Mumbai | Six Indian films, including Rima Das' "Not A Hero", Anuparna Roy's "Lovers in the Blue Light", Leo Thaddeus's "The Soul Whisperer" and Vishwendra Singh's "Khoriya", have been selected for the prestigious Busan International Film Festival.

"Birds on Ice" by Sahil Shah and Sandeep Kumar Paul's "About an Intimate Matter" are also part of the selection.

These films will have their world premiere in 'A Window on Asian Cinema' category, BIFF's prominent non-competitive section that showcases new and notable works by filmmakers from across Asia. The 31st Busan International Film Festival will be held from October 6 to 15, 2026, at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea.

Das, known for indie gems such as "Village Rockstars", "Bulbul Can Singh" and "Tora's Husband", is returning to the festival with "Not a Hero" after her "Village Rockstars 2" premiered at the festival and won the Kim Jiseok Award. "Not A Hero" is a coming of age drama about a young boy who is sent from city to live in a village. Roy, who became the first Indian filmmaker to win the best director award in the Venice Film Festival for her debut feature "Songs of Forgotten Trees" in the Orizzonti Competition, is part of the segment with her new film "Loves In the Blue Night". The new movie is also selected for Venice. She is also part of the shorts jury at Busan.

"Having an Asian Premiere in Busan feels incredibly special to me. To see the film find its way to this wonderful audience, and to return to Busan as a jury member, is an honour I receive with a very full heart. I feel deeply grateful for the trust, the opportunity, and for being surrounded by so many beautiful stories and voices from across Asia. Cinema has a way of bringing us together, and I feel very lucky to be a small part of that journey," Roy shared in a statement with PTI.

Thaddeus' Malayalam Feature "Chevittorma" (The Soul Whisperer), starring Dileesh Pothan and Pauly Valsan, will also have its world premiere in 'A Window on Asian Cinema'.

"'What drew me to the film was Leo's sensitivity in approaching the story and his willingness to let silence, stillness and performance speak for themselves," Pothan, who co-produced Fahadh Fasil's "Kumbalangi Nights" and directed "Joji", shared in a statement.

Thaddeus, who has written and directed the movie, said making the film was an attempt to step away from the pace and conventions of mainstream cinema and explore a more intimate, patient form of storytelling.

He said the Busan premiere of the movie gives a film from Kerala an opportunity to travel beyond its geographical and cultural boundaries and connect with audiences in another part of Asia.The film is produced by Stephen Zacharias, Aditya Grover & Harsh Agarwal.

Singh's "Khoriya" is a Nepali and Hindi language drama that has been produced by Niharika Singh, Faraz Khan and Prayas Deepti. Filmmaker Ashim Ahluwalia serves as executive producer on the movie, about two Nepali half-brothers running a poultry farm on the outskirts of Delhi NCR during a sudden bird flu outbreak.

"Khoriya" won the post-production grantat the NFDC Waves Film Bazaar 2025 Work in Progress Lab.

"'Khoriya' began with my interest in people who have been deprived of a sense of home-people who leave everything behind and arrive in an unfamiliar city in search of a more dignified life," said Vishwendra Singh.

Ahluwalia, known for "Miss Lovely", said "Khoriya" feels like the emergence of a very distinct filmmaking voice.

Busan has also selected Indian film "Selvi" by Sailesh Rathnakumar in the Vision Asia category alongside "Birds in the Dark", by Shashank Walia. Actor Anjali Patil has produced and stars in "Selvi" while "Birds in the Dark" is produced by Hansal Mehta, and co-produced by Sahil Saigal, Reema Kaur, Mauli Singh, and Gagan Deep Kaur. Mauli also stars in the movie, titled "Hanere de Panchi" in Punjabi.

"Salt Electric" by Promita Dhar is part of the 'Wide Angle: Asian Short Film Competition'.