The 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) concluded in Goa with Vietnamese director Ash Mayfair’s ‘Skin of Youth’ winning the Golden Peacock for Best Feature Film in the international competition.
The film, which depicts the tumultuous romance between San, a transgender sex worker seeking gender reassignment surgery, and Nam, an underground cage fighter struggling to support her son, was praised for its bold visual language and powerful performances.
The award, which includes a cash prize of 40 million rupees ($44,800), was presented by Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Union Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs L. Murugan. In their award certificate, the jury described the film as “captivating from the first frame”, praising its cinematography, production design, evocative music, and deft editing.
The closing ceremony, held at Goa’s Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, also honored superstar Rajinikanth, who completed 50 years in Indian cinema, a milestone spanning Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. With more than 170 films to his name, the actor received warm praise. “When I look back, time seems to fly by because I love movies and acting. I want to be born 100 times as an actor and as Rajinikanth,” he said while receiving congratulatory messages.
In other major awards, Santosh Davakar won the Best Director award for his Marathi thriller Gondal. Uveymar Ríos won the Silver Peacock Award for Best Actor (Male) for his performance in the Colombian film “Un Poeta”, directed by Simón Mesa Soto, while the Silver Peacock Award for Best Actor (Female) went to Hala Sofija Ostan for her role in the Slovenian film “Little Trouble Girls.” Each performance award carries a cash prize of 1 million rupees ($11,200).
The director’s award for best debut feature was jointly won by Hessam Faramand for the Iranian film “My Daughter’s Hair” (Raha) and Tonis Pir for the Estonian film “Frank.”
“My Father’s Shadow,” a British-Nigerian co-production directed by Akinola Davis Jr., won the Special Jury Award. IFFI, in collaboration with the International Council for Cinema, Television and Audiovisual Communication (ICFT), also awarded the ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal to Norwegian filmmaker Eirik Svensson for his real-time drama “Safe House” (Før Mørket), set in the 2013 Central African Republic Civil War. The jury praised the film, which depicts the ethical dilemmas faced by humanitarian workers inside Médecins Sans Frontières hospitals.
Other awards include Best Debut Director in an Indian Feature Film for director Karan Singh Tyagi for the Hindi film Kesari Chapter 2, and Best Web Series for Season 2 of the Prime Video series Bandish Bandit.
The finale showcased folk traditions, classical forms, and contemporary artistic expressions that capture India’s cultural diversity. The event was also attended by India’s Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju, Jury Chairman Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, Festival Director Shekhar Kapur, and actors Ranveer Singh and Rishabh Shetty.
The 56th IFFI concluded its closing ceremony with nine days of screenings, discussions, celebrations, and premieres. Its market component, WAVES Film Bazaar, was held from November 20th to 24th.
