Assamese filmmaker Maharshi Tuhin Kashyap has won the prestigious Secret Program Fellini Award at the 27th Lucania Film Festival in Pisticci, Basilicata, Italy. His film Kok Kok Kokoook received the honour during its European premiere at the festival.
The recognition adds another international milestone to Kashyap’s growing filmmaking career. Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf curated the festival’s Secret Program and presented the award to Kashyap.
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Fellini Award Triumph Brings International Recognition
The Fellini Award triumph marks a significant achievement for Assamese independent cinema. The Secret Program Fellini Award honours the legacy of celebrated Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini and recognises a film selected for the festival’s special programme.
Kashyap received the award at the Lucania Film Festival, which took place in Pisticci in southern Italy. The festival selected Kok Kok Kokoook for its Secret Program, placing the Assamese-language production alongside international works presented during the event.
Moreover, the award came during the film’s European premiere. Therefore, the recognition represents both a festival honour and another step in the film’s international journey.
The award was presented by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, one of Iran’s acclaimed filmmakers. His involvement in curating the Secret Program and presenting the honour added further significance to Kashyap’s achievement.
Kok Kok Kokoook Builds Global Festival Journey
Kok Kok Kokoook began its international festival journey with its world premiere at the 30th Busan International Film Festival in 2025. The film subsequently travelled to other international platforms before reaching the Lucania Film Festival in Italy.
The film was made as Kashyap’s graduation project at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India. The institute has also recognised the achievement, identifying Kashyap as an alumnus from its Direction and Screenplay Writing programme.
The Lucania Film Festival’s official programme lists Kok Kok Kokoook as a 60-minute Indian fiction film released in 2025. The festival describes its story as involving a Muslim chicken vendor and an African woman caught amid suspicion, desire and myths following a hit-and-run investigation.
Furthermore, the film uses an unconventional narrative approach. Reports describe its style through elements of magical realism and surrealism while connecting its characters and situations to wider questions surrounding contemporary society, migration and identity.
Maharshi Tuhin Kashyap Continues Distinctive Film Career
The Italian recognition is not Kashyap’s first achievement on the international film circuit. His earlier work Mur Ghurar Duronto Goti (The Horse From Heaven) received recognition at several festivals.
According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting records, the film won the Best Fiction Short Film award at the VGIK International Student Film Festival in Moscow in 2022. It also won the Indian Competition section at the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival and received the Gold Prize at the North East Film Festival in 2023.
The same government records also note that The Horse From Heaven qualified as an entrant for the Academy Awards. Consequently, Kashyap’s latest Italian honour builds on an already established record of festival participation and recognition.
Meanwhile, Kok Kok Kokoook represents a move into longer-form filmmaking. Its international festival journey has given audiences outside India an opportunity to encounter an Assamese-language film with an unconventional storytelling approach.
The recognition also highlights the ability of regional filmmakers to reach international festival audiences without abandoning local cultural and social contexts. In Kashyap’s case, the film combines an Assamese creative perspective with themes that can engage viewers beyond the region.
Assam Cinema Gains Another Global Platform
The Fellini Award triumph has drawn attention to Assam’s presence within international cinema. While regional Indian films have increasingly appeared at global festivals, recognition at an established European festival provides another platform for Assamese filmmaking.
The Lucania Film Festival’s official winners list confirms Kok Kok Kokoook as the recipient of the Secret Program Fellini Award in the 2026 edition.
Additionally, the award connects Kashyap’s work with the legacy of Federico Fellini, whose influence remains significant in international film culture. The recognition therefore carries a particular artistic context beyond a conventional festival selection.
For Assamese cinema, such appearances can also expand awareness of stories created outside India’s largest film industries. However, the award should be viewed primarily as recognition of Kashyap’s film and its artistic approach rather than as a broader claim about the entire regional film industry.
Kashyap’s achievement also reflects the role of film education and independent production in developing new cinematic voices. His progression from student filmmaking to international festival recognition demonstrates the continuing journey of a filmmaker whose work has already travelled across several major platforms.
Conclusion
The Fellini Award triumph for Maharshi Tuhin Kashyap has placed Assamese cinema in the spotlight at Italy’s 27th Lucania Film Festival. His film Kok Kok Kokoook won the Secret Program Fellini Award during its European premiere in Pisticci.
The award was presented by Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who curated the Secret Program. Moreover, the recognition follows the film’s world premiere at Busan and its subsequent international festival journey.
Kashyap’s latest achievement adds to his earlier festival successes and strengthens his growing international profile. Therefore, the Italian honour represents another notable chapter for the filmmaker and for Assamese independent cinema.
FAQs
What is the Fellini Award triumph involving Maharshi Tuhin Kashyap?
The Fellini Award triumph refers to Kashyap winning the Secret Program Fellini Award at the 27th Lucania Film Festival in Italy for Kok Kok Kokoook.
Which film won the award?
Maharshi Tuhin Kashyap’s film Kok Kok Kokoook won the Secret Program Fellini Award at the 2026 Lucania Film Festival.
Where was the award presented?
The award was presented at the Lucania Film Festival in Pisticci, Basilicata, Italy. Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf presented the honour.
What is Kok Kok Kokoook about?
The film follows a Muslim chicken vendor and an African woman navigating suspicion, desire and myths amid a hit-and-run investigation.
What was Kashyap’s earlier internationally recognised film?
His earlier film Mur Ghurar Duronto Goti (The Horse From Heaven) won awards at festivals including the VGIK International Student Film Festival and the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival.