Indian filmmaker Rahul Roye's Aman wins London Film Festival short award

Aman, a short film by Indian filmmaker Rahul Roye, won the Short Film Award at the 70th BFI London Film Festival, the British Film Institute announced on October 18, 2026. The festival's top prize, Best Film in the Official Competition, went to director Sergei Loznitsa's Imperium, which revisits the Soviet Union of the early 1970s through footage shot by Italian cameramen. Aman, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, follows a trans man whose plans change when he discovers he is pregnant just before his gender-affirming surgery.

The London Film Festival is one of the most important film events in Europe, run by the British Film Institute, the UK's national body for film. Its competition prizes draw attention from distributors, streaming platforms and other festivals. For a short film from an Indian filmmaker to win in a field drawn from around the world is a significant step for both the film and its director.

Short films are often where new directors prove themselves. Prizes at festivals such as London, Toronto, Cannes or Berlin can open doors to funding for a first feature, attention from producers, and invitations to development programmes. Roye's journey, from a self-taught start to an international co-production and a premiere in Toronto followed by a win in London, shows the path many independent Indian filmmakers now follow, financing their work with partners in several countries and building their names on the festival circuit before reaching audiences at home.

The win also adds to a strong month for Indian independent cinema abroad. At the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, which closed on October 15, the Punjabi-language debut Birds in the Dark won the New Currents Award for emerging Asian filmmakers, and the Tamil film Selvi won two awards. Together, these results show that Indian stories in many languages, including ones on subjects rarely seen in mainstream cinema, are finding recognition internationally.

Aman's subject is itself notable: a festival prize brings wider attention to a story about identity, the body and difficult choices, told by an Indian filmmaker for a global audience and made with partners in four countries.

Short-term: The free streaming window on BFI Player until October 25 gives Aman a wider audience, and the prize is likely to bring invitations from other festivals.

Long-term: Wins like this help Indian filmmakers raise money for future projects and strengthen international co-production as a route for independent Indian cinema.

Who is affected: Rahul Roye and the film's team, independent filmmakers in India, international co-producers and festival programmers, and audiences interested in world cinema.

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