent Osborne, Amanda Street, and Gabriel Diamond collectively received the Best Performance award for their roles in Amber Sealey’s How to Cheat. The award for Best Narrative Short Film went to Saba Riazi’s The Wind Is Blowing on My Street while short Best Documentary went to Susan Koenen’s I Am a Girl!. Mikey Please’s The Eagleman Stag won the award for Best Animated short film.
In Audience Awards, the award for the best narrative feature went to Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block while the award for the best documentary was lapped up by Michael Rapaport‘s Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest. Asif Kapadia’s Senna won the Audience Award for best international feature.
The Audience Award for best short film went to Joe Rosen’s Blind Date while Can’t Shake This Feeling directed by The General Assembly’s Adam Littke, Ryan McNeill, Adam Willis won the Audience Award for best music video for Grum.
The Los Angeles Film Festival opened on 16 June with the world premiere of Richard Linklater’s Bernie and closed on Sunday with the world premiere of FilmDistrict’s Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.
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.
