Overview

• On June 10 at the Sydney Film Festival, Palme d’Or winner Jafar Panahi met director Natesh Hegde and requested to view his crime drama Tiger’s Pond.
• Tiger’s Pond, a Kannada-language crime drama produced by Anurag Kashyap alongside Ranjan Singh and Jeremy Chua, had its Sydney premiere following screenings in Berlin and at Busan’s Asian Project Market.
• Director Natesh Hegde drew inspiration from Abbas Kiarostami’s Close-up and described meeting Panahi—a friend and student of Kiarostami—as a career milestone.
• The film follows a ruthless businessman’s campaign to manipulate a village election, exploring themes of power, faith and caste dynamics.
• Bolstered by its festival run, the film has drawn admiration and backing from one of Iranian cinema’s most respected auteurs.