Cinevesture International Film Festival Concludes in Chandigarh

'Jaggi' directed by Anmol Sidhu won the Walker's People's Choice Award for Best Indian Film, 'Seven Winters in Tehran' directed by Steffi Niderzoll won the Cinevesture People's Choice Award for Best International Film, and 'Yellow' directed by Elham Ehsaas won the Best International Film. Awarded the Cinevesture People's Choice Award.

Cinevesture Film Festival: Showcasing 16 Indie Gems

The ‘Cinevesture Film Festival' held in Chandigarh from March 27 to March 31 unveiled 16 indie gems in India following the screening of 25 award-winning international features in the World Cinema section, 30 short films, children's films, and timeless classics in Brief Encounters. Concluded with a curated section.

The event concluded with a conversation between CIFF's Karan Johar, Dharma Productions, and senior journalist, film critic, programmer, and CIFF's Market Curator Namrata Joshi. Karan Johar had a long conversation about his past and upcoming films. He also spoke to Divya Sharma, President's Award winner, disability activist, corporate writer, RJ, and blue belt in Karate, about the inclusivity of marginalized sections of society like the visually impaired.

The film festival concluded with the screening of South Korea's highest-grossing film of 2024, the horror-mystery-thriller "Exhuma (Pamyo)".

'Seven Winters in Tehran' directed by Steffi Niederjoll won the Cinevesture People's Choice Award for Best International Film. Anmol Sidhu directed 'Jaggi' which was awarded the Walker People's Choice Award for the Best Indian Film. The short film 'Yellow' directed by Elham Ehsaas was awarded the Westside People's Choice Award for Best Short Film.

A three-day short film-making workshop was organized at GMAG, produced by Cinevesture and sponsored by Chitkara International School. Students from five different schools created short films under the guidance of executive producer Hydra Sandhu. “Anavaran” by Ritisha Sinha, a student of Mount Carmel School, Sector 47B, Chandigarh, received the best student film award.

CIFF presented 20 projects under CIFF Market Projects on the sidelines of the festival, including three web series. Three debut projects were selected for the mentorship program at CIFF Market.

The festival also organized 20 masterclasses and panel discussions with impactful sessions with acclaimed film personalities like Jaideep Ahlawat, Tahira Kashyap, Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal, Roshan Mathew, Abhay Deol, Sudhir Mishra, Kohra star Suvinder Vicky, Boman Irani. Rasika Duggal, Rajshree Deshpande, Randeep Jha, film directors and writers, Tabbar director Ajitpal Singh, Kesari director Anurag Singh, Shekhar Kapur, Saugata Mukherjee, content heads, Sony LIV, Sony Pictures Network India and others were present.

Neena Lath, Founder and CEO, of Cinevesture, said – “We are overwhelmed by the incredible support and trust this pilot edition of CIFF has received from the film community, the response and acceptance of the beautiful people of Chandigarh and our gratitude for the trust placed in it. Without our partners and collaborators, it would have been impossible for us to complete this event in a short period of ten weeks. We thank them all and look forward to further strengthening these relationships in the years to come.”

VS Kundu, Director, CIFF says, “The inaugural edition of CIFF was a resounding success in every way. All the delegates had a great time and had very useful interactions. The masterclass and panel discussions were lively and meaningful. The Film Bazaar at CIFF laid a solid foundation as an intimate yet professional networking and mentorship platform. We are grateful to all our guests and the people of Chandigarh for making it a success and we promise to return with a bigger and better edition of CIFF next year.

Artistic Director Beena Paul said, “Thank you Chandigarh for welcoming Cinevesture International Film Festival so warmly. CIFF's Film Bazaar is emerging as a platform for producers and filmmakers from across the country to network, develop skills, and do business. The film festival provides an opportunity for the people of Chandigarh to watch the best films from around the world. “This synergy creates a new culture and business.”

The festival advisory board includes names like Baahubali star and prominent filmmaker Rana Daggubati, former Cannes Film Market head Jérôme Paillard, former Sundance Film Festival co-director Nicole Guilmette, renowned Indian filmmaker Ajitpal Singh (Fire in the Mountains and . Tabbar), Bangladeshi filmmaker and screenwriter Nuhash Humayun (Moshari) and Julian Friedman, co-owner of the Blake Friedman literary agency.

Shantiswarup Tripathi

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