15 films including three from India to compete for prestigious Golden Peacock at IFFI 2024 in Goa

New Delhi: Fifteen movies, including three from India and nine directed by women, will vie for the prestigious Golden Peacock at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa beginning November 20.

Malayalam movie The Goat Life directed by Blessy, Marathi crime thriller Raavsaheb by Nikhil Mahajan and Hindi film Article 370 by Aditya Suhas Jambhale are the three Indian entries in the competition section.

IFFI officials said the nominations to the competition section are an ode to women filmmakers as nine of the 15 films are directed by ten women filmmakers.

An official statement said that the chosen 15 movies showcase powerful storytelling from around the globe and offer a unique take on human values, culture and the art of storytelling. These films take viewers into uncharted territories, challenge perceptions, and amplify new voices, it added.

A jury headed by Indian filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker with members Singaporean director Anthony Chen, British-American producer Elizabeth Karlsen, Spanish producer Fran Borgia, and Australian Film editor Jill Bilcock will chose Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Male), Best Actor (Female) and the Special Jury Prize. The winning film will take home a prize of Rs 40 lakh.

'The Goat Life' is adaptation of a Malayalam novel 'Aadujeevitham' which tells a real-life story exploring themes of migration, survival and the human spirit amidst the adversities of life while 'Raavsaheb' centres on the man-animal conflict in tribal lands and a quest for justice. 'Article 370', which a section called propaganda movie, deals with the drama surrounding revocation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

'Fear and Trembling', directed by two Iranian women filmmakers Manijeh Hekmat and Faeze Azizkhani depicts the fear and loneliness in the life of an older woman in rapidly changing world and will have its 'World Premiere' at the IFFI along with being in the competition section.

Another film in the competition section is 'Gulizar' Turkish woman writer-director Belkis Bayrak, which turns the camera into the life of a young woman battling trauma and the societal expectations in her quest for independence.

French filmmaker Louise Courvoisier’s debut feature ‘Holy Cow’, which follows 18-year-old Totone whose carefree life is turned upside down as he takes on responsibility for his younger sister, is also vying for the Golden Peacock.

Spanish movie 'I am Nevenka' by director Iciar Bollaín is a bold story of a woman who in 2001 became the first woman in Spain to win a court case on sexual harassment against a high-ranking politician.

Georgian-American director George Sikharulidze’s debut feature 'Panopticon' is about a young Georgian teen confronting questions of identity, morality, and self as he navigates his life and it is a poignant coming-of-age story, the film examines the challenges of growing up in a contemporary post-Soviet Georgian society.

'Pierce', a psychological thriller by former national fencer and rising filmmaker of Singapore Nelicia Low, depicts the high-stakes world of competitive fencing and follows two brothers as they struggle to balance their ambition.

Tunisian movie 'Red Path' by Lotfi Achour is another movie competing against 14 others for the top honour and it tells the story of a young shepherd, as he navigates trauma, tradition, and personal loss.

Directed by one of the leading figures of the new Quebec cinema Sophie Deraspea, the movie 'Shepherds' that has found space in the competition section is a visually stunning film that follows a Canadian Copywriter who, seeking solace and a fresh start, moves to the French Alps to live life as a shepherd.

Award-winning Romanian writer and director Bogdan Mureșanu’s The New Year That Never Came is a historical drama takes viewers through the lives of six individuals during Romania’s 1989 revolution while Lithuanian filmmaker Saule Bliuvaites Toxic is a raw and haunting coming-of-age story of friendship amidst toxicity.

Czech filmmaker Jiri Madl’s Waves is a powerful historical drama set during the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, which tells the story of a group of journalists risking everything to report the truth as their country’s freedom is in danger.

Tunisian-Canadian filmmaker Meryam Joobeur’s debut feature Who Do I Belong To, which is also in the competition section, tells the story of a Tunisian woman, who is caught between her maternal love and her search for the truth when her son returns home from war and unleashes a darkness throughout their village.