Tribeny Rai’s 'Shape of Momo' Wins LA Film Jury Prize
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- Tribeny Rai – his debut feature "Shape of Momo" claimed the Grand Jury Prize for best feature at the 24th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.
- Feature jury – composed of cinematographer Farhad Ahmed Dehlvi, filmmaker Juan Pablo González, and film curator Caroline Libresco, praised the film's protagonist and its nuanced exploration of class and gender.
- Sarmad Sultan Khoosat’s "Lali" – received an honorable mention, with jurors noting its vibrant blend of music, color, and genre fluidity.
- Seemab Gul’s "Ghost School" – received an honorable mention, described as a restrained, artistically precise debut that works as a political allegory and social realism.
- Jasmine Kaur Roy and Avinash Roy – directed the short film "Room at the Farm", which won the Grand Jury Prize for best short, lauded for its delicate allegory of human relationships in rural Punjab.
Why it matters: The award elevates Tribeny Rai’s visibility and validates emerging voices tackling class and gender, potentially opening distribution and funding opportunities for the filmmaker and similar debut creators, while highlighting the festival’s role in championing socially nuanced cinema and signaling to investors and platforms that such stories can achieve critical acclaim.
