New Delhi: Amidst a confluence of art, diplomacy, and global narratives, a remarkably grand and exclusive 'Post-Festival Awards Event...
New Delhi: Amidst a confluence of art, diplomacy,
and global narratives, a remarkably grand and exclusive 'Post-Festival Awards
Event' was successfully organized as part of the 15th Delhi International Film
Festival (DIFF) at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in
the national capital, New Delhi.
Organized with the support of the Ministry of
Culture and in special partnership with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for
the Arts (IGNCA), this festival provided a fresh platform for world cinema,
showcasing 178 films from 51 different countries. The highlight of this
magnificent ceremony was the fact that, amidst established cinematic nations,
films from countries such as Iran, Algeria, Bulgaria, and Latvia took everyone
by surprise; with their exceptional storytelling, sensitive social themes, and high
technical standards, they dominated the proceedings and clinched the top
awards.
During the awards distribution, the Short Film
category revealed unexpected and astounding international talent. The Algerian
short film Damou Ki—directed by the gifted filmmaker Youcef Ben
Ghanem—astonished everyone with its profound narrative, earning the film the
'Best Actress' award. This honor was received on stage by His Excellency Ali
Achoui (Ambassador of Algeria), First Secretary Abdelali Bouilota, Attaché
Abdesselem Benarba, and Mrs. Asma Benarba. Meanwhile, Director Hossein
Firouzeh's highly acclaimed Kurdish-Persian film Happy End received the 'Best
Short Film' award, which was accepted by Mr. Omid Babelian, Second Secretary at
the Iranian Embassy. Additionally, the work of director Abhay Kapoor on the
Hindi short film 'Gaiya' was lauded, receiving special commendation in the
distinguished presence of Mr. Anurag Punetha, Media Controller at the Indira
Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
In the International and Indian Cinema Awards
category, the cinema of Latvia and Bulgaria proved particularly impressive; the
Latvian film 'Little Anna' astonished everyone with its profound social
relevance, earning its director, Uldis Gabriel Sipsnats, the award for Best
Social Film—an honor accepted by Ms. Inga Skruzmane, Chargé d'Affaires and
Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Latvia. Bulgarian cinema, surprising
all with its diversity and technical prowess, claimed two major trophies: in
the presence of His Excellency Ambassador Nikolay Yankov, 'To Put It Mildly'
received the award for Best Animation Film, while 'Anna' was bestowed the
prestigious honor of Best Feature Film in World Cinema. Similarly, for the
Bangladeshi film 'Manusher Bagan', director Nurul Alam Atique was presented
with the award for Best Feature Film on a Social Subject on stage, in the
presence of His Excellency M. Riaz Hamidullah and Ms. Samia Israt Roni from the
High Commission of Bangladesh. Russian cinema also maintained a strong
presence, with Daria Gavrushina receiving the award for Best Russian Actress
for 'Horn and Ivory', and the film 'The Blind'—directed by Ilyas
Daudi—receiving the Jury's Choice Award, which was accepted by Mr. Petr Sizov,
Press Secretary at the Embassy of Russia. Finally, the film 'The Ballad of
Piargy' by Slovak director Ivo Trajkov received the award for Best Historical
Feature Film, an achievement celebrated in the presence of the Slovak
Ambassador, His Excellency Robert Maxian.
In the category of Indian Regional Cinema, Sushila
Rawat was bestowed with the prestigious honor of 'Best Woman Director' for the
Garhwali film Ghangtaul, presented in the presence of His Excellency Ali
Achoui, the Ambassador of Algeria, and Mr. Sanjay Joshi. Additionally, the
Indian music video Land of Others was honored, and the award for 'Best
Supporting Actress' was presented for the Malayalam film Jangar. During the
cultural segment of the ceremony, Dr. Sushil Jain and Gurvinder Gallu
mesmerized the audience with a melodious mandolin duet. In the concluding
session, the festival's founder, Ramkishore Parcha, extended his gratitude to
all the global diplomats—including New Zealand's Deputy High Commissioner
Matthew Ayres, Switzerland's Chargé d'Affaires Simon Sevan Schäfer, and
officials from the North Korean Embassy (Counselor Jang Jong Hwan and First
Secretary Kim Myong Chol)—as well as to the art enthusiasts and jury members,
Arvind Gaur and O.P. Mishra. This was followed by the screening of a magnificent
'India Gate Montage' on the screen.
The Delhi International Film Festival (DIFF) stands
as a prestigious and leading global cinematic platform in the national capital,
founded by the renowned filmmaker and writer Ramkishore Parcha. Every year, the
festival brings a selection of the world's finest feature films, documentaries,
and short films to the audiences of Delhi. This year, stories from Chinese,
Russian, and African cinema were placed under a 'Special Focus' category, where
they demonstrated their cinematic excellence. The ceremony commenced with a
moment of great pride on stage, witnessed by all the global ambassadors and
distinguished guests present, as the Kavita Sangrah (Trilogy Poetry
Collection)—authored by the festival's founder, Ramkishore Parcha—was grandly
unveiled. This collection comprises three prominent volumes titled Tum, Barf
Par Titli, and Tumhara Naam Nadi. Immediately following this, a special medal
distribution ceremony was organized for the diligent core team members who,
working behind the scenes, played a pivotal role in making the festival a
historic success. During this ceremony, members of the Chinese delegation
presented medals to honor Rajan Jhanji, Pramod Kaunswal, Usha Pahwa, Anishka
Kishore, Aradhya, Rajiv Ranjan, Prashant, Manvendra Ji, and Narendra Singh. Continuing
in this vein, Dr. Ranjan Mallick—an eminent artist and the Dean and Head of the
Department of Fine Arts at Chitkara University—was specially felicitated on
stage for his artistic contributions and was presented with a DIFF Art Show
certification and a trophy.
Finally, formal expressions of gratitude were
extended to all collaborators—including Ram Bahadur Rai (Chairman, IGNCA), Dr.
Sachchidanand Joshi (Secretary), and Anurag Punetha (Media Controller)—on
behalf of the Ministry of Culture. As the grand finale of this successful
post-awards ceremony, a special closing screening of the award-winning Garhwali
feature film Ghangtaul was held for the audience.
Next year, the festival is scheduled to be held at
the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) from February 15th to
19th.
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