11th CIFF Thangameengal Haridas adjudged best films

The 11th Chennai International Film Festival concluded yesterday and the closing ceremony was graced by Bollywood filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. The eight-day extravaganza concluded after screening 163 films from 58 countries. Twelve Tamil films were screened during the festival. At the end of the function, best Tamil films were announced and the creators were given awards.

Tamil films "Thangameengal" and "Haridas" won the best film and the second-best film awards in the competition section. The special jury award was given to actor Atharva Murali for his performance in Tamil period-drama "Paradesi" directed by Bala.

 

This year, CIFF instituted a new award as a tribute to Amitabh Bachchan called "Amitabh Bachchan Youth Icon Award" following his presence at the closing ceremony of the festival last year. This award along with a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh was presented to composer Anirudh Ravichander, who received the award from chief guest Rakeysh Mehra.