In its 56th edition, the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) spotlights up-and-coming directors through a competition section featuring seven first-time filmmakers from around the world.
The festival attracted five international titles along with two Indian films for the Best Director award for debut feature film. The winner of this category will take home the Silver Peacock Trophy along with 10 million rupees (approximately $11,270) and a certificate.
Indian film director Rakesh Omprakash Mehra will lead the jury and evaluate the competition. Australian editor and director Graham Clifford, German actor Katarina Stoller, Sri Lankan director Chandran Rutnam and British cinematographer Remi Adefarasin will be involved.
Among the international entries, Triveni Rai’s ‘Shape of Momo’ emerges with notable festival credentials. The Nepali feature was one of the five Asian projects featured at the HAF Goes to Cannes Market Showcase and was selected as Film Bazaar’s Work in Progress before opening in Busan and competing for the San Sebastian New Director Award. Set in Sikkim, the story follows a woman named Vishnu who rebels against patriarchal traditions and challenges the status quo of female-dominated households.
Spain’s Gemma Blasco had a featured bow on “Fury,” which she performed at both SXSW and San Sebastian earlier this year. The film examines the aftermath of sexual violence, with an actor playing “Medi” who was assaulted on New Year’s Eve, while his brother struggles with guilt over the assault.
Kristina Tournatzes won Best Director and Best Screenplay in Munich for her debut German-language film Karla. A true story set in 1962, it dramatizes a young girl’s legal case against her father’s abuse.
Estonia’s Tonis Pil caught the attention of the Fiplessi Jury Prize at the Schlinger Festival with Fränk, a story about a 13-year-old boy whose life is turned upside down by domestic violence and struggles to adapt until an unusual friendship points his way.
Iranian helmer Hessam Farahmand, previously known for his short films and documentaries, tackles class tensions in “My Daughter’s Hair.” The story begins when a father sells his child’s hair to buy a laptop, only to be claimed by a wealthy family.
Mexico’s Ernesto Martínez Busio wins Berlin’s new Perspectives competition with “The Devil Smokes.” His novel depicts five children left alone who project their fears through their grandmother’s mental illness.
India’s entries also include Shivraj Waichal’s Marathi feature ‘Ata Tambaycha Naay!’ (Come on, don’t stop!) The film is based on true events involving a Mumbai sanitation worker who continued his education late in life with the encouragement of city officials.
