LOS ANGELES — “Chauranga” (Four Colors), took the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature at the 13th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles April 13. Bikas Mishra’s “Chauranga,” inspired by a real incident, depicts an India torn by caste divisions. The festival closed with a star-studded red carpet event and gala fete that featured the U.S. premiere of Nagesh Kukunoor’s “Dhanak” (Rainbow).
Best Actress honors went to Kalki Koechlin for “Margarita, with a Straw” and Shweta Tripathi for “Haraamkhor” in a tie. The Best Actor prize, also a tie, was awarded to the young stars of “The Crow’s Egg,” brothers J. Vignesh and Ramesh. A special jury mention was made for the stunning cinematography of “Labour of Love,” while the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short went to Leena Pendharker for “Dandekar Makes a Sandwich.” Sudarshan Suresh earned a special mention as well, for his film “The Rabbit.”
More than two dozen feature films, documentaries and shorts screened this year at ArcLight Hollywood, a state-of-the-art cinema which has been the home of IFFLA since its inception.