All posts by imagineindia

Gresa Pallaska wins Best Actress at Imagineindia

She wins the Best Actress Award for the film Waterdrop (Robert Budina) at the 24th edition of Imagineindia.

Gresa Pallaska is one of the most prominent figures in the performing arts and cinematography in the Albanian-speaking world and beyond. An actress, lecturer, and multidimensional artist, Gresa has built a rich and enduring career, with authenticity as her greatest strength.

A graduate in Acting from the Academy of Arts at the University of Pristina, she has pursued a clear vision to interweave various forms of artistic expression theatre, music, dance, and visual art into a complete and immersive experience for the audience.

Continue reading Gresa Pallaska wins Best Actress at Imagineindia

Abylai Marat gets Second for Best Actor at Imagineindia 2025

He has won the Second Best Actor Award for the film Deal at The Border (Dastan Zhapar Ryskeldi) Kyrgystan

Abylai Marat was born on September 6, 1992, in Kyrgyzstan. He is a multidisciplinary artist, actor, screenwriter, and director of commercials. Having studied both visual arts and theater, Abylai combines a strong artistic background with a passion for cinema.

Continue reading Abylai Marat gets Second for Best Actor at Imagineindia 2025

Fan Wei wins Best Actor at Imagineindia 2025

He has won the Best Actor Award for the film Strangers When we Meet (Zhang Guoli) China.

Fan Wei (born 2 September 1962) is a Chinese actor known for his roles in Chinese sketch comedies, sitcoms, and films. He gained fame through performances with Zhao Benshan and Gao Xiumin in CCTV New Year’s Galas since 1995. He has been featured in films such as Cell Phone (2003), A World Without Thieves (2004), If You Are the One (2008), and City of Life and Death (2009). He has also acted in several television series produced in mainland China such as Ma Dashuai (2003-2006) and The Long Season (2023).

Continue reading Fan Wei wins Best Actor at Imagineindia 2025

Harshit Saini gets Second Prize for Best DOP

He won the Award along with Monica Tiwari for the film Humans in the Loop (Ayanya Sahay) at the edition 2025.

Harshit Saini comes from a fine arts background, with a specialization in commercial art and illustration. After completing his studies in Applied Arts from the College of Art, Delhi, he pursued cinematography at the Film and Television Institute of India.

He began his career as a visual artist, working on projects in illustration, poster design, and advertising campaigns for various agencies. His early professional work also included product and model photography for brands.

Continue reading Harshit Saini gets Second Prize for Best DOP

Monica Tiwari wins Second Prize for Best DOP

She has won the Award along with Harshit Saini for the film Humans in the Loop (Aranya Sahay) at the edition 2025.

Monica Tiwari is a cinematographer based in Mumbai, India. Finishing her masters in film studies with a specialisation in cinematography from the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India, Monica comes from a background in documentary stills photography with a keen focus on anthropological and environmental relations. Starting her career as a photojournalist for the Hindu newspaper, she is the recipient of grants such as the India Habitat Photosphere, Centre for Science and Environment fellowship, with works shown at Angkor Wat photo festival, Fotogallery Cardiff, India International centre, India Habitat Centre, Alliance Francais India among other places.

Continue reading Monica Tiwari wins Second Prize for Best DOP

Sandhya Suri wins Best South Asian Director at Imagineindia 2025

She has won Best South Asian Director Award for the film Santosh.

Sandhya Suri is a British-Indian filmmaker born and raised in the North-East of England. She studied pure mathematics and German before going on to study documentary film-making at England’s National Film and Television School. Her first feature documentary I for India premiered in World Competition at Sundance Film Festival before releasing theatrically in both the UK and the US. It is an unparalleled depiction of the migrant experience constructed from Super 8 film letters sent between India and England over 40 years. Her interest in archive continued when she was asked to explore the the British Film Institute’s India collection dating back to 1899, resulting in the pure archive feature documentary ‘Around India with a Movie Camera’.

Continue reading Sandhya Suri wins Best South Asian Director at Imagineindia 2025

30 Days of Autumn (Sudipto Roy) India

30 Days of Autumn
Sudipto Roy
India. 2024. 45 min

An ambitious young woman on a month-long government assignment in rural Bengal grapples with loneliness while forming a complex bond with her teenage house help. As his innocent crush and aspirations clash with the impermanence of their relationship, their brief connection leaves her profoundly changed.

An Intimate Indie Gem Exploring Love, Loss, and Longing through a Tagorean Lens.
30 Days of Autumn is a poignant and lyrical indie film written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sudipto Roy (Kia and Cosmos, Tasher Ghawr)
Inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s classic short story Postmaster, 30 Days of Autumn is a quiet yet powerful meditation on human connection, impermanence, and the unspoken emotions that bind us. With a visual and emotional language rooted in the traditions of independent cinema, the film traces the delicate relationship between a transient visitor and a village boy—two lives brought together by chance, and pulled apart by circumstance.

Sudipto Roy is a filmmaker and creative director whose work blends emotional depth with sharp social insight. Based in Mumbai, his stories often navigate the fragile intersections of love, identity, and morality, reimagining classics and crafting originals that resonate with modern audiences.

Roy’s debut feature film, Kia and Cosmos (2019), was released across India, the USA, and GCC countries before streaming on Netflix. The film garnered international acclaim, travelling to festivals in Cannes, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Glasgow, and New York, and was widely appreciated in both national and international cine dailies and magazines.

In 2020, his chamber drama Tasher Ghawr (Hoichoi) became a major OTT success, and critically praised for its bold narrative form and psychological intensity during the pandemic lockdown. His most recent works include 30 Days of Autumn, where he revisits Tagore’s Postmaster through a striking gender-flip lens, furthering his exploration of identity and narrative experimentation. Beyond filmmaking, he has built a strong creative presence in Indian television and OTT, being an active creative force shaping long-form storytelling that bridges mainstream appeal with layered, meaningful narratives.

PRESS KIT

Hard Shell (Majid Reza Mostafavi) Iran

Hard Shell
Majid Reza Mostafavi
Iran. 2024. 112 min

Leila who is a young talented tightrope walker, has been banned from performing due to the threat of fanatics, extremists and religious government people to close the circus just because of her artistic movements during her performance in tightrope walking and the way she dresses, and since then she has become a clown in an old circus owned by her father. Samir who is a teenage boy, has fallen in love with Leila and instead of going to school, he wanders away from his parents and roams the circus.
At the same time as the political and economic problems in Iran rises day by day ; Siamak who is Samir’s father and he is an calm and honest hardworking person , after many years of working in different jobs, has just starts working as a foreman in a donkey breeding farm and he has dream of owning a roadside restaurant…

Continue reading Hard Shell (Majid Reza Mostafavi) Iran

Saransh Sharma wins Best Music Award at Imagineindia 2025

Sharma wins the Award for the film Humans in the Loop (Aranya Sahay) India.

Saransh Sharma is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist based in Pune, India. Working under the moniker Khwabgah, his music blends organic soundscapes with textured electronic production—often drawing from his ambient, post-classical, and downtempo influences.
Born in 1995, Saransh hails from Shahpur, a small town in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. Growing up, his musical world revolved mostly around Hindi film music.
“I remember discovering Linkin Park sometime in my teenage years. It really opened up my mind to a world of sounds. I still love film music, but the idea that music could convey more than love and longing was new to me.”

Continue reading Saransh Sharma wins Best Music Award at Imagineindia 2025