Spying Stars: Nila Madhab Panda’s sci-fi gets selected for Busan Film Festival

The role of a producer is fraught with challenges, but National Award–winning filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda sees it as an opportunity to back storytellers looking for support. For his maiden production, he chose to put his weight behind Sri Lankan filmmaker Vimukthi Jayasundara’s Spying Stars. The gamble paid off, with the film officially selected in the inaugural competition section at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

“Producing is a soulful job, more than just putting money. I became a producer of my own films because people couldn’t understand what I stood for as a storyteller. And when I became established, I realised that a lot of storytellers need my support,” says the first-time producer.

Spying Stars follows Anandi (Indira Tiwari), a bio-technician who travels to Hanuman Island for her father’s last rites, but ends up quarantined at a hotel in a machine-ruled dystopia. Pursued by a mysterious star, she escapes and finds refuge with a mother and her transgender daughter — embarking on a transformative journey of warmth and spiritual freedom.

Panda says he chose to back Jayasundara for his “invisible storytelling”. “Most of his films are deeply internal, with complex emotions, and visual motifs. That’s why a lot of his films have gone to Cannes,” he adds, citing The Forsaken Land (2005) as a favourite. Their discussions began before the pandemic, against the backdrop of AI’s rapid rise. “Spying Stars may not be a complete sci-fi film; it’s a spiritual exploration of an AI world.”

As the film enters the competitive section of BIFF, Panda says his joy lies in its discovery. “If you get an award, it paves the way to speak to the media, public, and sales agents. That’s how you support independent films. It is what Payal Kapadia’s movies [did for the world].”

14
Number of movies selected in the competition section at BIFF