Tamil
filmmaker
Thamizh's
debut
film
Seththumaan
and
Karishma
Dube's
short
Bittu
have
bagged
top
prizes
at
the
Indian
Film
Festival
of
Los
Angeles
(IFFLA).
The
19th
edition
of
the
festival
concluded
its
eight-day
run
on
Thursday,
during
which
it
showcased
40
films
in
17
languages,
including
movies
by
16
women
directors.
A
jury
comprising
of
Milan
Chakraborty,
Nathan
Fischer
and
Jenn
Wilson
declared
Thamizh’s
Seththumaan
as
the
winner
of
the
Grand
Jury
Award
for
Best
Feature.
"The
grand
jury
prize
for
best
feature
went
to
a
film
that
impressed
us
tremendously,
both
in
terms
of
filmmaking
and
dramaturgy.
It's
a
phenomenal
first
feature,
gentle
and
impactful,
done
with
heart
and
guts,
that
is
at
the
same
time
very
candid
and
very
mature
and
complex.
We
see
a
bright
future
for
Thamizh
and
we
wish
him
the
very
best,"
the
jury
said.
Filmmaker
Sajin
Baabu's
Malayalam
film
Biriyaani
was
recognised
with
the
Honorable
Mention,
while
Ajitpal
Singh's
Fire
in
the
Mountains
took
home
the
Audience
Award
for
Best
Feature.
Dube's
Bittu,
which
was
in
the
race
for
a
nomination
at
the
2021
Oscars,
bagged
the
Grand
Jury
Prize
for
Best
Short.
The
shorts
jury,
which
included
Tanuj
Chopra,
Nik
Dodani
and
Sakina
Jaffrey,
hailed
the
film
as
"riveting
and
compelling".
"A
spectacular
film
about
a
brilliant
young
girl
with
a
foul
tongue
who
discovers
that
her
defiance
is
lifesaving.
We
found
this
film
absolutely
riveting
and
compelling.
Based
on
a
true
story,
Dube
in
an
inimitable
way
managed
to
humanise
the
event,
avoiding
sensationalising,
and
ended
up
telling
the
story
about
a
friendship
between
two
girls.
It's
one
of
the
most
breathtaking
things
we've
seen
in
a
long
time
and
we
can't
wait
to
see
what
she
does
next," they
said.
The
jury
also
recognised
National
Award-winning
filmmaker
Rima
Das' For
Each
Other
and
Wade
by
filmmakers
Upamanyu
Bhattacharyya
and
Kalp
Sanghvi
with
Honorable
Mentions.
Actor
Nivita
Chaliki
received
the
Honorable
Mention
for
Best
Performance
in
a
Short
for
her
film
Forever
Tonight.
The
Audience
Award
for
Best
Short
went
to
queer
love
story
The
Song
We
Sang
by
Aarti
Neharsh.