Anjali Patil and Sailesh Rathnakumars Selvi wins big at Busan International Film Festival

Directed by Sailesh Rathnakumar, the film had its world premiere at the festival on October 9, 2026, and received a warm response, with its subsequent screenings also selling out.

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Both awards are part of the festivals Vision section, which showcases films from across Asia. Each award carries a cash prize of KRW 10 million. The recognition marks a significant achievement for Sailesh, whose debut feature has found a place at one of Asias major film festivals.

At last years festival, Tribeny Rais Shape of Momo won the Taipei Film Commission Award, while the Hylife Vision Awards went to Tiger, directed by Anshul Chauhan, and If on a Winters Night, directed by Sanju Surendran.

Produced by Anjali Patil, who also plays the lead role, Selvi follows a migrant home-care nurse who works in the homes of affluent families. Her shifts can stretch from 12 to as long as 72 hours, leaving her with little control over her own life. When an incident from her past comes back into focus, she is forced to deal with a difficult situation. The film explores migration, friendship, caregiving and the choices people make to survive.

Speaking about the films win, Anjali Patil said, "Sailesh has worked the hardest to bring this story to reality, and he deserves these wins. It's his first, and we received feedback from people at the Taipei Film Commission that it doesn't come as a surprise to see a debut with so much finesse and style. It's hard to believe that this is a debut. We have always had that kind of confidence in him, and that makes us feel even prouder and more confident about whatever we are going through, will be going through or working on. As a producer, it gives you enough strength to keep working and keep making things that matter, with utmost honesty, attention and love. The honour and love that we have received from Korea, its audiences, cinephiles and the young generation of cinephiles is incredible. So, we kind of received this on behalf of all the people."

Director Sailesh Rathnakumar further added, Having my first feature film premiere at Busan was a big moment for me, and winning these two awards makes it even more special. Selvi is a story I really wanted to tell, and Im grateful to Anjali for believing in it and supporting the film as a producer. This recognition means a lot to the entire team, who worked hard to bring the story to the screen. Im happy that the film has found a connection with audiences here, and I hope it continues to reach more people as we take it to other festivals.

The film stars Anjali Patil alongside Swathy Krishnan, Vinoth Kishan, Archana Padmini, Semmalar Annam and Mekha Rajan. Its technical team includes nine-time National Award winner A. Sreekar Prasad as editor and National Award-winning sound designer Anand Krishnamoorthi.

Selvi is co-produced by the Red Sea Fund, an initiative of the Red Sea International Film Festival, and supported by Hong Kong Asia Film Financing, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.

Following its Busan premiere, the film is set to screen at the 50th So Paulo International Film Festival. (ANI)