Cannes 2025: Indian Filmmaker Diwa Shah Wins CNC Writing Grant For Her Project Kyab (Refuge)

Indian filmmaker Diwa Shah, winner of the Kutxabank-New Director라이브 바카라 Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2024, is making her mark at the Cannes Residency this year. Her latest work-in-progress, Kyab (Refuge), has been awarded the top writing grant at the pitching session of the prestigious La Résidence du Festival de Cannes held at the CNC Pavilion of the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

French-Indian producer Avantika Singh Desbouvries is presiding over the project with her Paris-based boutique production company, Salt for Sugar Films, accompanied by French producer Christophe Bruncher for Ici et Là Productions.

The pitch session was held on May 14, 2025 and presented the twelve emerging filmmakers from the La Résidence du Festival de Cannes that nurtures fresh, young voices in world cinema. Shah라이브 바카라 project completed a 4-and-a-half-month period of residency in Paris and stood out for its vivid storytelling and inspired vision, earning her the development support that many aspiring filmmakers vie for across the world.

Kyab (Refuge) explores themes of displacement, identity, and resilience of the third-generation Tibetan refugees in India, continuing Shah라이브 바카라 commitment to socially conscious and emotionally resonant cinema. Her first feature, Bahadur - The Brave (2023) tenderly highlighted the condition of Nepalese migrant labourers during the COVID-19 pandemic in her hometown, Nainital. This award marks a vital breakthrough in Kyab라이브 바카라 development journey and further strengthens her status as one of India라이브 바카라 most promising contemporary filmmakers.

La Résidence - a program by Cannes Film Festival offers young directors a supportive environment in Paris to develop their first or second feature-length screenplays. Winning this grant opens new avenues for the development journey of Kyab (Refuge) and brings Indian independent cinema further into the global spotlight.