Iranian cinema sparked director Natesh Hegde’s love for movies. Imagine his joy then that his latest work, Tiger’s Pond, piqued acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s curiosity. The Kannada crime drama, backed by Anurag Kashyap, was screened on June 10 at the ongoing Sydney Film Festival. Panahi, who was at the film gala, sought Hegde out to chat about the film’s themes and offer his support. 

The director is naturally touched by the gesture, as he says, “It was great to meet Mr Jafar Panahi in Sydney. He had heard about our film after the screening, and [wanted] to watch it.”

A still from Tiger’s Pond