International
Jury selected for Made In Germany Young Filmmaker Prize
MUMBAI: Germany – Award-winning German director Hans-Christian Schmid ( of the Home for the Weekend fame), actress Nicolette Krebitz (who starred in Bandits) and producer Heino Deckert (In The Fog) have been selected to form the jury for the 2013 Made in Germany – Perspective Fellowship honour. The award includes $20,000 (€15,000) fellowship and is given to an up-and-coming German filmmaker to help them complete their next film.
The jury will pick next year‘s winner from the lineup of this year‘s Perspektive Deutsches Kino – the Berlin Film Festival‘s German cinema sidebar.
The award was inaugurated last year and was won by director and screenwriter Annekatrin Hendel for her documentary Vaterlandsverraeter. Hendel has just completed her script for Disko (Disco), a documentary about the 1986 terrorist bombing of a West Berlin disco frequented by U.S. soldiers. Hendel is developing the prohject in collaboration with public broadcaster RBB and is expected to go into production by late 2013.
The Made in Germany fellowship is backed by German watchmaker Glashutte Original.
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.
