‘Toxic’ by Lithuanian director Saulė Bliuvaitė has bagged the Best Film award at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. The jury, headed by Indian director Ashutosh Gowariker, recognized the film for its depiction of adolescence and economic hardship.
Previously, in Locarno, “Toxic” won not only the Golden Leopard Award for Best Film in the festival’s first international competition – from a jury chaired by Austrian writer Jessica Hausner – but also, in an unusual double, the Grand Prix in the first film juried separate. Features Contest.
diverseA positive review of “Toxic” described the film as “realistic but not without glimpses of tenderness and humor as female friendship takes root in a hopeless place,” adding that “its alternation between cold composure and kinetic action is almost consistent with (the hero’s) oscillating sense of self.” .
Romanian director Bogdan Muresanu won Best Director for The New Year That Never Came, a multi-narrative film set during the revolution. The jury cited his skill in crafting tragic comedy against a backdrop of social unrest.
The Best Actor award went to Clément Faveau for the French film “The Sacred Cow” directed by Louise Courvoisier, with special mention for Adam Bessa’s performance in the Tunisian-French-Canadian co-production “Who Do I Belong to?” In a notable joint win, “Toxic” stars Vesta Matulytė and Ieva Rupeikaitė shared the Best Actress award for their debut roles.
“Holy Cow” also took home a Special Jury Prize, while Sarah Friedland’s “Familiar Touch” was honored as Best Debut Feature Film. The ICFT International Film Prize with the UNESCO Gandhi Medal was presented to Levan Akin’s film Crossing, which follows an elderly Georgian woman’s journey to Istanbul in search of her missing niece.
The international judging panel included director Anthony Chen, producers Elizabeth Carlsen and Fran Borgia, editor Jill Billcock along with President Gowariker.
Navjyot Bandiwadekar won the Best Debut Director award at the Hindi Feature Film Award for his Marathi language film ‘Gharat Ganpati’.
Renowned Australian director Philip Noyce received the IFFI Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award.
SonyLIV’s ‘Lampan’, a rural coming-of-age story directed by Nipun Dharmadhikari, has won the Best Web Series award from IFFI.
The festival, organized by India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), concluded its 2024 edition on November 28. The concurrent Film Bazaar was held from November 20 to 24.