Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 15 : National Award-winning actor Anjali Patil’s Tamil film ‘Selvi’ has won two awards at the 31st Busan International Film Festival, taking home the Taipei Film Commission Award and the Hylife Vision Award.
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 festival’s 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 Asia’s major film festivals.
At last year’s festival, Tribeny Rai’s ‘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 Winter’s 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 film’s 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 I’m 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. I’m 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 São Paulo International Film Festival.