Manoj Bajpayee-starrer ‘The Fable’ to compete in SEMINCI film festival in Spain

New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) Manoj Bajpayee-starrer “The Fable”, directed by Raam Reddy of “Thithi” fame, is the only film from India to compete at the prestigious SEMINCI film festival in Valladolid, Spain.

The film, which had its world premiere at the 74th Berlin Film Festival, is competing in the prestigious Meeting Point Official Selection Competition of the festival, which runs from October 18 to 26.

Other prominent movies in the category are “Blue Sun Palace” by Constance Tsang, “Familiar Touch” by Sarah Friedland, “A Universal Language” by Mathew Rankin, “Toxic” by Saule Bliuvaite and Jia Zhangke’s “Caught by the Tides”.

The festival’s Meeting Point is dedicated to fictions destined to become the revelations of the season. The film is in competition for the Meeting Point Best Feature Award, the Meeting Point Special Jury Award, and the ‘Pilar Miró’ Award for the Best New Director participating with a first or second feature-length fiction.

“Shooting for ‘The Fable’ has been a miraculous and magical journey. We not only survived COVID but also faced immense challenges along the way. After a year-long hiatus due to the pandemic, we returned to the location only to be hit by the Delta wave. Despite the difficulties, we continued filming under strict isolation protocols set by the local administration.

“…I’m thrilled that ‘The Fable’ was already selected for the competition section at the Berlin Film Festival, and now, SEMINCI is another feather in its cap. I’m eagerly anticipating the audience’s response at SEMINCI in Spain. My best wishes to our director and the entire team attending the festival. I’m really excited to see how the film will be received,” Bajpayee said in a statement.

Reddy said it was an honour to be selected in competition at SEMINCI alongside other great movies from around the world.

“The selection includes films by masters whose work has inspired me to become a filmmaker, so being in the same selection is incredibly exciting,” the director said.

“The Fable”, a US-Indian co-production, has an impressive ensemble cast including Deepak Dobriyal, Priyanka Bose, Tillotama Shome, debutant Hiral Sidhu, and child actor Awan Pookot.

In the film, Bajpayee plays the character of Dev, who discovers mysteriously burnt trees in his sprawling estate of fruit orchards nestled in the Indian Himalayas. In spite of all efforts, more fires break out, eventually leading him to see himself and his family for who they truly are.