Hindi
Chinese film from Taiwan gets best film at 38th IFFI
MUMBAI: The Chinese film The Wall from Taiwan by director Lin Chih Ju, a sensitive story about a man locked up behind four walls unaware of the changes taking place around him, won the Golden Peaock for best film at the 38th International Film Festival of India which concluded here this evening.
The international jury headed by renowned Hungarian filmmaker Marta Meszaros selected Thai director Pongpat Wachirabunjong to receive the Silver Peacock as the most promising director for his film Me Myself.
The Special Jury award was shared by two films: director Golam Rabanny Biplab for the story of the Bangladeshi film – Swopnodanay (On the Wings of Dreams) and the child artist (Miss) Julia Urbini for her Performance in the Mexican film – Mas Que A Nada En El Mundo (More than Anything in the World) directed by Andres Leon Becker and Javier Solar.
While the recipient of the best film award gets a cash prize of Rs one million and Silver Peacock recipient gets Rs 500,000, both the Special Jury awardees get Silver Peacock and Rs 2,50,000 each.
While one jury member Meltem Cumbul who is an actress in Turkey had to leave, the other members of the jury Argentinean filmmaker Pablo Cesar, India’s Shaji N Karun, and New Zealand’s Robert Sarkies were present along with Ms Meszaros.
The awards were given away by Goa Governor S C Jamir, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Panaji Mayor Tony Rodrigues, and the chief guest, filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta.
Speaking at the short function which concluded with the screening of Carlos Saura’s Portuguese film Fardos, Dasgupta wanted more selectors of foreign film festivals and international critics to come to India for the festivals.
The Chief Minister reiterated that there was now no apprehension that Goa was the permanent venue for the international film festival.
Others who spoke at the function were Information and Broadcasting Ministry Joint Secretary (films) V B Pyarelal and Festival Director Neelam Kapur.
The festival had commenced on 23 November and a total of 176 films from 46 countries including 59 from India were screened. There were two Indian films in the competition section which had 14 films from 13 countries.
In the citation for the best film, the jury described it as ‘a finely crafted film about dreams, hope, betrayal and love that depicts ordinary people coping in politically challenging times. The film is highly cinematic, affecting and makes the political personal. The filmmaker has created a complete world within the four walls of a simple house. We hope the world sees this beautiful film.’
The Thai film was described as a ‘film about whether we have the freedom to choose our own life. It depicts a story of hope for a world without discrimination while recognising the difficulties of coping with being different. Debut director Pongpat Wachirabunjong has made a deeply affecting film that expresses something of the essence of the human spirit. We look forward to seeing many more films from this talented new director.’
The Bangladeshi film – Swopnodanay (On the Wings of Dreams) was given the jury award for weaving a ‘simple realist story about a poor man who has the chance to dream of another life but discovers the things he already has are more important than the dream. This classic story has been told simply without western influence and resonates a truth about life for millions of people around the world’. The child artist Julia got the award ‘for giving an enchanting, nuanced performance that helps make this film special. Her remarkable performance allows us to engage with the child’s imagination, her anguish, her fears and ultimately her love for her mother.’
Hindi
GUEST COLUMN: Why film libraries & IPs are the new engines of growth
Unlocking value through catalogue strength and IP synergy
MUMBAI:In a media landscape defined by fragmentation, platform proliferation, and ever-evolving audience behavior, the economics of filmmaking are undergoing a fundamental shift. No longer confined to box office performance, a film’s true value is now measured across an extended lifecycle that spans digital platforms, syndication networks, and global markets. As content consumption becomes increasingly non-linear and algorithm-driven, film libraries and intellectual properties (IPs) are emerging as strategic assets, capable of delivering sustained, long-term returns. For Mohan Gopinath, head – bollywood business at Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., this transformation signals a decisive move from hit-driven models to portfolio-led value creation. In this piece, Gopinath explores how legacy content, when intelligently repurposed and distributed, can unlock recurring revenue streams, why the interplay between catalogue and original IP is critical, and how media companies can build resilient, future-ready entertainment businesses.
