IFFI 2024: Complete list of winners
Lithuanian drama Toxic, directed by Saule Bliuvaite, has bagged the Best Film award at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. The film was selected from 15 international films, including three Indian ones. The jury, headed by Indian director Ashutosh Gowariker, lauded Toxic for its depiction of adolescence and economic hardship. The win comes with a cash prize of ₹40L. Here's the full list of winners from the festival.
'Toxic' continues winning streak after Locarno success
Before its IFFI triumph, Toxic had already created a stir at the Locarno Film Festival. It bagged the Golden Leopard for Best Film in the festival's premier International Competition and also won the top prize in the separately juried First Feature Competition. The Lithuanian drama follows Marija and Kristina, two teens driven by their modeling dreams to escape their grim hometown. Their journey takes a dark twist as they develop a special bond at a local modeling school.
Other winners at the 55th IFFI
At the 55th IFFI, Vikrant Massey was honored as the Indian Film Personality of the Year. Romanian director Bogdan Muresanu bagged Best Director for The New Year That Never Came. Clement Faveau was awarded Best Actor for his role in the French film Holy Cow, while Vesta Matulyte and Ieva Rupeikaite from Toxic shared the Best Actress award. Holy Cow also won the Special Jury Award and Sarah Friedland's Familiar Touch was awarded best debut feature.
Special awards and recognitions at IFFI
The ICFT International Film Prize with the UNESCO Gandhi Medal went to Levan Akin's Crossing. Navjyot Bandiwadekar won Best Debut Director of an Indian Feature Film for his Marathi-language film Gharat Ganpati. Celebrated Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce was given the IFFI Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award, who, in his acceptance speech, acknowledged India as the world's largest producer of feature films each year.
IFFI 2024: A celebration of global cinema
The 55th IFFI, hosted by India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), featured more than 180 international films from 81 countries. It had 15 world premieres, three international premieres, 40 Asian premieres, and 106 Indian premiers. The eight-day event, held from November 20 to 28 in Goa, concluded with prominent figures from Indian cinema in attendance.
