LOS ANGELES (TIP): The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) announced its 2024 award winners at a gala closing night ceremony at the Writers Guild Theater. The event celebrated the best in South Asian cinema with various awards given to feature films, short films, and projects from the new IFFLA Industry Day.

Key Awards:

• Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature Film:Girls Will Be Girls directed by Shuchi Talati. The jury praised the film for its elegant portrayal of the coming-of-age story, highlighting societal expectations and personal desires.
• Feature Jury Honorable Mention:Dear Jassi directed by Tarsem Singh. This film was recognized for its poignant depiction of star-crossed lovers and its call for societal reflection on shame.
• Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film:Last Days of Summer directed by Stenzin Tankong. The film was lauded for its beautiful storytelling and environmental message.
• Short Film Jury Honorable Mention:Lovely & Tip Top directed by Yuki Ellias. 

Audience Choice Awards:

• Best Feature Film:Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa directed by Lucy Walker.
• Best Short Film:Hema directed by Ritvik Dhavale. 

Industry Day Pitch Competition:

• Winner:Shuchi Dwivedi for her project Friends and Fascism, awarded $10,000.
• Honorable Mention:Sejal Pachisia for her project Empathico.

IFFLA Executive Director Christina Marouda expressed excitement over the festival’s growth and new locations, emphasizing its role in celebrating South Asian storytelling. The 2024 festival featured 21 films from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, and the United States, including narrative features, shorts, and documentaries.

Highlights included the Los Angeles premiere of Dear Jassi and the Tamil film Maharaja starring Vijay Sethupathi and Anurag Kashyap. Other notable films included Girls Will Be Girls, Undercurrent, Ben and Suzanne: A Reunion in 4 Parts, and A House Named Shahana.

Founded in 2002 as a non-profit organization, IFFLA offers the Los Angeles community a unique opportunity to learn about India’s multifaceted culture and long history of filmmaking. Since then, IFFLA has grown into the premiere U.S. venue for discovering the best of South Asian cinema, as well as a vital hub that fosters an important dialogue among the most original independent storytellers from India and its diaspora, the greater South Asian diasporic community, and the international film industry at large.