Sundance Winner ‘Cactus Pears’ Scores Grand Jury Prize at Inaugural SXSW London

Marathi-language feature “Cactus Pears” (“Sabar Bonda”) continued its festival winning streak by taking home the Grand Jury Prize at the inaugural SXSW London festival.

The award was announced by the festival’s features jury, comprising writer-director Julia Jackman, actor Archie Madekwe and actor-writer Susan Wokoma.

Directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade in his feature debut, “Cactus Pears” follows two men navigating societal pressures in a rural Indian community. The story centers on Anand, a 30-something city dweller forced to spend a 10-day mourning period for his father in western India’s countryside, where he bonds with Balya, a local farmer struggling to remain unmarried. As the mourning period ends and Anand must return to the city, he faces a crucial decision about their relationship.

At the SXSW London closing gala, jury member Wokoma said: “The winning film is a stunning portrait of love and tenderness and beauty in and amongst grief and how these two people are able to foster some hope and love between them amongst all different aspects of their religion and their culture and their families and are supported through that in a really tender beautiful way.”

Gemma Blasco’s “The Fury,” particularly lead Ángela Cervantes’s performance, scored a jury special mention.

Earlier this year, “Cactus Pears” world premiered at Sundance, where it won the Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema (Dramatic), marking the first Marathi-language film to feature at the festival. The film has since claimed the Audience Choice award and Special Jury Mention for Performance by a Leading Duo at Indian Film Festival LA, plus Audience Choice and Outstanding Performance awards for the lead actor at Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival.

“I am so thrilled to know that ‘Sabar Bonda’ won the inaugural London edition of SXSW,” Kanawade said. “This win only cements further that authentic human stories know no boundaries. The love that we received from the jury as well as the U.K. audience (we had sold out screenings) only makes us work harder to bring ‘Sabar Bonda’ to the cinemas so the audiences can soon experience the film on the big screen.”

The filmmaker, raised in a Mumbai slum by a chauffeur father and homemaker mother, transitioned from interior design to filmmaking. His shorts have screened globally, and “Cactus Pears” was developed at Venice Biennale College Cinema 2022-2023, participating in platforms including NFDC Film Bazaar, Venice Gap Financing Market and Goes to Cannes. Kanawade is repped by Cinetic Media.

The film is produced by Neeraj Churi, Mohamed Khaki (Canada), Kaushik Ray (Taran Tantra Telefilms, UK), Naren Chandavarkar (Moonweave Films, India), Sidharth Meer (Bridge PostWorks, India) and Hareesh Reddypalli (Dark Stories, India), with co-producer Jim Sarbh (Wonderful Entertainment, India), associate producer Rajesh Parwatkar (U.K.) and executive producer Ilann Girard.

Producer Neeraj Churi of Lotus Visual Productions said: “To see the film resonate so powerfully with both audiences and juries across continents is incredibly moving.”

MPM Premium handles world sales, with Strand Releasing managing U.S. distribution.