GUWAHATI: Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Rima Das’ latest feature film Not A Hero will have its Asian premiere at the 31st Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, scheduled to be held from October 6 to 15.
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The film is among six Indian productions selected for the festival’s A Window on Asian Cinema, a non-competitive section showcasing notable films from across Asia.
The other Indian films selected in the section are Anuparna Roy’s Lovers in the Blue Light, Leo Thaddeus’ The Soul Whisperer and Vishwendra Singh’s Khoriya. Sahil Shah’s Birds on Ice and Sandeep Kumar Paul’s About an Intimate Matter will also be screened in the section and will have their world premieres at the festival.
Das, known for films including Village Rockstars, Bulbul Can Sing and Tora’s Husband, is returning to Busan with Not A Hero. Her film Village Rockstars 2 previously premiered at the festival and won the Kim Jiseok Award. Her earlier films Bulbul Can Sing, Tora’s Husband and Village Rockstars 2 were also presented at Busan.
Not A Hero had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, where it competed in the Generation Kplus section. The film received a Crystal Bear Special Mention from the Children’s Jury.
It later won the Best Indie Film Award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2026 following its Australian premiere.
Speaking about the film’s selection, Das said she has a long association with the Busan International Film Festival and values the platform it provides for Asian cinema and stories rooted in different cultures and realities.
“Not a Hero comes from that same impulse. It is a deeply local and intimate story about childhood, freedom and the boundless imagination of an 11-year-old boy,” she said.
The coming-of-age drama follows an 11-year-old boy who is sent from the comforts of the city to his ancestral village. There, he encounters a distant aunt, befriends a horse and joins a group of local children on adventures, discovering the freedom of life away from the city.
The film is produced by Flying River Films in association with Akanga Film Asia and Train Tripper Films. Paris-based MMM Sales is handling its worldwide sales.