Natesh Hegde's Pedro, a Kannada feature film, has received rave reviews in the international film festival circuit.
On Tuesday, Hegde clinched the best director's award at the Pingyao International Film Festival in Shanxi, China. His film competed in the Crouching Tigers competition section.
Pedro, which is about a middle-class electrician, is Hegde's first feature film. It is produced by popular Kannada actor-director Rishab Shetty.
The film shows how village people respond to an accidental crime committed by an electrician. Hegde's father, Gopalakrishna Hegde, has played the lead role. Sandalwood actor-director Raj B Shetty has a small role in the film.
The film premiered at the Busan International Festival and then was showcased at the BFI London Film Festival earlier this month.
Hegde, who studied journalism at the Karnatak University in Dharwad, worked briefly as a journalist at the Kannada daily Prajavani. Hailing from Sirsi, his short film Kurli made it to several festivals.
Natesh was one of the 19 individuals picked for the 'DH Changemakers' in 2019, an annual event of Deccan Herald to honour remarkable people from Karnataka who make a difference in the lives around them or sparkle in their area of specialisation.