International
APSA lauds Indian filmmaker Akshay Indikar
MUMBAI: The Asia Pacific Screen Academy has honoured regional filmmakers at a special presentation on Australia’s Gold Coast.
Hosted by Leila McKinnon, the ceremony awarded its young cinema award to Indian filmmaker Akshay Indikar for Chronicle Of Space (Sthalpuran), with a special mention going to Australian Stephen Maxwell Johnson for High Ground. Chronicle of Space, which premiered at the Berlinale 2020, is a young boy’s story, told through his diary entries as he copes with challenges in a new life on India’s Konkan coast.
Thailand-based producer Soros Sukhum bagged the 2020 FIAPF Award for outstanding achievement in film in the Asia Pacific region. Sukhum is recognised for his work in the Thai indie space. He is known to launch the careers of Aditya Assarat, Sivaroj Kongsakul, Anocha Suwichakornpong, and Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit. His latest credit is Memoria, the English language debut for director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, featuring Tilda Swinton.
The MPA APSA academy film fund has also revealed the four recipients of its US $25,000 script development grant: Bianca Balbuena (Philippines) for Việt and Nam (Vietnam), a collaboration with Vietnamese writer-director Minh Quy Truong; Guillaume de Seille (France) for A Kid on the Block (Japan), the magical realism feature debut of documentary filmmaker Kyoko Miyake; Annemarie Jacir from Palestine, whose 2017 film Wajib won 36 international awards, has received the grant for her project All Before You; and 2019 APSA young cinema award winner Ridham Janve (India) has received the grant for his project The Sacrifice (Ashwamedh).
The APSA presentation ceremony marked the end of the 2020 APSA Forum. A week-long series of various panels and roundtable discussions delivered both in person and digitally, with participants from 18 countries.
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.
