Hindi
NY Indian Filmfest: ‘Mukti Bhawan’ is best feature, short on Kejriwal is best docu
NEW DELHI: The Hindi film ‘Mukti Bhawan’ (Hotel Salvation) by Shubhashish Bhutiani on treatment of senior citizens has won the best film award at the 17th annual New York Indian Film Festival.
The actress Konkona Sen Sharma, who hails from a film family, won two awards: one as director for ‘A death in the Gunj’ and the second as actress for ‘Lipstick under my burkha’.
The week-long festival premiered 85 shorts, documentaries and feature films from the Indian subcontinent in Hindi and English, and in seven regional languages (Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali).
The best actor award went to K Kaladharan for ‘The Narrow Path’. The best screenplay award went to P Balachandran for ‘Kammattipadam’. The best short was ‘Aaba’ by Amar Kaushik and the best documentary award went to ‘An insignificant man’ by Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla about the meteoric rise of Arvind Kejriwal on the Indian political scene which has already won acclaim overseas.
‘Aaba’ has also been selected for the Berlin International Film Festival.
‘Mukti Bhawan’ had also received the special mention in the National Awards for producer Red Carper Moving Pictures and director Shubhashish Bhutiani and actor Adil Hussain and had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on 2 September last year.
In addition to film premieres, the festival featured sidebar programming such as Sibling Filmmakers (Deepa & Dilip Mehta), Priyanka Produces (VENTILATOR & SARVANN), Tribute to Om Puri, Mobile Bollywood, “Shoot a Short Film” workshop, industry panels (CAA’s Short Film Initiative), nightly networking events, red carpets and a gala.
More than 40 filmmakers attended the festival and participated in Q&A sessions after their films.
The annual festival was organized by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC): Founded in 1998, the IAAC is a secular, not-for-profit, service and resource arts organization charged with the mission of promoting and building the awareness, creation, production, exhibition, publication and performance of Indian, sub-continental and cross-cultural art forms in North America.
It also works with artists and arts organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists and arts organizations from India as well as other countries from the rest of the Indian sub-continent to exhibit, perform and produce their work here. The IAAC works passionately to become an integral part of the amazing cultural diversity of New York City and the United States. The IAAC supports all artistic disciplines int he classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of the Indian subcontinent.
Hindi
MIFF 2026 to return to Mumbai; film entries open till April 12
19th edition to host WAVES Doc Bazaar, spotlighting global documentary talent
MUMBAI: The 19th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival 2026 is set to take place from June 15 to 21 at the NFDC Complex, with film submissions currently open and the deadline fast approaching on April 12.
Organised by the National Film Development Corporation under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the biennial festival remains one of South Asia’s most prominent platforms for documentary, short fiction and animation films.
Filmmakers, producers and content creators from across the globe have been invited to submit entries via the Film Freeway platform for the Competition Section. Offline submissions will not be accepted, reinforcing a fully digital entry process.
MIFF 2026 continues to sweeten the deal with a robust awards pool of Rs 55 lakh. The coveted Golden Conch for Best Documentary carries a top prize of Rs 10 lakh, alongside multiple awards across categories, making it one of the most lucrative non-feature film festivals in the region.
A key highlight this year will be the second edition of the WAVES Doc Bazaar, scheduled from June 16 to 18 alongside the festival. Designed as a hub for collaboration, the Doc Bazaar will feature a co-production market, viewing rooms and a work-in-progress lab, bringing together global buyers, sellers and creators under one roof.
Since its inception in 1990, MIFF has built a reputation as a serious showcase for non-feature cinema, drawing participation from filmmakers worldwide. The previous edition saw over 350 films from more than 30 countries, underlining its growing international footprint.
With submissions closing soon and preparations underway, MIFF 2026 is shaping up to be a vibrant meeting point for storytelling, collaboration and cinematic craft, offering filmmakers both a stage and a springboard.
