Official selectionHylife Vision AwardTaipei Film Commission Award
City/UrbanizationLove/RomanceComing of AgeWomen
The film opens with Selvi and her friends smiling brightly and laughing as they fly kites on the beach. Having come to the city to support her family, Selvi works as a home-care worker while dreaming of becoming a ‘real’ nurse and going to Dubai one day. When her friend Kavitah attempts suicide after a breakup, Selvi ends up taking on Kavitah’s shifts as well. Her 12-hour shift becomes 24 hours, then 48, then 72, and during that time Selvi sinks deeper into fatigue and helplessness she is unable to divulge to anyone. In Tamil, ’selvi’ is a respectful form of address for an unmarried young woman. Therefore, the title Selvi not only refers to one particular individual but also symbolizes the countless women who live without a name of their own. Sailesh Rathnakumar follows Selvi with an ever-shaking camera, capturing her unraveling life and the truth that lies beyond. Anjali Patil, who stars in and also produces the film, breathes life into the nameless ’selvi’ through her delicate and nuanced performance.
Programme note by PARK Sunyoung
Stills5
Screenings4
Fri, 10/09
12:3014:32
Busan Cinema Center Cinema 2
175Guest Q&AKE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue
Sun, 10/11
20:0022:02
CGV Centum City 2
395Guest Q&AKE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue
Tue, 10/13
16:3018:07
Busan Community Media Center Open Hall
642KE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue
Wed, 10/14
20:0021:37
CGV Centum City 4
676KE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue
A writer-director and Prague Film School alumnus. He directed the short films In the Moment (2016), LILA (2017), and MUJ KUFR (2018). Selvi, which he directed and co-wrote, marks his feature directorial debut.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31