Hindi
Indian films dominate international section of MIFF
MUMBAI: Indian films bagged the top award – the Golden Conch – for best documentary in both the national and international categories – as also four other awards at the just concluded 10th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF).
The other awards were in the Documentary, Short and Animation Films categories.
While India Untouched – Stories of a People Apart by Stalin K, based on the oppressive caste system, got the top award in the Indian section, Goddesses by Leena Manimekalai – on women’s emancipation – received the Golden Conch in the international section for films up to 60 minutes.
The awards fetched Rs 150,000 and Rs 250,00 respectively in prize money.
India Untouched also won a cash award of Rs 100,000 for best film/video of the festival for the producer, Drishti – Media, Arts and Human Rights.
Renowned Manipur filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma received the V Shantaram Award for lifetime contribution from Kiran Shantaram, amidst a standing ovation.
The award comprises a shawl, a memento and Rs 250,000.
Poland, the US and Egypt won two awards each in the international section.
Two Polish films,One Day in People’s Poland by Maciej J Drygas and Beyond the Wall, by Vita Zelakeviciute, shared the award for Second Best Documentary up to 60 minutes duration (Silver Conch and Rs 100,000).
Both the films were produced by Drygas.
Salata Baladi (House Salad) by Nadia Kamel of Egypt got the Golden Conch and Rs 250,000 for best documentary above 60 minutes and the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) award (Certificate of Merit).
The two American films to win awards were Flow: for Love of Water by Irena Salina, which got the FIPRESCI award and Rs 100,000; and View from a Grain of Sand by Meena Nanji, which won the second best documentary film above 60 minutes (Silver Conch and Rs 100,000).
The other Indian film to win awards in the international category were Kramasha by Amit Dutta, which won the best fiction up to 75 minutes (Golden Conch and Rs 250,000), and the Producers‘ Award for the Film and Television Institute of India (Rs 100,000).
Ink, by director Bharani Thanikella (trophy and Rs 100,000), and Undertakers by Emannuel Quindo Palo, shared the award for second best fiction film up to 75 minutes with Belgium’s Bare Handed by Thierry Knauff (Silver Conch and Rs 100,000).
In the Indian section, the Golden Conch and Rs 150,000 also went to best fiction Manjha by Rahi Anil Barve.
She also got the award for best first film of a director (trophy and Rs 25,000).
The best animation film was Myths about You by Nandita Jain.
Other awards included the Indian Jury Award (Rs 100,000), which went to two films: I’m Very Beautiful by Shyamal Kumar Karmakar and Thousand Days and a Dream by P Baburaj and C Saratchandran.
The Indian Critics award went to Vinod Raja‘s Mahua Memoirs which also received the award for second best documentary (Silver Conch and Rs 75,000).
The Silver Conch and Rs 75,000 for the second best films went to The Lost Rainbow by Dhiraj Meshram produced by FTII (fiction up to 75 minutes), and animation film Three Little Pigs by Bhavana Vyas and Akarito Assumi.
Special Mention and Certificate of Merit was awarded to two films: Our Family by Dr K P Jayasankar and Dr Anjali Monteiro, and Raga of River Narmada by Rajendra Janglay.
The awards were given away by festival director and Films Division chief producer Kuldeep Sinha, filmmakers Shyam Benegal and Jahnu Barua, and actress Nandita Das, in a ceremony conducted by Rajeshwari Sachdev.
A total of 235 films were shown in the special packages in the festival which commenced on 3 February and was organised by the Films Division in collaboration with the Maharashtra government and the Indian Documentary Producers Association.
In addition, there were 44 films in the international competition from 16 countries, 54 films in the Indian competition, and 13 international and nine Indian films in special screenings.
Films from a total of 37 countries were screened in different sections.
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.
