The statements of Israeli filmmaker and head of the festival’s international jury Nadav Lapid, who referred to “The Kashmir Files” as “propaganda,” at the closing ceremony of the movie gala, shook the usually controversy-free 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India.
Asha Parekh, Chiranjeevi, Akshay Kumar, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Rana Daggubati were among the prominent Indian film figures that attended the nine-day festival, which was set to come to a sparkling conclusion on Monday but Lapid’s statements overshadowed their participation.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur, and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also attended the occasion.
Lapid declared that his choice of “The Kashmir Files” for the Indian Panaroma part left him “disturbed and appalled.” Vivek Agnihotri, who also wrote the screenplay, competed against 14 other international films in the same competition.
I Have Electric Dreams, a Spanish film by Costa Rican director Valentina Maurel, took home the coveted Golden Peacock. The movie follows 16-year-old Eva as she transitions into maturity, a process that is more than just growing older and at times has the power to irreparably damage people.
Daniela Marin Navarro, who played the title role in the movie, received the Silver Peacock Award for Best Actor (Female).
Nader Saeivar, an Iranian writer and filmmaker, won the Silver Peacock for Best Director for “No End,” a mystical and nuanced depiction of Iran’s backward sociopolitical structure. The Iranian secret police’s tricks and ploys are shown in the Turkish movie. Vahid Mobasseri, the film’s leading man, earned the Silver Peacock for Best Actor (Male).
At the ceremony, veteran actor-producer Chiranjeevi Konidela received the Indian Film Personality of the Year Award. At the inaugural ceremony on November 20, the ministry of information and broadcasting named the Telugu actor as the recipient of the honour this year.
Chiranjeevi thanked the festival and the government for honouring him.
“Few recognitions are special, and this award is one such. I was born into a middle-class family, to humble parents. My fame, name, charisma, all privileges, the invaluable love and affection of my fans and everything, I owe to the film industry. I was born as Konidela Siva Sankara Vara Prasad to my parents and I was re-born as Chiranjeevi in the film industry,” he said in his speech.
Over the last nine days, IFFI curated the screenings of 282 films clocking 35,000 minutes of viewing time. The festival featured 183 international films and 97 Indian films in 65 international and 15 Indian languages from 78 countries worldwide. Over 20 Masterclasses, In-Conversation sessions.
Thakur said the diversity showcased at the festival is the living embodiment of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ that brought together creative thinkers, filmmakers, cinema lovers and cultural enthusiasts from all over the world under one roof.
“IFFI not only entertained but also educated us. IFFI tickled our humour and refined our senses,” the minister said.
The IFFI 53 Special Jury Award was given to “When the Waves are Gone” by Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz. The film is a story of an investigator in the Philippines, who is at a deep moral crossroads.
The movie gala also honoured director Athens-based Asimina Proedrou with the award for the Best Debut Feature Film of a Director, for “Behind the Haystacks”, which had its international premiere at the festival.
Indian director, writer and cinematographer Praveen Kandregula received Special Mention by the Jury for his film “Cinema Bandi”, the story of a poor and struggling auto driver who chances upon a deserted expensive camera, which gets him going on a journey from an auto-driver to a filmmaker.
Iranian film “Nargesi”, directed Payam Eskandari, won the ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal, given for a film that best reflects Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of peace, tolerance and non-violence. The film is about a man with down syndrome and the burden and consequences it creates in his life.
In his virtual message, Eskandari thanked the IFFI jury members.
“It is a big honour to receive this award, I want to thank those people who believed in me, to make this movie, especially my family – my lovely wife and all cast and crew of Nargesi,” he said.
This year, nine films from across the globe were chosen to compete for the ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal.
The 53rd IFFI was conducted jointly by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG).
