Walia's debut 'Birds in the Dark' wins at Busan festival
Entertainment
Shashank Walia's debut Punjabi film, Birds in the Dark, just took home the Songwon Vision Audience Award - Asia at the 31st Busan International Film Festival.
The movie had its world premiere in the festival's Vision section, which spotlights fresh voices from Asia.
Walia wore multiple hats for this project: writing, directing, and even handling cinematography.
Rural Punjab monochrome examines social hierarchies
Set in rural Punjab and shot entirely in black and white, Birds in the Dark dives into themes like caste, gender, class, labor, justice, and love.
The cast includes Mauli Singh and Sapna Das.
Produced by Reema Kaur, Hansal Mehta, and Sahil Saigal, this win shines a light on independent Punjabi cinema's growing global presence.