The 17th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) came to a close on Sunday with the world premiere of director Megha Ramaswamy’s THE ODDS, a coming-of-age tale about two teens who skip school on an important exam day and go on a fantastical journey through Mumbai. The evening also featured the presentation of the festival’s Grand Jury and Audience Choice Awards presented by HBO.

Director Praveen Morchhale’s WIDOW OF SILENCE took home the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature. The audience awards went to Anand Patwardhan’s politically-charged documentary REASON for Best Feature, and BEBAAK (DYING WIND IN HER HAIR) as Best Short.

“We present the grand jury prize to a film that illuminates a condition that most of the world doesn’t get to see and shines a light on the characters that live through it everyday,” said the Grand Jury of their decision. “This filmmaker’s civic disobedience illustrates their love and compassion for their country and their people, and the craft of their filmmaking was beautifully wise and refined.”

2019 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles Awards

2019 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles Awards: FEATURES

Grand Jury Award – WIDOW OF SILENCE (director: Praveen Morchhale)

Audience Award – REASON (director: Anand Patwardhan)

Honorable Mention- TAKING THE HORSE TO EAT JALEBIS (director: Anamika Haksar)

2019 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles Awards: SHORTS

Grand Jury Award – THE FIELD (director: Sandhya Suri)

Audience Award – BEBAAK (DYING WIND IN HER HAIR) (director: Shazia Iqbal)

Honorable Mention – CIRCLE (director: Jayisha Patel)