Miyake Sho“Two Seasons, Two Strangers” was a big winner at 30 International Film Festival of Keralaup for the festival's top award, Suvarna Chakoram, for best film for its “exploratory, nuanced, beautiful and thought-provoking cinematic expression of human relationships in the natural world.”
Previously, the film received the Golden Leopard in Locarno.
In the directing categories, Karina Piazza and Lucia Bracelis won the Rajat Chakoram Award for Best Director for Before the Body, receiving praise for their “distinctive and exploratory approach to the genre.”
Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi “Shadow box(Baksho Bondi) won the Rajat Chakoram Award for Best Debut Director and the FFSI KR Mohanan Award for Best Debut Director from India. Set in Kolkata, the drama centers on a working-class woman who struggles to keep her family together while her husband, suffering from a stress disorder, is accused of murder. The lead role of Tillotama Chomet earned a special mention from the jury, with members praising “her precise and nuanced performance in creating a character defined by will and choice.”
Sanju Surendran's If On a Winter's Night (Khidki Gaav) won three awards, including two Netpac Awards and a Fipresci Award for Best Film in international competition. The jury praised Big City Romance for its “fantastic performances and precise directorial vision,” particularly noting its portrayal of “the troubled lives of cultural figures with such care.”
Unnikrishnan Awala's Life of a Phallus (Thantapperu) resonated with critics and audiences alike, winning the Audience Award, Jury Award and the Netpac Award for Best Malayalam Film. The drama, set in a Native American tribal community, has earned praise as a “distinctive and exceptional cinematic experience” for its exploration of patriarchal customs.
Gözde Kural's Kino Jazire won the Netpac Award for best Asian film in competition, telling the story of a widow forced to change her sexual identity to survive extremist violence. Meanwhile, Fazil Razak's Desire (Moham) won the Phipreshi Award for Best Malayalam Film by a Debut Director, with the jury noting that the film “conveys the intense pain at the heart of the story without resorting to clichés.”
Shahram Mokri's Black Rabbit, White Rabbit received the Special Jury Award for Technical Excellence, for its “exploration and search for new forms of cinematic expression.”
Full list of winners
Suvarna Chakoram for Best Film
“Two Seasons, Two Strangers” – Sho Miyake
Rajata Chakoram for Best Director
“Before the Body” – Karina Piazza and Lucia Braselis
Rajata Chakoram for Best Debut Director
“Shadowbox” (Baksho Bondi) – Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi
FFSI KR Mohanan Award for Best Debut Director from India
“Shadowbox” (Baksho Bondi) – Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi
Netpac Award for Best Malayalam Film
“If on a Winter Night” (Khidki Gaav) – Sanju Surendran
“The Life of the Phallus” (Tantaperu) – Unnikrishnan Avala
Netpac Award for Best Asian Film in Competition
Kino Jazire – Gözde Kural
Fipreshi Award for Best Film in International Competition
“If on a Winter Night” (Khidki Gaav) – Sanju Surendran
Phypreshi Award for Best Malayalam Film by a Debut Director
“Desire” (Moham) – Fazil Razak
Jury Prize
“The Life of the Phallus” (Tantaperu) – Unnikrishnan Avala
Jury Special Mention for Performance
“Shadowbox” (Baksho Bondi) – Tillotama Shome
Special Jury Mention for Technical Excellence
“Black Rabbit, White Rabbit” – Shahram Mokri
People's Choice Award
“The Life of the Phallus” (Tantaperu) – Unnikrishnan Avala
