Introduction and Overview

- The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) concluded its 55th edition on 28th November, 2024.

- The closing ceremony was held at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Goa.

- The nine-day festival celebrated both Indian and global cinematic achievements and promoted creative innovation.

- This year's theme was “Young Filmmakers: The Future is Now”, which showcased 195 films and paid tribute to the legends of cinema.

 

The Closing Ceremony

- The closing ceremony mixed glamour with meaningful interactions, honouring and celebrating the art of storytelling.

- The event ended with the screening of “Dry Season”, a film by Czech filmmaker Bohdan Sláma.

 

Key Awards from the Closing Ceremony

- The Golden Peacock Award for Best Feature Film was won by the Lithuanian film “Toxic”, directed by Saulė Bliuvaitė.

- The Silver Peacock Awards were given to Best Director Bogdan Muresanu (Romania), Best Actor Clément Faveau (France), and co-Best Actresses Vesta Matulytė and Ieva Rupeikaitė from “Toxic” (Lithuania).

- The Special Jury Award went to French filmmaker Louise Courvoisier for her film “Holy Cow”.

- The ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal was presented to the Georgian film “Crossing” by Levan Akin.

- The Best Debut Feature Film was won by Sarah Friedland for “Familiar Touch” (USA).

 

Honouring Indian Talent

- The new award for Best Debut Director of Indian Feature Film was given to Navjyot Bandiwadekar for the Marathi film “Gharat Ganpati”.

- The Best Web Series (OTT) was awarded to “Lampan”, a Marathi series directed by Nipun Dharmadhikari.

- Actor Vikrant Massey received the Indian Film Personality of the Year Award.

 

Lifetime Achievement and Special Felicitations

- The Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce.

- Indian filmmaker Ramesh Sippy and actress Jaya Prada were also specially felicitated for their significant contributions to Indian cinema.