For all these years, we thought that a film is successful if it performs well in theatres. There are opening weekend numbers, box office milestones, and distribution footprints that gave a good picture of how the movie has done commercially and also tell us about its cultural impact. However, there are multiple platforms today, always-on content ecosystem, which has caused a shift. Today, the theatrical performance is not the culmination of a film’s journey but merely the beginning of a much longer and more dynamic lifecycle.
Film libraries today are emerging as high-value, constantly evolving assets that deliver sustained returns well beyond initial release cycles. This becomes a point of great advantage for legacy content owners with diverse catalogues, to shape long-term business outcomes.
According to FICCI-EY, the media and entertainment industry of India achieved a valuation of Rs 2.78 trillion in 2025 which is expected to reach Rs 3.3 trillion by 2028 through a compound annual growth rate of approximately 7 per cent and digital media will bring in more than Rs 1 trillion to become the biggest sector which generates about 36 per cent of overall market revenues.
This shift is the expansion of distribution endpoints. We know how satellite television was once the primary secondary window but today, it coexists with YouTube, OTT platforms, Connected TV, and FAST channels. Each of these platforms caters to distinct audience demographics and consumption behaviors, helping content owners to obtain more value from the same asset across multiple formats.
For instance, films that had great reruns, now find continuous engagement across digital platforms. On YouTube, classic Hindi cinema continues to attract significant viewership, reaching audiences across generations and geographies with remarkable consistency. At Shemaroo Entertainment, this is reflected in our film library shaped over decades as part of a long association with Indian entertainment. From classics such as Amar Akbar Anthony to much-loved entertainers like Jab We Met, Welcome, Dhamaal, Phir Hera Pheri, Dhol, Golmaal, and Bhagam Bhag, many of these titles continue finding new audiences while retaining their place in popular memory. Their enduring appeal reflects how culturally resonant stories can continue creating value over time. Similarly, FAST channels have created curated, always-on environments where catalogue content can continue to thrive through star-led and genre-based programming.
This multi-platform approach has very well transformed films into long-tail IP assets which are capable of generating recurring revenue across advertising, subscription, and syndication models.
The evolution of audience behavior is equally important. Nowadays, it’s more important to find what’s more relative than what’s recent as viewers are more influenced by mood, memories, and algorithmic suggestions than by release schedules. Even if a movie was released decades ago, it can trend alongside a newly released movie, if surfaced in the right context. Thoughtful packaging, whether through festival-based playlists, actor-driven collections, or genre clusters, allows catalogue content to remain dynamic and continuously discoverable. Shemaroo Entertainment has built extensive film libraries over decades and its focus has mostly been on recontextualizing content for the consumption of newer environments. This process doesn’t just include digitization and restoration, but also re-packaging of films as per platforms.
Syndication itself has evolved into a key growth driver. In perspective, when looking at the domestic market, curated content packages continue to find strong demand across broadcast and digital platforms. Meanwhile, in the international market, especially in markets like Middle East, North America and Southeast Asia, the appetite for Indian content is opening up new monetization avenues. Here, the ability to package and position catalogue content effectively becomes as important as the content itself.
Importantly, the need to re-package catalogue content does not diminish the role of new content. In fact, originals and fresh IP are essential to sustaining the long-term value of a film library because they act as discovery engines that bring audiences into the ecosystem, while catalogue content drives depth, retention, and repeat engagement.
This interplay between the “new” and the “known” is what defines a robust content strategy today. While new films generate spikes in consumption, catalogue titles offer familiarity and comfort. These are factors that are increasingly valuable in an era of content abundance and decision fatigue. This is also shaping our strategy, drawing value from both a deep catalogue assets and a growing focus on original IPs to strengthen long-term audience engagement and build more predictable revenue streams.
There is growing recognition that long-term value in entertainment will be shaped not only by how intelligently existing content continues to live, travel and find relevance, but also by how consistently new stories are created to renew that ecosystem. In that sense, film libraries and original IP are not parallel bets, but reinforcing engines of growth. For media companies, the opportunity lies in making these two forces work together, because that is increasingly where more resilient and predictable businesses are being shaped.
Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect our own.
