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IFFI 2025: Goa Film Festival concludes, Rajinikanth gets lifetime achievement award
The three-day International Film Festival of India in Goa concluded on Friday, with Indian cinema star Rajinikanth receiving lifetime achievement honour for 50 years of acting career
If I were to be reborn 100 times I would like to be reborn as an actor and as Rajinikanth, Indian cinema icon Rajinikanth, said at the closing ceremony of the 56th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI in Goa on Friday, where he was honoured by the Government of India for completing 50 years of acting.
The festival came to a close with a glittering ceremony with the Vietnamese film “Skin of Youth” winning the prestigious ‘Golden Peacock’ Award for Best Feature Film of IFFI-2025.
Director Ashleigh Mayfair and Producer Trần Thị Bích Ngọc, Ash Mayfair, Fran Borgia will share the Golden Peacock Trophy, a certificate, and a cash prize of ₹40-lakh.
Director Ashleigh Mayfair who was present at the festival and who had spoken earlier at a press conference said the film was for her a “deeply personal story.”
“I am one of the three siblings, and my younger sibling is a transgender. The film explores her journey—her dignity, her rights, her fears, and her identity. In her story, I believe many in the transgender community will see themselves,” she added.
This year, fifteen fiction feature films, including three from India representing a vibrant landscape of global cinema, were competing for the coveted Golden Peacock Award.
Norwegian film “Safe House”, based on true events and directed by Eirik Svensson, was awarded the ICFT–UNESCO Gandhi Medal for its portrayal of the intense hours inside a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Bangui during the 2013 civil war in the Central African Republic.
Rajinikanth, meanwhile, said he was grateful to the Indian government for the honour.
“I stand here with a lot of humility and gratitude. Heartfelt thanks to the Central for honouring me for 50 years of acting in Indian cinema. 50 years of cinema, it feels like 10 or 15 years. Time flew just like that. It is because I love cinema and acting. Even in 100 janams (lives), I would be born as an actor, as Rajinikanth,” the actor said.
With over 170 films not only in Tamil films but also in Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada movies to his credit, the superstar has left an indelible mark on popular culture, earning numerous accolades including the Padma Bhushan (2000), Padma Vibhushan (2016), and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2020).
Among others who picked up awards included Ubeimar Rios who has been awarded the Silver Peacock for Best Actor (Male) for his role in Columbian film A Poet, Karan Singh Tyagi for Best Debut Director of Indian Feature Film Award for his critically acclaimed film ‘Kesari Chapter 2, while ‘Bandish Bandits Season 02’ directed by Anand Tiwari, has been declared the Best Web Series (OTT).
