FESTIVAL FLOURISHES

BookMyShow‘s Crimson Lorry Movie Competition has landed two Academy Award-shortlisted movies to anchor its sophomore version, set for March 21-23, in Mumbai and Hyderabad. “Hollywoodgate,” from the producers of “Navalny,” shortlisted for documentary function, affords an on-the-ground examination of Taliban-ruled Kabul. “Common Language,” contending within the worldwide function class, presents an absurdist comedy-drama weaving a number of storylines between Tehran and Winnipeg.

The fest will showcase over 120 titles throughout each cities, marking its enlargement with “Crimson Lorry Movie Competition: Parallel Verse” in Hyderabad working alongside Mumbai’s “Take 2” version. Notable picks embody “When The Gentle Breaks,” which opened Un Sure Regard at Cannes 2024, and “999: The Forgotten Women,” winner of the Miami Jewish Movie Competition’s viewers award.

New for 2025, the pageant introduces a contest phase open to filmmakers, with submissions closing Jan. 7. Programming spans a number of languages together with Spanish, French, German, Korean, Dutch, and Icelandic. BookMyShow COO, cinemas, Ashish Saksena cited the inaugural version’s success as motivation for the enlargement, noting rising demand for worldwide cinema amongst Indian audiences.

PRISON PREMIERE

“Black Warrant,” a jail drama sequence, is about to premiere Jan. 10 on Netflix. The present takes place in Tihar, Asia’s largest jail, following rookie jailer Sunil Kumar Gupta as he navigates the establishment’s advanced energy dynamics.

The sequence marks actor Zahan Kapoor‘s streaming debut within the lead function of Gupta, alongside forged members Rahul Bhat, Paramvir Singh Cheema, Anurag Thakur and Sidhant Gupta. The undertaking reunites Netflix with creator-showrunner Vikramaditya Motwane (“AK vs AK”), who co-directs with Satyanshu Singh, Ambiecka Pandit, Arkesh Ajay and Rohin Raveendran Nair.

Drama is predicated on the non-fiction ebook “Black Warrant: Confessions Of A Tihar Jailer” by former Tihar superintendent Sunil Gupta and journalist Sunetra Choudhury. Applause Leisure presents the sequence, produced by Motwane’s Andolan Manufacturing with Confluence Media.

The present joins Netflix India’s latest slate together with “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar,” “Amar Singh Chamkila,” “The Nice Indian Kapil Present,” “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack” and “CTRL.”