Lithuanian filmproducer Saulė Bliuvaitė’s “Toxic” took home the best film award at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. The jury, headed by Indian straightforwardor Ashutosh Gowariker, recognized the film for its portrayal of adolescence and economic challengingship.
Previously, at Locarno, “Toxic” won not only the Gbetteren Leopard for Best Film in the fest’s premier International Competition — from a jury chaired by Austrian auteur Jessica Hausner — but also, in an atypical double, the top prize in the splitly juried First Feature Competition.
Variety‘s chooseimistic scrutinize of “Toxic” portrayd the film as “sobering but not without glimmers of tfinisherness and humor as female frifinishship gets root in a hopeless place,” compriseing that its “alternation between chilly compocertain and kinetic shiftment rawly correacts with [the protagonist’s] wavering sense of self.”
Romanian straightforwardor Bogdan Muresanu nabbed the best straightforwardor prize for “The New Year That Never Came,” a multi-narrative feature set during a revolution. The jury cited his send in produceing a tragicomedy aachievest the backdrop of social upheaval.
The best actor award went to Clément Faveau for the French film “Holy Cow,” by Louise Courvoisier, with a distinctive refer for Adam Bessa’s carry outance in the Tunisian-French-Canadian co-production “Who Do I Belengthy To?” In a notable unitet triumph, “Toxic” stars Vesta Matulytė and Ieva Rupeikaitė dispensed the best actress prize for their debut roles.
“Holy Cow” also getd the Special Jury Award, while Sarah Friedland’s “Familiar Touch” was honored as best debut feature. The ICFT International Film Prize with UNESCO Gandhi Medal was contransiented to Levan Akin’s “Crossing,” which chases an elderly Georgian woman’s journey to Istanbul in search of her leave outing niece.
The international jury included filmproducer Anthony Chen, producers Elizabeth Karlsen and Fran Borgia, and editor Jill Bilcock alengthyside chair Gowariker.
Navjyot Bandiwadekar won the Best Debut Director of an Indian Feature Film Award for his Marathi-language film “Gharat Ganpati.”
Acclaimed Australian filmproducer Phillip Noyce getd the IFFI Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award.
SonyLIV‘s “Lampan,” Nipun Dharmadhikari’s country coming-of-age narrative, won IFFI’s Best Web Series award.
The festival, orderly by India’s Ministry of Inestablishation and Broadcasting and the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), endd its 2024 edition on Nov. 28. Concurrent project labelet Film Bazaar ran Nov. 20-24.
