Three Features of Drishyam Films make it to Busan

Three features of Manish Mundra’s production company Drishyam Films are screening at Busan International Film Festival 2015. It is indeed a unique feat for production house to have three feature films in diverse sections of the festival.

While their maiden international film, the Turkish-Kurdish production Black Horse Memories, directed by Shahram Alidi will premiere in the competition section ‘New Currents’, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan will have its Korean Premiere in the section ‘A Window on Asian Cinema’ and Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak will have its Asia Premiere in the section ‘Wide Angle’.

Shiladitya Bora, CEO of Drishyam Films says, “We are happy and proud that after a successful run at Sundance, Berlin and Cannes, we are now headed to Busan with three of our films, one of which Black Horse Memories, our first international venture is in the competition category. BIFF is doing a great job of showcasing Asian cinema and has become the go-to place for anyone looking for Asian content.”

Black Horse Memories

Black Horse Memories is a film about a group of young people who teach Kurdish in Turkish Kurdistan, a land where the teaching of the language is forbidden by Turkish authorities. Part of their work is to print clandestine schoolbooks in underground schools and distribute them. One of the girls in the group, Aseke, is killed on a mission and her friends decide to carry out the final request she made in her will. She is brought up with a black horse, in the remote Anatolian mountains, and her request is to bring the horse back so that they might meet one last time before she is buried. The arrival of the horse leads to some unexpected events.

Dhanak

Drishyam Films is a company born out of love for cinema, who look forward to build a platform for unique voices of Indian independent cinema and create global content with rich Indian flavours. Their journey started with the film Ankhon Dekhi directed by Rajat Kapoor. The film garnered critical acclaim and went on to win several awards. The success of Ankhon Dekhi was followed by Umrika directed by Prashant Nair which premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2015 and won the Audience Choice Award in the World Dramatic Competition section. Soon after, Dhanak directed by Nagesh Kukunoor not only premiered in the Generation Kplus at Berlinale 2015, but also won the Grand Jury prize, as well as, a Special Mention from the Children’s Jury.

Masaan

Their most recent production Masaan directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2015 and brought home laurels by winning the Un Certain Regard Promising Future Prize and FIPRESCI Award.

Focused on development initiatives, Drishyam Films has partnered with the Sundance Institute, USA to organise a Screenwriters’ lab for Indian writers. The first edition of the Drishyam Sundance Screenwriters’ Lab was successfully conducted in April 2015.