World premiere
Pyre
A melancholic ballad of an undying love in a dying land.
In the Himalayan Mountain range, a rural village loses its inhabitants to the city’s allure while an elderly couple, Padam Singh and Tulsi, live in desolate isolation. Their days are filled with routine and occasional humour as they mask their loneliness. Their son’s absence gnaws at them, and when a letter arrives promising his return, it reignites their hearts with joy and anticipation. However, the reunion does not unfold as expected, shattering their hopes. As the film climaxes, the spectator is confronted with a more rueful plight, deeply engaging the audience’s empathy.
This film powerfully explores the pain of abandonment, the endurance of hope, and the heartache of unfulfilled promises. The film’s haunting and deeply emotional nature, in line with the director’s auteurist style, will captivate you and keep you emotionally invested until the end.
Milani Perera
Vinod Kapri (1972) is a film director and writer born in Mumbai. Having worked for over 20 years as a journalist on various Indian TV channels, his films are also marked by sharp social criticism. Vinod Kapri entered the film industry in 2014 with the documentary “Can't Take This Shit Anymore”, which boldly addressed the issue of the lack of toilets in India. This was followed a year later by Kapri's first feature film, the political satire “Miss Tanakpur Haazir Ho”, based on real events, which attracted over a million viewers in cinemas. The director’s second feature film, the social thriller “Pihu” (2018), was also inspired by real life, telling the story of a two-year-old girl trapped alone at home. In 2021, Vinod Kapri made the documentary “1232 KMS”, about the lives of India’s migrant workers during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Miss Tanakpur Haazir Ho (2015, co-dir), Pihu (2016), Pyre (2024)
Grand Prix for The Best Film, grant of 20 000 euros from the city of Tallinn, Award for Best Director, grant of 5000€ from Alexela
