Lorni: The Flaneur nominated for Best Film and Best Foreign Language Feature at Moscow

The Moscow International Film Festival, which is being held virtually from 22–29 April 2021, has announced the films shortlisted for each of the award categories.

This year several Indian films have made it to the shortlist. The festival shared the names on Twitter.

Directed by Wanphrang K Diengdoh, Lorni: The Flaneur has been nominated for Best Film and Best Foreign Language Feature.

Starring Adil Hussain, Lorni tells the story of an out-of-work, self-styled detective with a sharp sense of the streets. He escapes the lethargy of small-town Shillong when he is asked to investigate the disappearance of an object of great cultural value. Navigating narrow streets and dark alleys, he embarks on an emotional and mental journey reflective of his reality and that of Shillong.

The film has been screened at several festivals, including the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and the New York Indian Film Festival.

Puglya, directed by Vinod Sam Peter, has also been shortlisted for the Best Foreign Language Feature award. The film revolves around a pug and two boys who are around 10 or 12 years old, Rushab and Datta.

Rushab is from a financially sound family while Datta is from a village. The boys have never met each other. Both would love to have a pug as pet. While Rushab gets the pug as a gift, Datta is deprived of it. One day Rushab loses his pet and Datta gets it. The story looks at how the dog is connected to the lives of both.

The Marathi feature Kalokhachya Parambya [Prop Shoots Of Darkness], directed by Makarand Anaspure, has also been nominated for Best Feature Film and Best Cinematography. The film examines the conflict of a young orphan, Alif, about spirituality and the material world.

Other selected films from India are In Pursuit Of Light, directed by Amit Rai, which has been selected for the Best Documentary award, and Father by Raj R Gupta, which will be competing for the Jury award.

The festival will organize online sessions consisting of questions and answers with directors and the cast and/or crew of the films. The winners will receive the official laurels and certificates.