Jesus Youth-Associated Filmmaker Leo Thaddeus’ Chevittorma to Premiere at Busan International Film Festival

Malayalam feature Chevittorma, directed by long-time Jesus Youth member Leo Thaddeus, has been selected for the 31st Busan International Film Festival in South Korea

Chevittorma (The Soul Whisperer), the Malayalam independent feature written and directed by filmmaker *Leo Thaddeus, will have its world premiere at the *31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), one of Asia’s leading film festivals.

The film has been selected for BIFF’s ‘A Window on Asian Cinema’ section, a non-competitive programme showcasing significant new works from Asian filmmakers. The festival will be held from October 6 to 15, 2026, at the Busan Cinema Center in South Korea.

The film stars Pauly Valsan in the lead role as Theresia and Dileesh Pothan as Varkichan, with Jeo Baby and others also part of the cast. Running for 93 minutes, The Soul Whisperer is set in the hills of Kerala and explores themes of death, memory, faith, forgiveness and redemption.

The story centres on Theresia, a woman known for sitting beside the dying and whispering prayers believed to help ease the passage of the soul. She is called to the ancestral home of Varkichan, a powerful landlord who falls unconscious following a sudden illness. As his family gathers around him expecting his death, the prolonged vigil gradually brings buried memories, family tensions and unresolved histories to the surface.

For Leo Thaddeus, the Busan selection is also a significant milestone in a creative journey closely connected with *Jesus Youth. Leo has been associated with Jesus Youth for nearly four decades and has played a pioneering role in shaping the movement’s *visual and creative initiatives. His contribution to the movement’s visual communication has helped give expression to its message through contemporary media and creative storytelling.

His long association with Jesus Youth has been marked by a commitment to using visual media as a means of communication and evangelisation. This creative journey now finds an international platform with Chevittorma receiving its world premiere at one of Asia’s most prominent film festivals.

The film also brings together an accomplished cast and an international musical collaboration. Pauly Valsan, a Kerala State Film Award winner and one of Malayalam cinema’s noted character actors, takes on her first lead role with the film. The music is composed by Iranian composer *Milad Movahedi, known for his work on *Critical Zone.

With its contemplative treatment of mortality, faith and human relationships, Chevittorma marks a new chapter in Leo Thaddeus’ filmmaking journey—one that has grown alongside his decades-long involvement with Jesus Youth and its visual mission.

https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/features/insight/exclusive-dileesh-pothan-pauly-valsan-starrer-chevittorma-set-for-world-premiere-at-busan-international-film-festival-2026

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Read more at: https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2026/09/01/chevittoorma-busan-film-festival.html