Bengaluru peeps, here’s your chance to watch Natesh Hegde’s much-feted Pedro

Debutante director Natesh Hegde’s Kannada film Pedro, which has been produced by filmmaker-actor Rishab Shetty, has had an incredulous film festival run since its premiere in Busan last year. The makers have been promising that they will bring the film to theatres at some point, but there’s been no word on that yet. In the meantime, though, cinephiles in Bengaluru have an opportunity to watch the film.

The Satyajit Ray Film Society is organizing a screening of the film on September 4 as part of its Bengaluru Bengali Kannada Film Festival 2022. Delegate passes can be availed by registering on their official website: https://srfsb.co.in/festival

The official synopsis of the film reads, “Pedro is a middle-aged electrician living with his mother and his brother’s family in a remote village nestled in the thick forests of the Western Ghats. One monsoon night accidentally kills a cow that belongs to his landlord Hegde. Sensing trouble, Pedro leaves town. Hell breaks loose in the village. Filled with anxiety, Pedro has no way but to return. He ultimately joins his former employer Raju, mending power lines in the forest. The village, unable to accept a man who’s committed the disgraceful act, responds with coldness.”

Pedro, which stars Natesh’s father Gopal Hegde in the title role, is currently in competition at the Indian Film Festival (IFFM) of Melbourne in the Best Indie Film section, as well as Best Actor. The winner will be announced on August 14 at the Palais Theatre, Melbourne at the IFFM Award night. Beside Gopal, the film also stars Ramakrishna Bhat Dundi and Raj B Shetty, among others.

Other nominees in be Best Indie Film section include Boomba Ride (Mishing), Dug Dug (Hindi), Jaggi (Punjabi), Once Upon A Time in Calcutta (Bengali), Shankar’s Fairies (Hindi), Shoebox (Hindi) and Fairy Folk (Hindi, English).