ROTTERDAM Film Festival is a key event for the independent film industry internationally, particularly from Asia and the Global South. Appropriately, the Tiger Award top prize went to the Indian film Pebbles.

Set in a rural village in southern India, Pebbles follows an alcoholic and abusive father and his young son as they embark on an eight-mile walk under scorching sun in a bid to reunite with his wife, who has fled his violence.

The feature debut of director Vinothraj PS, it has a a non-professional Tamil-speaking cast and, despite its grim subject matter, is a captivating and warm-hearted tale imbued with beauty and humour.