Miyake Sho’s ‘Two Seasons, Two Strangers’ Takes Top Prize at International Film Festival of Kerala

Miyake Sho‘s “Two Seasons, Two Strangers” emerged as the big winner at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala, claiming the festival’s top honor, the Suvarna Chakoram for best film, for its “exploratory, subtle, beautiful, and thought-provoking cinematic expression of human relationships set within the natural world.”

The film previously won the Golden Leopard at Locarno.

In the directing categories, Carina Piazza and Lucía Bracelis earned the Rajata Chakoram for best director for “Before the Body,” praised for their “distinctive and exploratory approach to the genre.”

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Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi’s “Shadowbox” (Baksho Bondi) won the Rajata Chakoram for best debut director and the FFSI KR Mohanan Award for best debut director from India. The Kolkata-set drama centers on a working-class woman struggling to hold her family together while her husband, suffering from stress disorder, faces a murder charge. Tillotama Shome’s lead performance earned a special jury mention, with jurors praising “her precise and detailed performance in creating a character defined by agency and choice.”

Sanju Surendran’s “If On a Winter’s Night” (Khidki Gaav) claimed three awards including two Netpac prizes and the Fipresci Award for best film in international competition. Jurors celebrated the big-city romance for its “fantastic performances and a precise directorial gaze,” singling out its depiction of “the precarious lives of cultural workers with such care.”

Unnikrishnan Avala’s “Life of a Phallus” (Thanthapperu) resonated with both critics and audiences, taking home the Audience Poll Award alongside the Jury Prize and a Netpac Award for best Malayalam film. The drama, set within a Native Indian tribal community, earned recognition as “a distinctive and singular cinematic experience” for its examination of patriarchal customs.

Gözde Kural’s “Cinema Jazireh” won the Netpac Award for best Asian film in competition, telling the story of a widow forced to change her sexual identity to survive extremist violence. Meanwhile, Fazil Razak’s “Desire” (Moham) secured the Fipresci Award for best Malayalam film of a debut director, with jurors noting the film “conveys the intense pain at the heart of this story without resorting to cliché.”

Shahram Mokri’s “Black Rabbit, White Rabbit” received a special jury mention for technical excellence for its “exploration and pursuit of new forms of cinematic expression.”

Complete List of Winners

Suvarna Chakoram for Best Film
“Two Seasons, Two Strangers” — Miyake Sho

Rajata Chakoram for Best Director
“Before the Body” — Carina Piazza and Lucía Bracelis

Rajata Chakoram for Best Debut Director
“Shadowbox” (Baksho Bondi) — Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi

FFSI KR Mohanan Award for Best Debut Director from India
“Shadowbox” (Baksho Bondi) — Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi

Netpac Award for Best Malayalam Film
“If On a Winter’s Night” (Khidki Gaav) — Sanju Surendran
“Life of a Phallus” (Thanthapperu) — Unnikrishnan Avala

Netpac Award for Best Asian Film in Competition
“Cinema Jazireh” — Gözde Kural

Fipresci Award for Best Film in International Competition
“If On a Winter’s Night” (Khidki Gaav) — Sanju Surendran

Fipresci Award for Best Malayalam Film of a Debut Director
“Desire” (Moham) — Fazil Razak

Jury Prize
“Life of a Phallus” (Thanthapperu) — Unnikrishnan Avala

Special Jury Mention for Performance
“Shadowbox” (Baksho Bondi) — Tillotama Shome

Special Jury Mention for Technical Excellence
“Black Rabbit, White Rabbit” — Shahram Mokri

Audience Poll Award
“Life of a Phallus” (Thanthapperu) — Unnikrishnan Avala