By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 21: Prominent filmmaker Pradip Kurbah’s upcoming film Moon has been officially selected for the highly competitive Asian Project Market (APM) at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival.
From a record 455 submissions across 44 countries, only 30 projects earned a spot—placing Moon among Asia’s most promising and innovative cinematic works this year.
Moon is a collaboration between Hello Meghalaya, Shiven Arts, and Kurbah Films, and has recently received formal approval from Hello Meghalaya. The film features a distinguished cast including Albert Mawrie, Merlvin Mukhim, Anvil Laloo, Jeetesh Sharma, and Baia Marbaniang.
Auditions for additional roles will be held soon. Filming is scheduled to begin this winter to capture the atmospheric depth crucial to the narrative.
The screenplay and story are co-written by Pradip Kurbah and Paulami Dutta. Moon explores the quiet pain and guilt individuals often carry alone. Using the moon as a metaphor—illuminated only by reflecting the sun’s light—the film delves into how hope and resilience grow through connection and empathy. Rain, a recurring motif throughout the film, symbolises struggle, cleansing, and renewal, mirroring the characters’ emotional journeys toward healing.
Producer Shankar Lall Goenka, known for his work on the critically acclaimed film Iewduh, returns to collaborate with Pradip Kurbah and Hello Meghalaya on this new project, continuing their creative partnership.
Held annually alongside the Busan International Film Festival, the Asian Project Market is Asia’s largest and most influential co-production and financing platform. It provides a vital forum for emerging filmmakers to engage with international producers, investors, and distributors, fostering partnerships that enable co-productions and broaden global reach. APM is renowned for championing diverse regional voices and spotlighting urgent social issues such as inequality, gender, and family dynamics.
This is not Kurbah’s first recognition at APM. His critically acclaimed film Ha Lyngkha Bneng was also selected for the Asian Project Market in 2020, further establishing his international presence.
Reflecting on Moon, Pradip Kurbah—recipient of the prestigious Kim Jiseok Award at Busan in 2019 and recent Best Film and Best Director winner at the 2025 Moscow International Film Festival—shared: “At its heart, Moon is about confronting the inner darkness we all carry and discovering hope and strength through connection, forgiveness, and resilience.”
Kurbah expressed sincere gratitude to Hello Meghalaya—an OTT platform initiative by the Meghalaya government—and to Shankar Lall Goenka for their continued support. He views the opportunity to present Moon at APM Busan as a crucial platform to attract additional producers and funders, a necessary step given the film’s ambitious scope and budget.
The 2025 Asian Project Market will be held from September 20 to 23 at BEXCO, Busan, featuring selected projects from 15 countries and celebrating the vibrant diversity of contemporary Asian cinema.
For the film community of Shillong and Meghalaya, Kurbah’s selection represents a significant milestone and a shining example of how regional stories can resonate on the global stage.
