Abhinetri Is The Only Indian Film Selected For San Sebastian Film Festival 2026

Tanmay Chowdhary and Tanvi Chowdhary's short film, Abhinetri is the sole Indian selection at this year's San Sebastian Film Festival. It's vying in the festival's "most open" section, Zabaltegi-Tabakalera. The 12-minute film trails a twenty year old woman who, while pursuing her grandmother's half forgotten wish of becoming an actress, becomes one with a city stuck in a fever dream of being seen.

The Zabaltegi-Tabakalera programme is a boldly eclectic bunch of 22 titles —13 feature films, seven short films, one medium-length film and one audiovisual performance. Highlights include Lee Chang-dong's Possible Love, Jane Schoenbrun's Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Bruno Dumont's Red Rocks and Tsai Ming-liang's Dust. The programme combines celebrated filmmakers with emerging voices.

The festival website states: "Sibling-duo Tanmay Chowdhary (Kolkata, 1990) and Tanvi Chowdhary (Kolkata, 1995) will present the world premiere of Abhinetri / Actress, a short film about an aspiring actress who sees how the line between performing and reality starts to blur. Both previously collaborated on Madhu / Honey (2022), selected for several international festivals. After that work, Tanmay directed Leela (2024), presented in Zabaltegi-Tabakalera following its premiere in Rotterdam."

The other shorts Abhinetri is competing with include Radu Jude and Adrian Cioflâncă’s Shot Reverse Shot, Federico Luis’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner For The Opponents and Marie-Rose Osta’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Someday A Child.

In their director's statement, the Chowdharys remark, "As we were kickstarting our collaboration as sibling filmmakers, collectively inspired and hungry to create independent narrative films, we met Pranjal Asha, a young artist who had left her hometown in Delhi behind to move to Bombay, at the tender age of twenty. For generations, Bombay has embodied the promise of freedom, the possibility of becoming someone, and of being seen. Aspiring actors and actresses from all parts of the country migrate here along with others who wish to make a name for themselves. A shared collective dream rings through the air, hovering like a dense cloud. Observing Pranjal navigating through the city’s pulsating life and her beginning to uncover the tragedy, excitement and mundanity of her life in Bombay, the city of her dreams, is what inspired us to make this film. Abhinetri is essentially a portrait of Pranjal and the spirit of many like her."

Tanmay And Tanvi Chowdhary's Earlier Projects

Tanmay has also edited and shot the film. The siblings have founded a Kolkata-based production house, Peru Films, which backed the title. Tanvi has a feature project in development, Home of Roses. The siblings' earlier collaboration, the short film Madhu (2022), screened at several leading film festivals, including Rotterdam, New Directors/New Films, BFI London Film Festival.

Indian Selections At San Sebastian Film Festival

In recent years, Indian films have frequently popped up at San Sebastian. Last year, Tribeny Rai's Shape of Momo competed in the New Director strand. In 2022, Parth Saurabh's Pokhar Ke Dunu Paar played in the same section, where it won a special mention. A year later, Diwa Shah's Bahadur – The Brave made history by becoming the first-ever debut director’s Indian film to win the coveted Kutxabank – New Directors Award.

The 74th edition of the San Sebastian Film Festival runs 18-26 September, 2026.