An otherwise controversy-free 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India was rocked by the comments of Israeli filmmaker and festival's international jury head Nadav Lapid who labelled "The Kashmir Files" as "propaganda" at the closing ceremony of the movie gala.
The nine-day festival, which started in Goa on November 20, was up for a glittering close on Monday but Lapid's remarks overshadowed the presence of Indian film personalities Asha Parekh, Chiranjeevi, Akshay Kumar, Ayushmann Khurrana and Rana Daggubati among others.
The event was also attended by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
Lapid said he was "disturbed and shocked" to see "The Kashmir Files" being selected for the Indian Panaroma section. The film, directed and written by Vivek Agnihotri, was up against 14 other features from across the globe in the competition category.
Costa Rican filmmaker Valentina Maurel's Spanish title "I Have Electric Dreams", won the coveted Golden Peacock. The film explores 16-year-old girl Eva's passage into adulthood, a process that is not just about getting older, a process which so profound that sometimes it can break people in a certain way.
The film's lead actor Daniela Marin Navarro was honoured with Silver Peacock for Best Actor (Female).
Iranian writer and director Nader Saeivar bagged Silver Peacock for Best Director for "No End", a magical and subtle portrayal of Iran's regressive socio-political system. The Turkish film depicts the manipulations and machinations of Iran's secret police. Its lead star Vahid Mobasseri won Silver Peacock for Best Actor (Male).
Veteran actor-producer Chiranjeevi Konidela was bestowed with the Indian Film Personality of the Year Award at the event. The Information and Broadcasting minister had announced the Telugu star's name as this year's recipient for the honour at the opening ceremony on November 20.
Chiranjeevi thanked the festival and the government for honouring him.
"Few recognitions are special, and this award is one such. I was born into a middle-class family, to humble parents. My fame, name, charisma, all privileges, the invaluable love and affection of my fans and everything, I owe to the film industry. I was born as Konidela Siva Sankara Vara Prasad to my parents and I was re-born as Chiranjeevi in the film industry," he said in his speech.
Over the last nine days, IFFI curated the screenings of 282 films clocking 35,000 minutes of viewing time. The festival featured 183 international films and 97 Indian films in 65 international and 15 Indian languages from 78 countries worldwide. Over 20 Masterclasses, In-Conversation sessions.
Thakur said the diversity showcased at the festival is the living embodiment of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ that brought together creative thinkers, filmmakers, cinema lovers and cultural enthusiasts from all over the world under one roof.
"IFFI not only entertained but also educated us. IFFI tickled our humour and refined our senses," the minister said.
The IFFI 53 Special Jury Award was given to "When the Waves are Gone" by Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz. The film is a story of an investigator in the Philippines, who is at a deep moral crossroads.
The movie gala also honoured director Athens-based Asimina Proedrou with the award for the Best Debut Feature Film of a Director, for "Behind the Haystacks", which had its international premiere at the festival.
Indian director, writer and cinematographer Praveen Kandregula received Special Mention by the Jury for his film "Cinema Bandi", the story of a poor and struggling auto driver who chances upon a deserted expensive camera, which gets him going on a journey from an auto-driver to a filmmaker.
Iranian film "Nargesi", directed Payam Eskandari, won the ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal, given for a film that best reflects Mahatma Gandhi's ideals of peace, tolerance and non-violence. The film is about a man with down syndrome and the burden and consequences it creates in his life.
In his virtual message, Eskandari thanked the IFFI jury members.
“It is a big honour to receive this award, I want to thank those people who believed in me, to make this movie, especially my family - my lovely wife and all cast and crew of Nargesi," he said.
This year, nine films from across the globe were chosen to compete for the ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal.
The 53rd IFFI was conducted jointly by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG).
