Entertainment / From AI Ethics To Queer Love: IFFLA 2025 Honours Groundbreaking Winners

From AI Ethics To Queer Love: IFFLA 2025 Honours Groundbreaking Winners

Entertainment May 14, 2025

by Team ANOKHI LIFE

From award-winning features to intimate shorts and industry debuts, IFFLA 2025 spotlighted powerful voices from across the South Asian diaspora.

The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) wrapped up its 23rd edition with an emotionally charged Closing Night Awards Ceremony at the Writers Guild Theater on May 10. Honouring bold storytelling and nuanced perspectives, IFFLA 2025 recognized an exciting slate of filmmakers through both Jury and Audience Choice Awards, underscoring the festival’s commitment to elevating South Asian voices on the world stage.

Artistic Director Anu Rangachar set the tone of celebration and reflection: “On behalf of all of us at IFFLA, I offer my warmest congratulations to this year’s award winners. Your work moved, challenged, and inspired us. But beyond the accolades, we want to honour every filmmaker whose voice resonated through our screens. To us, every story shared here is a triumph and every artist, a winner.”

Grand Jury Honours: Bold Visions and Resonant Stories

Best Feature: Humans in the Loop
The Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature was awarded to Humans in the Loop, directed by Aranya Sahay. The film tells the story of Nehma, an Adivasi woman returning to her ancestral Oraon village post-divorce, who becomes a “data labeller” training AI models. The jury hailed the film as “timely, imaginative, beautifully written and directed, and emotionally affecting.” With its culturally specific lens and a strong critique of AI ethics and gendered labour, Humans in the Loop stood out as a cinematic call to consciousness.

Grand Jury Prize Winner: Humans In The Loop. Credit: IFFLA

Honourable Mentions – Feature Category
Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s Cactus Pears earned an Honourable Mention for the outstanding performances of Bhushaan Manoj and Suraaj Suman. Lauded for their nuanced portrayal of an LGBTQ+ relationship, the jury highlighted their “unbridled dignity” and “phenomenally layered” performances.

Rima Das received an Honourable Mention for her direction in Village Rockstars 2, the much-anticipated sequel to her breakout film. Fast-forwarding seven years, we meet a teenaged Dhunu navigating adulthood while holding onto her rock band dreams. The jury praised Das’s “self-assured, deliberate, beautiful, and naturalistic” direction that blurs the lines between cinema and life.

Feature Jury Members
The Feature Jury included actress and activist Rajshri Deshpande (Angry Indian Goddesses, Sacred Games), writer-director Priyanka Mattoo (Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones), and film critic and host Carla Renata, known as The Curvy Critic.

Short Films: Compact Mastery, Lasting Impact

Best Short: Holy Curse
Snigdha Kapoor’s Holy Curse received the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short. Described as “a bold, nuanced, and unforgettable take on gender identity,” Kapoor’s work blends comedy and drama with a culturally grounded yet universal storytelling approach. The jury saw in her a rising cinematic talent.

Grand Jury Prize (Shorts) Winner: Holy Curse. Credit: IFFLA

Honourable Mentions – Shorts Category
The Feast (Virundhu) by Rishi Chandna was recognized for its Cinematic Storytelling. The jury commended its evocative imagery and sensory power, noting how its visuals transported them into a richly textured world shaped by environmental and social change.

Extinction Story Origin Story by Terrie Samundra earned an Honourable Mention for Artistic Direction. Shot on film and steeped in handmade charm, the short was lauded for its unique portrayal of innocence and adolescence through meticulous execution.

An Orphanage of Memories by Rayit Hashmat Qazi received an Honourable Mention for Emotional Storytelling. The film’s poignant exploration of grief, set in a Kashmiri garden, was described as a moving tribute to personal loss and healing.

Shorts Jury Members
The Shorts Jury featured filmmaker Maureen Bharoocha (The Prank, Golden Arm), actress-writer Kausar Mohammed (The Flash, 4400), and Sudeep Sharma, programmer for the Sundance Film Festival.

Shorts Winners and Shorts Jury. Credit: IFFLA

Audience Choice: The People’s Favourites

IFFLA attendees also had their say. The Audience Choice Award for Best Feature went to Cactus Pears by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, echoing the jury’s praise for its powerful performances and poignant storytelling. The Best Short, as voted by audiences, was Sleep Training by Sunita Prasad, an engaging and intimate look at contemporary motherhood.

Launchpad Spotlight: Industry Days Pitch Winner

Emerging Canadian filmmaker Kiana Rawji won the prestigious Launchpad: Pitch Competition for her project Adult Children, taking home a $10,000 grant. Judges were unanimous in their praise: “We found Adult Children’s story intimate and compelling, and the pitch was cohesive and beautifully presented.” They applauded Rawji’s poise under pressure and expressed hope for every participating filmmaker’s future.

Pitch Competition Winner. Adult Children. Credit: IFFLA

A Global Stage For South Asian Stories

Held from May 6 – 10, the 2025 edition of IFFLA presented a robust, international lineup of 27 films, including seven narrative features, one documentary, and 18 shorts. The programme included two world premieres, six North American premieres, and 14 Los Angeles premieres.

Stories hailed from across South Asia and the diaspora, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the U.S., U.K., and Canada, alongside co-productions from France, Singapore, and Norway. This year’s special screening of a two-episode anthology series added further variety to the mix.

Venues and Sponsors
Opening and Closing Night Galas were hosted at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, while screenings, panels, and Industry Days unfolded at Landmark Theatres Sunset. IFFLA 2025 was generously supported by NBC Universal, the National Endowment for the Arts, Joy of Sharing Foundation, Tarsadia Foundation, and several Los Angeles cultural departments.

Honorable Mention. Cactus Pears. Credit: IFFLA

Looking Ahead

From richly layered features to experimental shorts and emerging industry voices, IFFLA 2025 offered a mosaic of South Asian experiences that captivated audiences and critics alike. As Artistic Director Rangachar noted, every voice and vision showcased at IFFLA is a victory – not just for representation, but for the evolving craft of global storytelling.

Full List Of Winners

Grand Jury Prize – Best Feature: Humans in the Loop by Aranya Sahay
Feature Hon. Mention – Performance: Cactus Pears by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade (for Bhushaan Manoj & Suraaj Suman)
Feature Hon. Mention – Direction: Village Rockstars 2 by Rima Das

Grand Jury Prize – Best Short: Holy Curse by Snigdha Kapoor
Short Hon. Mention – Cinematic Storytelling: The Feast (Virundhu) by Rishi Chandna
Short Hon. Mention – Artistic Direction: Extinction Story Origin Story by Terrie Samundra
Short Hon. Mention – Emotional Storytelling: An Orphanage of Memories by Rayit Hashmat Qazi

Audience Choice – Best Feature: Cactus Pears
Audience Choice – Best Short: Sleep Training

Launchpad Pitch Competition Winner: Adult Children by Kiana Rawji

To learn more or stay updated, visit www.indianfilmfestival.org and follow IFFLA on Instagram (@indianfilmfestival), Facebook (/indianfilmfestival), and X (@iffla).

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