International
Palm Springs fest to spotlight African cinema
MUMBAI: The Palm Springs International Film Festival that will be operative from 6 to 17 January will spotlight on African Cinema.
Dubbed Cinema Safari: A Showcase of African Cinema, the programme will present 13 new films made in Africa or presenting contemporary African stories or themes.
The section will include Debs Gardner-Paterson‘s Africa United; Davey Frankel and Rasselas Lakew‘s The Athlete; Sherry Hormann‘s Desert Flower; Gabriel Range‘s I Am Slave; Caroline Kamya‘s Imani; Claus Wischmann‘s Kinshasa Symphony; The Last Lions; Lance Bangs‘ The Lazarus Effect; Oliver Schmitz‘s Life Above All; Michael Henry Wilson‘s Reconciliation: Mandela‘s Miracle; Mahamat-Saleh Haroun‘s A Screaming Man; and Hawa Essuman‘s Soul Boy.
Organisers of the festival also released the line-up of films that will compete for the FIPRESCI Award, New Voices/New Visions Award and John Schlesinger Awards.
The titles in the New Voices/New Visions lineup that focuses on international directors making their feature debut are Emre Sahin‘s 40; Johannes Naber‘s The Albanian; Juanita Wilso‘s As If I Am Not There; Pernilla August‘s Beyond; Vardis Marinakis‘ Black Field; Edoardo Leo‘s Eighteen Years Later; Alexandru Maftei‘s Hello! How Are You?; Mikkel Munch-Fals‘ Nothing‘s All Bad; Hans Van Nuffel‘s Oxygen; Emilio Aragon‘s Paper Birds; Ola Simonsson and Stjarne Nilsson‘s Sound of Noise; and Nayra Illic‘s Square Meter.
Ten documentaries by first-time filmmakers that will compete for the John Schlesinger Award are Clio Barnard‘s The Arbor, Jan Tenhaven‘s Autumn Gold; Richard Press‘ Bill Cunningham New York; David Sievekin‘s David Wants to Fly; Edmon Roch‘s Garbo: The Spy; Nicola Belluci‘s In the Garden of Sounds; Risteard O‘Domhnail‘s The Pipe; Shlomi Eldar‘s Precious Life; Joonas Berghall‘s Steam of Life; and Lynn Trues Summer Pasture.
The festival will also screen 40 of the 64 films that have been submitted for an Academy Award in the foreign-language film category.
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.
