The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) wraps fest, with SHAPE OF MOMO and BREAKING THE CODE leading the award winners

The 24th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) announced the winners of the 2026 Jury and Audience Choice Awards. Winners were announced at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony held at Landmark Sunset Hollywood.

The Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature was awarded to Shape of Momo directed by Tribeny Rai. The jury stated, “We are honored to award the Grand Jury Prize to a debut film that deftly creates a protagonist who inhabits the gray area between righteousness and humility, and delicately charts her journey through the complexities of class and gender in a place steeped in tradition.”

Sarmad Sultan Khoosat’s Lali and Seemab Gul’s Ghost School received Honorable Mentions in the feature category. Talking about Lali, the jury stated, “We’re thrilled to award an honorable mention to a film that surprises us at every turn with its provocative cinematic choices. Moving between genres with ease and exuberance, this film envelopes the audience in a vibrant symphony of music and color.” About Ghost Story the jury mentioned“We’re delighted to award an honorable mention to a beautifully restrained, artistically precise debut feature that works both as a powerful political allegory and as piercing social realism.” 

The Features Jury members were:

Cinematographer Farhad Ahmed Dehlvi

Filmmaker Juan Pablo González

Film curator Caroline Libresco

The Grand Jury Prize For Best Short was awarded to Room At The Farm, directed by  Jasmine Kaur Roy & Avinash Roy. The Jury stated, “A delicate and nuanced allegory of the fragility of human relationships when faced with the impact of modernization. This film represents rural Punjab with a gaze rarely seen, one that centralizes humanity and desire. Over the course of twenty-three succinct minutes, it allows us to negotiate a devastating reality alongside its characters.”

In the Shorts category, Bleat! by Ananth Subramaniam and Permanent Guest by Sana Zahra Jafri received Honorable Mentions. Talking about Bleat!, the jury called it “An absurdist commentary that throws into question our understanding of religion, gender and cultural identity with a profoundly original vision and a strikingly unexpected approach. In bringing us into the absurdity of its world, with its courage to pair an animalistic humor with the seriousness of ceremony and tradition, this work left a lasting impression on us for its audacity, imagination, and distinct voice.” Talking about Permanent Guest, the jury stated, “The second honorable mention goes to a film that has crafted immense tension and finds both power and pain in what is left unsaid. The restraint shown by this director is a bold authorial choice.” 

The Shorts Jury members were:

Film curator Malin Kan

Filmmaker Alisha Tejpal

Voted on by IFFLA attendees, the 2026 Audience Choice Awards for Best Feature went to Breaking The Code by Ben Rekhi and Swetlana, and the Audience Choice Award for Best Short went to Rihanna by Suraj Paudel. 

Amarik Singh Khosa’s project, Blind Tiger, won the IFFLA Industry Days Launchpad: Pitch Competition 2026 and received a $10,000 Development Grant. Blind Tiger is an engrossing, propulsive, and deeply authentic series that immediately draws you in. Building on the familiar framework of a crime drama, it introduces a compelling outsider protagonist with expert-level skills while layering in a fresh perspective rooted in the real history of an underrepresented community in suburban New Jersey. The result is a “familiar surprise” — both classic and contemporary — with all the elements of a standout, binge-worthy prestige series.

Priyanka Krishnan and Raman Nimmala received an Honorable Mention at the IFFLA Industry Days Launchpad: Pitch Competition 2026 for their project, Thottal Poo Malarum (Flowers Bloom When Touched). The story follows a status-obsessed bride-to-be whose dream of an arranged marriage into high society hinges on maintaining an illusion of “purity.” The project takes a precise cultural idea and transforms it into a bold, modern story that feels both provocative and accessible. With an immediately engaging concept, it stands out for balancing relatability with a distinct, darker comedic voice.

Pitch Competition jury:

Abhijay Prakash, President, Blumhouse

Aneesh Chaganty, Writer and Director (Searching, Run)

Kamala Avila-Salmon, Founder and CEO, Kas Kas Productions

Ugo Obioha, Motion Picture Literary Agent, United Talent Agency

Kimia Simab, Manager, Television, Searchlight Pictures

Paul Tamasy, Writer/Producer/ Director

Vanessa Pearce, Coordinator, Studio Series team at Netflix

Pitch Mentors:

Tanuj Chopra, Showrunner/Director/Executive Producer, Delhi Crime Season 2 & 3

Agam Darshi, Actor/Writer/Director, Donkeyhead

Shruti Ganguly,  Producer/Director/Writer

Ravi Kapoor, Writer/Director, Patel, Four Samosas

Meera Menon, Writer/Director, Didn’t Die

Sanjay Shah – Showrunner/Executive Producer, Everybody Still Hates Chris

The 24^th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA), kicked off with Ben Rekhi and Swetlana’s crowd pleasing documentary, Breaking the Code, and closed with Anusha Rizvi’s social satire The Great Shamsuddin Family. Recognized worldwide as a leading platform for South Asian cinema in the U.S., IFFLA once again celebrated the work of filmmakers from around the world, while also introducing new voices and helping film artists take vital next steps in their careers by connecting them with key industry professionals.

This year IFFLA featured 27 films, including seven narrative features, two documentary features, and 18 short films. Countries represented include India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, France, the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the USA.

The film festival’s IFFLA Industry Days also returnedbigger and better than ever before – including panels, masterclasses, screenings, and pitch finalists, with details to be announced in the coming weeks. The third year of IFFLA Industry Days served as a bridge between South Asian film and television creatives and influential players across Hollywood. Executives and creatives from across studios, production companies, and independent platforms will participate in a robust lineup of programming, including IFFLA Connect, Launchpad: Pitch Competition, One-on-One Program, panels, and a special masterclass.

IFFLA 2026 is supported in part by the Joy of Sharing Foundation, Tarsadia Foundation, General Consulate of India in Los Angeles, NB Patel Foundation, NBCUniversal, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and additional sponsors.

For more information visit www.indianfilmfestival.org. Follow IFFLA on Facebook (/indianfilmfestival), Instagram (@indianfilmfestival), and X (formerly Twitter) (@iffla).

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The 2026 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) Award Winners:

GRAND JURY PRIZE FOR BEST FEATURE 

Shape of Momo

Director: Tribeny Rai

FEATURE JURY HONORABLE MENTIONS

Ghost School

Director: Seemab Gul

Lali

Director: Sarmad Sultan Khoosat

GRAND JURY PRIZE FOR BEST SHORT 

Room At The Farm

Directors: Jasmine Kaur Roy, Avinash Roy

SHORT JURY HONORABLE MENTIONS

Bleat!

Director: Ananth Subramaniam

Permanent Guest

Director: Sana Zahra Jafri

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AUDIENCE CHOICE  AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE 

Breaking The Code

Directors: Ben Rekhi and Swetlana

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT 

Rihanna

Director: Suraj Paudel

LAUNCHPAD: PITCH COMPETITION WINNER 

Amarik Singh Khosa’s project, Blind Tiger

PITCH COMPETITION HONORABLE MENTION

Priyanka Krishnan and Raman Nimmala’s project,

Thottal Poo Malarum (Flowers Bloom when Touched)