Sanju Surendran’s 'If On A Winter’s Night' wins Hylife Vision Award at Busan International Film Festival

In a proud moment for Malayalam cinema, filmmaker Sanju Surendran’s 'If On A Winter’s Night (Khidki Gaav)' has won the Hylife Vision Award at the 30th Busan International Film Festival. The film shared the honour with Anshul Chauhan’s ‘Tiger’, marking a significant recognition for Surendran’s deeply reflective and poetic storytelling.

The film had its world premiere at the ongoing festival, where it was hailed as a tender meditation on love, displacement, and the fragile rhythm of human connection. Set against the restless backdrop of Delhi, If On A Winter’s Night unfolds the story of a young couple from Kerala, Abhi, played by Roshan Abdool Rahoof and Sara, played by Bhanu Priyamvada, as they attempt to build a life together far from home.

Sara secures a temporary job that allows them to settle in the capital for a few months, while Abhi, an artist, struggles to piece together an exhibition that could give shape to his creative aspirations. The couple’s life, fragile yet hopeful, is coloured by Delhi’s contradictions, a city both alluring and alienating.

With its Busan win, the film not only cements Surendran’s place among India’s most thoughtful contemporary filmmakers but also shines a light on the growing international recognition of independent Indian cinema that dares to move at the pace of poetry rather than spectacle.