Highlights of International Film Festival of India 2024 held in Goa

The 55th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held from 20th November to 28th November 2024 at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in Panaji, Goa.

• The theme of IFFI 2024, “Young Filmmakers – The Future is Now,” reflecting the importance of youth in shaping the future of cinema.
• The festival was organized by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB), in collaboration with the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG).
• IFFI 2024 had Australia as the Country of Focus. The Jannawi Dance Clan, an Australian First Nations dance group, presented a cultural program, promoting international cultural exchange.
• Since 2004, the IFFI has been held annually at its permanent venue in Goa.

Opening Ceremony: 

i.The Opening Ceremony hosted by popular film personalities Abhishek Banerjee and Bhumi Pednekar.

• The event was attended by Loganathan Murugan, Union Minister of State for I&B; Sanjay Jaju, Secretary I&B; Shekhar Kapur, Festival Director; and Prasoon Joshi, Chairman, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

ii.The festival opened with the Asia premiere of Better Man, an Australian film directed by Michael Gracey that depicts the life of popstar Robbie Williams who was portrayed as a chimpanzee by Jonno Davies.

Closing ceremony

The festival concluded with the Closing film, “Dry Season” – directed by the acclaimed Czech filmmaker Bohdan Sláma, depicting the story of humanity, sustainability, and generational bonds and a conflict between two family clans.

Key Highlights:

i.This year, the festival has received 1,676 submissions from 101 countries. It presented over 180 international titles from 81 countries, including 16 premieres in world, three in international, 43 in Asian, and 109 in Indian categories.

• It had 47 films directed by women and 66 works by young and debut filmmakers.

ii.For the first time, IFFI ensured full accessibility for individuals with disabilities, promoting inclusivity among all attendees.

iii.This was the first time that the film festival was conducted and handled by the film industry itself with Shekhar Kapur taking over as the festival director.

iv.The film festival also celebrated the 100th anniversary of four icons of Indian cinema Raj Kapoor, Tapan Sinha, Akkineni Nageswara Rao & Mohammed Rafi.

v.A new award of Best Debut Indian Director was introduced with a certificate and cash prize of Rs.5 lakh to recognize the young filmmaking talent across India.

vi.A total of 15 feature films were shortlisted to compete for the Best Film Award, a Golden Peacock and Rs.40 lakh.

Awards and Honors presented during IFFI 2024:

Lithuanian drama ‘Toxic’ wins Golden Peacock Award:

i.Lithuanian film ‘Toxic’ bags the most prestigious award of IFFI, the Golden Peacock for Best Feature Film. Toxic is debut feature of the Lithuanian director and screenwriter Saulė Bliuvaitė.

ii.The film revolves around the story of two 13-year-old girls who attend a modelling school that pushes them to their physical and emotional limits.

Indian Film Personality of the Year awarded to Vikrant Massey:

Actor Vikrant Massey was conferred the prestigious Indian Film Personality of the Year award at the IFFI 2024.

• He has won the Best Actor – Critics award at the Filmfare 2024 and Best Performance – Critic’s Choice award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2024 for his film 12th Fail.

Australian Filmmaker Phillip Noyce wins Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement award

Renowned Australian director Phillip Noyce was awarded with the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for his excellence in Cinema.

• Phillip Noyce’s filmography includes iconic films like Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, Salt, The Saint, The Bone Collector and more.
• He has also received numerous awards, including the AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards and the prestigious Longford Lyell Lifetime Achievement Award.

Note – Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award was previously awarded to legends such as Martin Scorsese, Bernardo Bertolucci and Dilip Kumar, Wong Kar-wai and Michael Douglas.

‘Crossing’ wins ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal Award

Swedish filmmaker Levan Akin’s CROSSING won the prestigious ICFT – UNESCO Gandhi Medal.

• The award recognizes a film that reflects the values of peace, non-violence, and the promotion of human rights.

About ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal

i.It is an annual award which was introduced in 2015 at the 46th IFFI recognizes a film which represents the principles of Gandhi such as non-violence, truth and universal brotherhood.

ii.The award was jointly established by the International Council for Film, Television, and Audiovisual Communication (ICFT), Paris (France) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Best Web Series (OTT) Award for Marathi Web series ‘Lampan’:

Marathi Web Series ‘Lampan’ directed by Nipun Avinash Dharmadhikari grabs the Best Web Series (OTT) Award at IFFI 2024, for its exceptional storytelling, high production values, and exceptional performances.

• Lampan’ is the tale of a dreamy child with unbounded curiosity and is based on stories written by Prakash Narayan Sant.
• The Best Web Series (OTT) Award, was introduced in the 54th edition to award the creativity in digital content.

Best Debut Director of Indian Feature Film goes to Director Navjyot Bandiwadekar

Navjyot Bandiwadekar has won the Best Debut Director of an Indian Feature Film Award for his Marathi film ‘Gharat Ganpati’ at the IFFI 2024.

• The film explores the theme of family unity amidst generational differences and shows inter-personal dynamics between all family members through various fun-filled as well as chaotic situations.

Silver Peacock Awards

Silver Peacock Awards for Best Director won b Bogdan Muresanu for ‘The New Year That Never Came, Best Actor (Male) Clément Faveau for ‘Holy Cow’ and Best Actress Vesta Matulytė and Ieva Rupeikaitė for ‘Toxic’.

List of Award Winners

Ashutosh Gowariker Appointed as Chairperson of International Jury

Ashutosh Gowariker has been appointed as the Chairperson of the International Jury for IFFI 2024.

• This year’s Golden Peacock Jury is led by Ashutosh Gowariker, and also includes Singaporean director Anthony Chen, British-American producer Elizabeth Karlsen, Spanish producer Fran Borgia, and legendary Australian Film editor Jill Bilcock.
• His iconic film “Lagaan” was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002 and earned the Screen International Award for Best Non-European Film at the European Film Awards.
• His historical epic “Jodhaa Akbar” won the Audience Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the São Paulo International Film Festival and Best Film at the Golden Minbar International Film Festival in Kazan, Russia.

Key Events:

i.The 4th edition of Creative Minds of Tomorrow (CMOT) initiative led by the MIB under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was inaugurated and was expanded to support 100 young talents, up from 75 in previous editions.

ii.Prasar Bharati launched WAVES OTT platform at the IFFI 2024 that provides a wide range of content, including games, showcasing India’s rich cultural heritage and history.

iii.The Indian Panorama, a section that represented India’s rich cultural and linguistic diversity, screened 25 feature films and 20 non-feature films.

iv.IFFI 2024 also introduced more new international programming sections: Rising Stars, to celebrate emerging directors, and Mission Life, to promote eco-conscious cinema, with Treaty Country Package, showcasing specific selections from the British Film Institute.

v.Film Bazaar, South Asia’s largest film market, ran alongside IFFI, and provided filmmakers and industry professionals to network, pitch projects, and collaborate.

• It also featured over 350 film projects and host a series of workshops and pitching sessions on film production and international collaboration.

vi.An event called IFFiesta was also conducted to bring communities together through films, food, art, and interactive experiences.

vii.Masterclasses and panel discussions led by industry personalities such as AR Rahman, Joshi, Shabana Azmi, Mani Ratnam, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Noyce and Australian cinematographer John Seale were also organized.

About International Film Festival of India (IFFI):
i.The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was founded in 1952, and is now being held annually in the month of November.
ii. It was held in Goa for the first time in 2004.
iii.It is accredited as a reputed Competition Feature Film Festival by the prestigious International Federation of Film Producers’ Association (FIAPF), placing it amongst the top 14 acclaimed festivals worldwide including Cannes, Venice, and Berlin.