19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF 2026) organised at the Ravindra Natya Mandir in Dadar, Mumbai, marking the conclusion of a week-long celebration of global and domestic non-feature cinema. It was organized by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and executed by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC).
MIFF 2026 edition saw massive global engagement, receiving 1,459 film entries from across the globe and featuring screenings from 46 countries.
The closing ceremony was graced by Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, who highlighted India's growing dominance in the creative economy through the "Create in India, Create for the World" vision under the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) initiative.
Key Highlights of the Film Award
The festival’s highest honor is the Golden Conch for Best International Documentary Film awarded to the Polish documentary Silver, directed by Natalia Koniarz and produced by Maciej Kubicki. The film takes an uncompromising, poetic look at labor, dignity and poverty.
The prize includes the Golden Conch trophy and a cash reward of ₹10 lakh, split equally between the director and producer. The award was accepted on behalf of the creators by Ms. Malgorzata Wejsis-Gołębiak, Minister Plenipotentiary and Director of the Polish Institute.
Where Indian non-feature cinema is experiencing a profound transformative phase at the Film festival by transitioning from traditional informational formats into a powerful global soft power tool backed by government initiatives like WAVES, domestic documentary, animation and short fiction filmmakers.
MIFF 2026 Full Winners List
A total of 17 awards recognizing excellence in documentary, animation, and short fiction filmmaking were presented during the closing ceremony. Below is the complete and official list of winners across all categories:
International Competition Category
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Award Category
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Winning Film
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Country
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Director / Producer / Crew)
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Golden Conch (Best International Documentary)
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Silver
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Poland
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Natalia Koniarz (Director) & Maciej Kubicki (Producer)
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Silver Conch (Best International Short Fiction)
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Under The Snow
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Iran
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Nafiseh Zare (Director) & Kottukathira Prakash, Deepankar Prakash (Producers)
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Silver Conch (Best International Animation)
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Maya’s Song
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Germany
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Franziska Schönenberger & Jayakrishnan Subramanian (Directors/Producers)
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Best Cinematographer
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Turtle Walker
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India
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Krish Makhija
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Best Editing
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About the Cow
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Russia
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Evgeny Smirnov & Maksim Smirnov
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Best Sound Designer
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Deva Aaj Pan Vhay
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India
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Abhay Rumde (Purple Haze Studio)
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National Competition Category
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Award Category
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Winning Film
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Recipients (Director / Producer)
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Silver Conch (Best Indian Documentary)
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Waai
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Sainath S. Uskaikar (Director) & Bharatbala Ganapathy (Producer)
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Silver Conch (Best Indian Short Fiction)
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Small Clouds
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Shubham Sumit (Director) & FTII / Dhiraj Singh (Producer)
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Silver Conch (Best Indian Animation)
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Armstrong from Angaalamman Temple Street
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Bhuvanesh M. Kumar [Bunz] (Director & Producer)
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Best Cinematographer
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Small Clouds
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Ranadhir Biswas
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Best Editing
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MAYDAY
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Akhil Krishnan
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Best Sound Design
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Kovarty
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Bigyna Dahal
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Special and Institutional Awards
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Best Debut Director (Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari): Pooja Tolani for her film Raaza.
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FIPRESCI International Critics Prize: Pradeep Kenchanuru for The Hug of Emptiness
IDPA Award for Best Student Film: Milan Kumar for The Old Bull Knows, or Once Knew
Special Award (Viksit Bharat/150 Years of Vande Mataram/Bharat@2026): The Last Shelter by Bharat Arora and Rajesh Bhatia.
Pramod Pati Special Jury Award (Most Innovative/Experimental Film): The Hoarders (Taiwan) directed by Chuan-Ying Liao.
NFDC Managing Director Prakash Magdum noted that the 19th edition featured over 83 hours of screenings mapped across 24 meticulously curated segments, including Oscar Winners, Busan Next Wave, Best of Fest, and special regional highlights like echoes from North East and Marathi Films by reflecting on the successful completion of the festival.
MIFF 2026 solidified its stance as a critical, empathy-driven global movement for non-fiction and independent filmmakers worldwide as the screening of Silver concluded the event.