Ringu Wandering, Jitendra Joshi and Angela Molina win big at 52nd IFFI 

Golden Peacock Award for the Best Movie – ‘The Ring Wandering’ pic.twitter.com/8jIba21GMf

— International Film Festival of India (@IFFIGoa) November 28, 2021

The best director award went to Vaclav Kadrnka for ‘Saving One Who Was Dead’.

Jitendra Joshi, known to audiences outside Marathi cinema for his performance as constable Katekar in the Netflix series ‘Sacred Games’, won the best actor male award for filmmaker Nikhil Mahajan’s Marathi drama ‘Godavari’. Mahajan was felicitated at the festival with a special jury award.

Best Actor Male – Mr. Jitendra Joshi for the movie ‘Godavari’@ianuragthakur @Chatty111Prasad @DrPramodPSawant #IFFIAwards #IFFI52 pic.twitter.com/ZZTJ7gmPLy

— International Film Festival of India (@IFFIGoa) November 28, 2021

A philosophical exploration of life and death, ‘Godavari’ takes its name from the titular river that flows from Nashik, Maharashtra to the southern states of the country.

The film, which is Mahajan’s ode to late filmmaker Nishikant Kamat, follows the story of a grumpy man named Nishikant Deshmukh (Joshi) and his family who try to cope up with the deaths of two close relatives.

The best actor female award went to Angela Molina for her Paraguay film ‘Charlotte’ from filmmaker Simon Franco. ‘Charlotte’ chronicles the absurd journey of an actor, played by Molina, who in the twilight of her career reinvents herself.

Special jury award for movie Godavari – Mr. Nikhil Mahajan #IFFI52 #IFFIAawards pic.twitter.com/RCgS0jGYSh

— International Film Festival of India (@IFFIGoa) November 28, 2021

Golden Peacock Award for best actor female – Ms. Angela Molina for her character in the film ‘Charlotte’#IFFI52 #IFFIAwards@ianuragthakur @Chatty111Prasad @DrPramodPSawant https://t.co/i5rPdrehkY

— International Film Festival of India (@IFFIGoa) November 28, 2021

Nikhil Mahajan shared the special jury award with Brazilian actor Renata Carvalho for ‘The First Fallen’. The movie is billed as a passionate and courageous attempt to chronicle the untold stories of suffering and discrimination suffered by sexual minorities in 1980s Brazil.

Special Jury Award – The First Fallen @ianuragthakur @DrPramodPSawant @Chatty111Prasad pic.twitter.com/OEbrQgHjTJ

— International Film Festival of India (@IFFIGoa) November 28, 2021

The Special Jury Mention was given to Roman Vasyanov for his Russian film ‘The Dorm’, which revolves around a group of friends from the erstwhile Soviet Union who try to live their lives and maintain dignity despite the corrupt system and people running their student dorm.

Simon Farriol’s ‘Wealth of the World’ won the Jury Special Mention for the Debut Feature Film of a Director. Set in 1814, the film presents a story about the homecoming of a militia peasant and a fellow soldier from the trenches of Chile’s war for independence.

Mr. Simon Farriol wins the ‘Jury Special Mention for the Debut Feature Film of a Director’ for the movie Wealth of the World.#IFFI52 #IFFIAwards pic.twitter.com/FThHiojoAm

— International Film Festival of India (@IFFIGoa) November 28, 2021

Argentine director Mari Alessandrini’s ‘Zahori’ bagged the Best Debut Feature Film of a Director at the festival. The film follows the story of an intrepid young girl who revolts against school and parents in order to realize her dream of independence.

‘Lingui – The Sacred Bonds’, directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun from Chad, won the ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Award at the film gala.

The event was attended by Manoj Bajpayee, Randhir Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit Nene as well as Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.

Noted lyricist and CBFC chairman Prasoon Joshi was felicitated with the Indian Personality of the Year honour.

Joshi, who has penned songs for movies Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, dedicated the award to his home state Uttarakhand.

“For me, who comes from Uttarakhand, I would love to dedicate this award to the inspiration I drew from — to the mountains I grew up in. I’m hopeful about the future of Indian cinema because the diversity that we have in this country is amazing,” he said.

Madhuri Dixit Nene, who was the chief guest for the closing ceremony, lauded the organisers for showcasing films made by women filmmakers.

“In the last few days, the IFFI has also showcased several movies that have been led by women, both behind and in front of the camera. I applaud them for their conviction, commitment, and for being an inspiration to the younger generation of female creators, writers and actors as they work towards making their mark in this industry,” she said.

The actor also commended the organisers for inviting streaming platforms to the IFFI for the first time.

“Together with TV and theatres, OTT platforms will continue to help our industry to grow from strength to strength,” she added.

Randhir Kapoor and Manoj Bajpayee were also felicitated at the closing ceremony.

Bajpayee said the IFFI is a great vehicle to encourage a new generation of filmmakers. “A country with such a huge population can actually be a great force in entertainment in the coming years and this platform is going to be the major force behind them,” he added.

Anurag Thakur reiterated the Centre’s aim to make India the post-production hub of the world. “My message to our foreign guests and filmmakers, you are welcome to shoot films here and take the advantage of our highly skilled post-production facilities,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh was awarded the most friendly state for film shooting.

Indian actor Dhanush and Brazilian actor Lara Boldorini on Sunday were named best actor and best actress at BRICS Film Festival, conducted alongside the IFFI. Films from the five member countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — are eligible for the event.

While Dhanush received the award for his hit Tamil film ‘Asuran’, Boldorini earned the honour for the Brazilian film ‘On Wheels’.

Lucia Marat was named the best director under the BRICS Film Festival for the film ‘Ana’ (Brazil).

The best film award was shared by South African film ‘Barakat’ and Russian film ‘The Sun Above Me Sets’.

Chinese director Yan Han was given the special mention award for the film ‘A Little Red Flower’.

Veteran actor, Mr. Randhir Kapoor, felicitated by @ianuragthakur @prasoonjoshi_ and @DrPramodPSawant for his stellar and exceptional contribution to Indian Cinema#IFFI52 #IFFIAwards pic.twitter.com/HeQpezEbch

— International Film Festival of India (@IFFIGoa) November 28, 2021

The film gala, which opened on November 20, was held partially on ground and online. Celebrated Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi’s film ‘A Hero’ will bring the celebrated gala to a close. The film has won the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival 2021.