India, Oct. 9 -- "When I'm on the ice, the rest of the world doesn't exist. There are no worries. I feel like I'm flying," says Padma Chorol, a star player on India's national ice-hockey team.

The 31-year-old is now taking this spirit of fearlessness and freedom to the screen, playing a character quite like herself, in the Ladakhi-language film Birds on Ice.

Directed by Mumbai-based Sahil H Shah, it premiered this weekend at the Busan International Film Festival. It tells the story of a 10-year-old named Tashi (Semzang Skitdon) who falls in love with the sport after watching others play it, in the frozen winters of her mountain town.

Chorol's character, Paami, is among the players who inspire her to pursue her dream of playing for Indi...