Tamil film Pebbles, directed by Vinothraj PS, wins Tiger Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam

Tamil film Pebbles (Koozhangal), written and directed by Vinothraj PS, was announced as the winner of the prestigious Tiger Award at this year’s edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Actor Nayanthara, filmmaker Vignesh Shivan, Sai Devanand S are the producers of the feature. Pebbles chronicles the story of Ganapathy (Karuththadaiyaan), poverty-stricken father and his young son (Chellapandi) as they wander a southern Indian landscape where anger and frustration burn hotter than the sun. “The father-son relationship is deeply disturbed, yet they are inexorably drawn together. It seems next to impossible that the still-innocent boy will go down the same path his father did. Their pointless journey illustrates the disruptive influence of grinding poverty,” reads the official synopsis. According to Variety, the Tiger Award includes a prize of €40,000 (Rs 35,05,875 approximately) that will be divided between filmmaker and producer. “In the midst of many admirable and ambitious works, the jury was blown away by a seemingly simple and humble film we fell in love with instantly. Creating a maximum impact with a minimum in means, the filmmaker reaches his goal with the same conviction and determination as his main characters. The result is a lesson in pure cinema, captivating us with its beauty and humour, in spite of its grim subject,” said the Tiger Award jury on why they chose Pebbles as the awardee. Yuvan Shankar Raja has scored music for Pebbles, while Jeya Parthiban and Vignesh Kumulai are the editors.