Court director Chaitanya Tamhane’s new feature, The Disciple, has won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 77th Venice International Film Festival. The announcement comes a day before the closing ceremony of the festival, where the main awards will be revealed. The last Indian film to be awarded the FIPRESCI Award at the Venice Film Festival was Mathilukal, directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan in 1990.

The Disciple follows a young classical singer who, after years of devoted learning, starts experiencing existential doubts about his craft. The film is produced by Vivek Gomber with Alfonso Cuarón credited as executive producer. 

“I want to thank the FIPRESCI and its jury members from the bottom of my heart for their continued support for our work,” Chaitanya said. “This is a special honour for us given that the jury for this award comprises film critics and journalists from around the world. We are all quite thrilled and excited with this fantastic start to the journey of The Disciple.”