Jeo Baby’s The Great Indian Kitchen, Girish Kasaravalli’s Illiralare Allige Hogalaare win top prizes at Stuttgart

The 18th edition of the Indian Film Festival Stuttgart concluded with an award ceremony on Saturday 24 July.

Jeo Baby's acclaimed film about a newly married woman being buried under a mountain of unrelenting housework, The Great Indian Kitchen (2021), which was the opening film of the festival, was declared the winner of the German Star of India 2021 in the Feature Film category. 

Girish Kasaravalli’s latest feature, the two-part film Illiralare Allige Hogalaare — Can Neither Stay Here Nor Journey Beyond — about the Indian caste system and associated social problems, was the winner of the Director's Vision award 2021 in the Feature Film category.

In the Short Film category, Ambiecka Pandit’s film Custody was chosen for the German Star of India 2021. The film unfolds over the course of a night when a light-hearted celebratory evening between friends turns into a nightmare.

Farida Pacha was the winner of the German Star of India 2021 in the Documentary category for her film Watch Over Me, which is centred on a counsellor, nurse and doctor working for a palliative care organization in New Delhi that provides medical care and emotional support through weekly home visits.

Samartha Mahajan’s documentary Borderlands got an Honourable Mention in the Documentary category. The documentary features six characters whose lives are scarred by personal and political boundaries in India while underlining how closely personal everyday life and political borders are intertwined in India.

The festival in Germany showcased 40 feature films, shorts and documentaries from all over India.