Shashank Walia reacts to Birds in the Dark winning big at Busan Film Festival

Director Shashank Walia reacts to his Punjab-based Birds in the Dark winning two awards at Busan Film Festival

17 October,2026 07:43 AM IST |  Mumbai  |  Priyanka Sharma

With Birds in the Dark winning two awards at Busan Film Festival, director Shashank Walia is pleased that a Punjab-set story has resonated in South Korea

A still from the film. Pics/By Special Arrangement

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Winning big atBusan International Film Festival was something Shashank Walia hadn’t even dreamt of while helming Birds in the Dark. The past week has shown him that unimaginable dreams have a way of becoming reality as his Punjabi drama first won the Songwon Vision Audience Award Asia, and then earned him the New Currents Award, which is presented to the best debut filmmaker.

Speaking to mid-day from South Korea, Walia said that he always saw Birds in the Dark as a story that would resonate with people around the world. “The most meaningful thing about this award is that a film made with the people of five villages in Punjab has found such a warm response among audiences in Korea. I hope the film speaks to everyone who believes that love, mutual aid, and solidarity can bring us closer to a more just and compassionate world,” he said.

Produced by Hansal Mehta, Birds in the Darkexplores casteism, class divide, and gender dynamics. To Mehta, the two wins show a story’s potential to challenge the myopic view of the market. “While we straddle the mainstream with Pralay and Dilkashi, we are equally proud to help independent voices like Shashank’s, and his rebellious film, travel the world. Shashank and Reema [Kaur, producer-editor] made it on their own terms, without bending it to fit a market. Every story and storyteller has an audience. Our job is to help them find it,” he said.”]

[popcorn number=”Oct 10″ desc=”When ‘Birds in the Dark’ premièred at Busan International Film Festival” class=”Default

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