Rima Das Busan Film Festival jury appointment marks a significant new chapter for the acclaimed Assamese filmmaker, who has been named one of three jurors for the New Currents Award at the 31st Busan International Film Festival. The festival announced the jury on September 22, with Das set to join Chinese producer Shan Zuolong and South Korean actor Shim Eun-kyung.
The 31st Busan International Film Festival will be held from October 6 to 15, 2026. The New Currents Award focuses on emerging Asian filmmakers and carries a cash prize of KRW 20 million for the winning film.
Rima Das Busan Film Festival role focuses on new Asian voices
The New Currents Award is presented to a debut feature selected from films in Busan’s Competition or Vision sections. The award has become an important platform for emerging filmmakers from across Asia.
Das will assess the competing films alongside Shan Zuolong and Shim Eun-kyung. Their different backgrounds across directing, production and acting bring varied perspectives to the jury.
According to the festival, the award aims to recognise new filmmakers shaping the future of Asian cinema. The winning director will receive KRW 20 million.
A long association with Busan
Das’s appointment also adds another chapter to her relationship with the South Korean festival. Several of her films have previously screened at Busan.
Her films Bulbul Can Sing and Tora’s Husband were screened at the festival. Village Rockstars 2 premiered at Busan in 2024 and later won the Kim Jiseok Award for Best Film.
Her latest film, Not a Hero, will also be presented at this year’s festival, giving Das a presence both on the jury and in the programme. The film is part of her continuing international festival journey after its screening at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Das said Busan has been a special part of her filmmaking journey because she has previously attended with her films, interacted with audiences and filmmakers, and experienced the festival from different perspectives. She described returning as a juror as meaningful and said she was looking forward to discovering new voices from across Asia.
From Assam to the international festival circuit
Das has built an international reputation through films rooted in personal stories, human relationships and the connection between people and nature.
Her filmography includes Village Rockstars, Bulbul Can Sing, Tora’s Husband, Village Rockstars 2 and Not a Hero. The Busan International Film Festival says her films have screened at more than 150 festivals worldwide and received more than 75 awards.
Her breakthrough film Village Rockstars, released in 2017, won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. It was also selected as India’s official entry for the Academy Awards in 2018. The film helped bring Das’s distinctive Assamese storytelling to a wider international audience.
Her later work continued that international recognition. Village Rockstars 2 won the Kim Jiseok Award at Busan in 2024, while Not a Hero earned a Crystal Bear Special Mention in the Generation Kplus section at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival, according to BIFF.
Indian cinema gets a wider Busan presence
Das’s jury appointment comes as several Indian films and filmmakers feature in the 2026 Busan programme. The festival has announced Indian titles across different sections, including films in competition and Asian cinema programmes.
Her participation therefore places an Assamese filmmaker in a prominent position within one of Asia’s major film festivals while also connecting her with filmmakers from across the region.
For Das, the 2026 festival will bring together several strands of her career: returning to a festival that has recognised her work, presenting a new film and taking part in the selection of emerging Asian filmmakers.
The Busan International Film Festival’s New Currents jury will now turn its attention to the next generation of Asian cinema, with Das bringing her experience as a director whose films have travelled widely while remaining closely connected to the people and landscapes of Assam.