TIFF 2025: Indian film 'Vimukt' wins major award
What's the story
The Indian film Vimukt, directed by Jitank Singh Gurjar, has bagged the coveted Network for the Promotion of Asian Pacific Cinema (NETPAC) Award at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The jury lauded it for its "indelible tale of tolerance, desperation and faith" told through "a unique lens of realism and poetics." The film is set in a rural community in Madhya Pradesh and features powerful performances.
Film's narrative
Here's what the film is about
Vimukt tells the story of an impoverished elderly couple in rural Madhya Pradesh who are tasked with caring for their cognitively challenged adult son. The villagers threaten their existence, but they find hope in the Maha Kumbh Mela pilgrimage. TIFF's director of programming Robyn Citizen described the film as "about somebody with a cognitive disability and their parents as caretakers living in a community that wants to exclude this young man because he's different."
Other winners
Other winners at TIFF
Apart from Vimukt, another Indian film, Homebound by Neeraj Ghaywan, was the second runner-up for the International People's Choice Award. The International People's Choice Award went to Park Chan-wook's Korean film No Other Choice while Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value was the first runner-up. The major People's Choice Award was won by Hamnet directed by Chloe Zhao.