The three-day Devbhoomi International Film Festival (DIFF) concluded on a grand note at Sanskriti Sadan in Mandi district, the cultural capital of Himachal Pradesh, on Sunday. The festival, which celebrated excellence in Indian and regional cinema, culminated with an impressive ceremony honouring outstanding achievements in feature films, documentaries and short films.
Mandi Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan attended the closing ceremony as the chief guest, while Mayor Suman Thakur and Municipal Corporation Commissioner Rohit Rathour were present as guests of honour.
Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Commissioner described the festival as a milestone for Himachal Pradesh’s growing film culture. He said the presence of prominent artistes from the Hindi film industry had added prestige to the event and praised the screening of films such as ‘Unresolved’ and ‘Rat Race’ for delivering meaningful social messages. He also appreciated festival director Pawan Sharma for successfully organising the event and assured continued support from the district administration to make the festival an annual celebration.
Expressing satisfaction over the festival’s success, Pawan Sharma said the three-day event showcased 25 feature films, documentaries and short films from Hindi and regional cinema. He added that the screenings witnessed enthusiastic participation from local audiences, filmmakers and cinema lovers, reflecting the growing interest in independent and meaningful storytelling.
The highlight of the closing ceremony was the presentation of awards across multiple categories. Director Ravi Deep’s ‘When Souls Meet’ received the Best Regional Feature Film Award, while Ritwik Jaiswal’s ‘Bridge to Utopia’ won the Critics’ Choice Best Feature Film Award.
The feature film ‘Masand’ emerged as the Overall Best Feature Film of the festival. Rabbi Kandola received the Best Actor (Feature Film) Award for his performance in ‘Masand’.
In the writing category, Vidyasagar won the Best Writer Award for ‘Sudhagarh 07’. The Special Jury Award was presented to Namrata Sinha’s ‘Sakal Tar Hou Dya’, while Mahesh Waghmare received the Jury Mention for Best Actor.
Among documentaries, Kshitij Sharma’s ‘Aana Jaana’ received the Jury Mention for Best Documentary, while Devendra Shivaji Jadhav’s ‘Pure Water for Every House – Har Ghar Shuddh Jal’ was named Best Environmental Documentary.
In the short film section, Ajay Suri’s ‘The Divine Mother’ was awarded Best Short Documentary Film, while Sanjay Mathew received the Best Director (Short Film) award for ‘Red – The Color of Silence’. Veena Mahajan’s ‘Khara Modak’ earned the Best Woman Filmmaker Award, while Mahin Vaidya won Best Actor for ‘Joker’. Other notable winners included ‘Himalaya Ki Vedna’ as Best Himalayan Film, ‘Ek Thi Prithvi – There Stood the Earth’ as Best Environmental Short Film, and ‘Yes, You’ as Best Social Impact Short Film.
During the ceremony, Deputy Commissioner Devgan also released a book titled ‘Antarman Se Samvad’, authored by Shimla-based writer Hitender Sharma, adding a literary touch to the successful conclusion of the festival. The organisers acknowledged the support of sponsors and jury members for the smooth and successful execution of the event.
