IFFILMS 54, 06: The Golden Peacock, and other birds of the same feather

On the 28th of November, when the award winners were being announced at IFFI 54, I was packing my bags to catch a flight the next morning, to Jeddah, where I was invited by the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF). But it would be fitting to end my writings on IFFI 54 by listing the winners. So, here goes:

Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award: Michael Douglas         

Special Recognition for Contribution to Bharatiya (that is Hindi for Indian) Cinema Award: Madhuri Dixit           

Golden Peacock (Best Film): Endless Borders: Abbas Amini          

Best Director: Stephan Komandarev: Blaga’s Lessons         

Best Actor: Pouria Rahimi Sam: Endless Borders    

Best Actress: Mélanie Thierry: Party of Fools (Great performance)

Best Debut Film of a Director: When The Seedlings Grow: Rêger Azad Kaya       

Special Jury Award: Rishab Shetty: Kantara (Really?)         

ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal: Drift: Anthony Chen

Best Web Series Award: Panchayat Season 2: Deepak Kumar Mishra

Of these films, I have, sadly, seen only two: Party of Fools and Kantara, and my comments are given in brackets.

Goodbye, IFFI 54.

RSIFF, here I come.