A still from the film ‘Toxic’, directed by Saulė Bliuvaitė, a Lithuanian filmmaker and screenwriter
The 55th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which was kick-started with a star-studded opening ceremony at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Panaji, Goa, on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, has come to a close.
This year, the festival received 1,676 submissions from 101 countries. The nine-day festival presented over 180 international titles from 81 countries, which include 16 premieres in World, three in International, 43 in Asian, and 109 in Indian categories.
Notably, the organisers also included a segment this year to celebrate Goan films, under which 14 films were screened. This year, the festival chose Australia as the country of focus to foster its collaboration with India through a memorandum of understanding between Screen Australia and the NFDC.
The jury for the International Competition consisted of Anthony Chen, Elizabeth Karlsen, Fran Borgia, Jill Bilcock and Jury Chairperson Ashutosh Gowariker.
Toxic clinched the Golden Peacock Award for the Best Film for “exploring adolescence and the harsh realities of growing up in an economically deprived society.” Toxic is debut feature of Saulė Bliuvaitė, a Lithuanian filmmaker and screenwriter.
| Awards | Awardee | Citation |
| Best Film | Toxic | For exploring adolescence and the harsh realities of growing up in an economically deprived society, with so much sensitivity and empathy and at the same time creating a coming-of-age narrative against a backdrop of the physical and social landscape. |
| Best Director | Bogdan Muresanu (The New Year That Never Came) | Creating a tragicomedy is difficult. And to do that during a revolution is even tougher. Bogdan Muresanu succeeds brilliantly in doing just that, by interweaving six stories to portray the life in a country on the brink of a revolution – and he does that armed with exquisite production design, mise-en-sene and metaphors to create the period and complimented by the stunning performances from the ensemble cast. |
| Best Actor (Male) | Clément Faveau (Holy Cow) | For his incredibly natural performance, expressing the emotional ups and downs, while traversing from innocence to maturity. |
| Special mention: Adam Bessa (Who Do I Belong To?) | The Jury would also like to make a special mention for the studied and restrained performance by Adam Bessa for his portrayal of Bilal, in the Tunisian film, Who Do I Belong To? | |
| Best Actor (Female) | Vesta Matulytė, Ieva Rupeikaitė (Toxic) | For the extraordinary performances by its two debut making actresses – Vesta Matulyte and Ieva Rupeikaitė – who pushed themselves to their physical and emotional limits in creating the unforgettable characters of Marija and Kristina. |
| Special Jury Award | Louise Courvoisier (Holy Cow) | For creating a universal story on her debut, about what happens when a fun-loving teenager is suddenly thrown into adulthood and has to step up and take control of his life. |
| Award for Best Debut Feature Film of a Director | Sarah Friedland (Familiar Touch) | In her narrative feature directorial debut, Sarah Friedland creates a poignant story that informs us that we are all constantly coming-of-age and the importance of love and caregiving, especially in old age. |
The jury also presented the ICFT International Film Prize with UNESCO Gandhi Medal to director Levan Akin’s Crossing. Meanwhile, Vikrant Massey won the Indian Film Personality of the Year. The actor had starred in 12th Fail, the blockbuster Hindi film of 2023.
Bogdan Muresanu won the Best Director award for his Romanian tragic comedy The New Year That Never Came. Clement Faveau for Holy Cow was adjudged the winner in the Best Actor Male category and Vesta Matulyte and Leva Rupeikaite were declared joint winners in the Best Actor Female category.
Well-known Australian director Phillip Noyce received the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for his pioneering cinematic legacy. “There is nothing like the Indian audience. I would love to make an Indian film and would love for Australia and India to be in a co-production agreement,” he said.
For his film Gharat Ganapati, Navjyot Bandiwadekar won the Best Debut Director for Indian Feature Film award. Marathi series Lampan, set against a rural backdrop and portraying a boy’s emotional and social changes, won the Best Web Series award.
Published – November 28, 2024 08:53 pm IST
