Jitank Singh Gujar’s debut Indie film In Search Of The Sky (Vimukt) won the NETPAC award at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the filmmaker announced on Monday.

The NETPAC Award is given annually by the network for the promotion of asian cinema (NETPAC) to a standout feature film from the Asia-Pacific region.

Sharing a clip from the ceremony, Gujar expressed gratitude to the cast and crew members of the film for their ‘historic’ win at the annual film festival.

“We created History, In search of the Sky / Vimukt has won the NETPAC award at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival this morning, and we are filled with utmost gratitude at this incredible acknowledgement,” Gujar wrote on Instagram.

He added, “Big thanks to our cast and crew, this win is not a one or two person win, it’s a win for our entire crew, the people who believed in the film and helped us make it, shape it and bring it to life.”

Starring theatre actors Meghna Agarwal, Raghvendra Bhadoriya and Nikhil S Yadav in lead roles, In Search Of The Sky is a Braj-language film about a poverty-stricken elderly couple who embark on a pilgrimage to the Maha Kumbh with their disabled adult son in the hope of finding healing and redemption for him.

The film was the sole Indian entry selected for TIFF's Centrepiece programme. The film was mostly shot in Prayagraj during the Mahakumbh Mela and Barai and Patwa villages in Madhya Pradesh.

In Search Of The Sky was backed by Arpan Raut, Akarshit Rahul, and Bhanushali Navin Shetty, edited by Pavan Theurkar, with music by Manish Kumar. Tushar Tyagi is also attached as the executive producer.

In a recent interview, the film’s executive producer and cinematographer, Shelly Sharma, said the film tells a simple story, making its TIFF premiere an “empowering moment” for the independent filmmaking community in India.

“Seven months ago, when we were dealing with thousands of people in each frame who didn't even know they were our featured extras (during the Mahakumbh schedule), if anyone would have told us that we will have our World Premiere at the magnificent Toronto International Film Festival neither of us would have believed it,” Shelly told in an interview with Hollywood Reporter India.