THE DISCIPLE, written and directed by Chaitanya Tamhane and produced by Vivek Gomber of Zoo Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., has won the International Critics' Prize awarded by FIPRESCI at the 77th Venice International Film Festival. This announcement comes a day before the closing ceremony of the festival, where the main awards will be revealed.

Renowned filmmakers such as Abbas Kiarostami, Paul Thomas Anderson, Joshua Oppenheimer and George Clooney have been awarded the FIPRESCI Award at the Venice Film Festival in its recent history.

The last Indian film to be awarded the FIPRESCI Award at the Venice Film Festival was MATHILUKAL directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan in 1990.

The prestigious award is awarded by the The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Federation Internationale de la Presse CInematographique) - which is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in Brussels, Belgium. At present it has members in more than 50 countries worldwide.

Chaitanya Tamhane said, "I want to thank the FIPRESCI and its jury members from the bottom of my heart for their continued support for our work. This is a very special honour for us given that the jury for this award comprises of film critics and journalists from around the world. We are all quite thrilled and excited with this fantastic start to the journey of 'The Disciple'."

Vivek Gomber said, "It's an incredible honour to be the first Indian film after thirty years to win this prestigious award at Venice. FIPRESCI's faith in our work has been a great source of encouragement over the years."