Hyderabad: Toy Gun, a short film written and directed by Manipuri filmmaker Parshuram Thingnam, has won the 1st Runner-Up award for Best Short Film of the Year 2025 at the Hyderabad International Short Film Festival (HISFF). The festival was held at Prasads Multiplex, Hyderabad, from December 19 to 21.
The film was selected from a highly competitive pool of 705 entries from across the world, of which only 60 films were officially screened at the festival. From this shortlist, the jury chose Toy Gun among the top three short films of the year, which shows a significant achievement for the filmmaker and the region.
In the Best Short Film of the Year category, Sarnevshent from Iran won the top prize, receiving a memento, certificate and a cash award of Rs 1 lakh. Toy Gun secured the 1st Runner-Up position, earning a memento, certificate and a cash prize of Rs 75,000, while another Iranian film, My Father Is Afraid of Water, received the 2nd Runner-Up award with Rs 50,000.
Toy Gun presents a sensitive and powerful narrative that explores childhood innocence in conflict-affected regions, where even a simple toy becomes a reminder of real violence. Through a subtle and poetic storytelling style, the film moves into themes of fear, motherhood and the deep psychological impact of guns on young minds, even when the threat is only perceived.
The recognition holds special importance as Toy Gun is Parshuram Thingnam’s debut film. Remarkably, it was also the film’s first public screening, first festival appearance and first major award, signalling the arrival of a promising new voice in Indian independent cinema.
Thingnam is already known in literary circles as a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar (2023) for his contribution to contemporary Manipuri literature, making Toy Gun a notable transition from literature to cinema.
The film is produced by Khumallambam Omeshwori and stars National Award–winning actor Leishangthem Tonthoi, along with Thingnam Parihanba and Irengbam Premananda.
The festival concluded on Sunday, reaffirming HISFF’s growing reputation as a global platform for socially relevant and artistically bold short films.