Manohara K., director of Mikka Bannada Hakki, receiving the award at the valedictory function of BIFFes in Bengaluru on Saturday. Theatre personality Arundhati Nag received the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Shabana Azmi.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
Humans in the Loop, a Hindi film that blends the themes of AI and humanity, won the Best Indian Film honour as the 16th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) came to an end on Saturday. Mikka Bannada Hakki, directed by Manohara K., emerged as the best Kannada film of the festival.
Arundathi Nag receives
Veteran actor Shabana Azmi, who recently completed 50 years in the film industry, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Noted actor and theatre personality Arundathi Nag received the award on behalf of Shabana. Organisers said the actor, who won the National Award for her performance in the 1982 film Arth, was held up at an International Women’s Day event in Delhi.
“Shabana is my role model. She is a woman of substance,” said Arundathi.
Festival artistic director N. Vidyashankar said the seven-day festival witnessed a footfall of about one lakh, an increase of about 30-40% from the previous edition.
Of Adivasi woman
Humans in the Loop director Aranya Sahay received the award. The film tells the story of an Adivasi woman who begins interacting with AI while working in a data centre in remote Jharkhand. Malayalam thriller Level Cross clinched the second place, while Swaha completed the podium in the Indian Cinema Competition.
Manohara, who started as a child artist in the National Award-winning Railway Children (2016) by Prithvi Konanur, has made his directorial debut with Mikka Bannada Hakki. Prithvi produced the film that was screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival and Children’s and Youth International Film Festival in Iran. Tulu films Pidayi and Daskath were adjudged the second and third best films in the Kannada Cinema Competiton.
Actor Kishore, brand ambassador of the festival, spoke about the need for inclusivity in society. The closing ceremony’s chief guest, Santosh Lad, Labour Minister, urged the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy to provide more screens for small-scale, content-oriented, and award-winning films.
Venue causes discomfort
There was minor chaos at the venue for the closing ceremony — the Department of Information and Public Relations — as guests were left with no seats to witness the programme. People were requested to vacate their seats for foreign delegates present at the event even as many guests watched the ceremony standing.
Actor, music composer, and academy chairman Sadhu Kokila apologised for the inconvenience. “The event was earlier planned at the Banquet Hall of the Vidhana Soudha, but there is repair work going on at that place. Hence, we had to shift the venue,” he said.
Other winners
Asian Cinema Competition:In The Land of Brothers (Iranian-French-Dutch); Reading Lolita In Tehran (Israel-Italy); Saba (Bengali)
Special Jury Mention: Feminichi Fathima (Malayalam)
Special Jury Mention: Pyre (Hindi)
FIPRESCI Award:Humans in the Loop (Hindi).
Published – March 09, 2025 07:18 am IST