A young filmmaker from Ladakh, Stanzin Jigmet, has won Gold for his film The Dragon Letter at the 53rd Student Academy Awards ceremony, bringing international recognition to Indian cinema.
The filmmaker had earlier written a note on Instagram in August, when the winners were first announced.
Stanzin wrote, "The Dragon Letter @thedragonletter has won a Student Academy Award 2026. From the remote village of Mulbekh in Ladakh, in the Indian Himalayas, to the Academy-this journey still feels unreal. This award belongs to my family, friends, cast, crew, @escac , @pixelchallengerfilms and everyone who believed in me and in this deeply personal story.Where we come from does not limit how far our stories can travel. #TheDragonLetter #StudentAcademyAwards #Ladakh #IndianCinema." Take a look at his post below:
The ceremony took place at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 14. This year, the Student Academy Awards received 2,972 submissions from students representing 894 colleges and universities across the world, as reported by ANI.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer, Directors Branch Governor and Academy Museum Trustee Jason Reitman, and Academy Foundation Board President and Casting Directors Branch Governor Kim Taylor-Coleman delivered remarks.
The presenters at the event were actor Gemma Chan, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus, and actor Gael Garcia Bernal.
The winning films from the Student Academy Awards will be eligible for consideration in three short film categories at the 99th Oscars: Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, and Documentary Short Film.
As for Jigmet, he holds a Master's degree in Film Directing from ESCAC in Barcelona, Spain. He is also the founder of Pixel Challenger Films, a Ladakh-based production house specialising in cinema-grade productions.
