Kathmandu. ‘Rajaganj: Pooja Sir’ directed by Deepak Rauniyar has won the best international film award at the ninth edition of the Nepal International Film Festival (NIF).

The film won fifteen hundred US dollars at the closing ceremony of the festival held on Monday under the chief hospitality of Naradamani Hartamchali, chancellor of Lalitkala Pragya-Pratishthan.

The police thriller film tells the story of Madhesh environment. Asha Magrati, Dayahang Rai and others are in top roles in the film which has won many international awards.

The Best National Film Award went to ‘Gunyu Cholo: The Dress’ directed by Samundra Bhatt. This film received one thousand US dollars. Bhatt won the best director award for this film.

Nazir Hussain won the best actor award for this film. Suraksha Pant won the best actress award for ‘Koshedhunga’.

Dipendra Gauchan received the best screenwriter award for the movie ‘Girl Missing Notice’. Babu Shrestha got the best cinematographer award from the movie ‘Koshedhunga’.

In the South Asian film competition, the Nepali language Indian film ‘Jar’ was declared the best. Directed by Phurwa Tshiring Lama, this film earned US$ 500.

The award for the best international documentary went to Iceland’s ‘Ground Beneath Our Feet’. This documentary, directed by Ersa Roka Feinberg, was awarded one thousand US dollars.

‘Sip’ won the award for the best international short film. This Iranian short film directed by Hadi Babeifar received US$500.

‘Spirit of the Mountain’, which won the award for the best AI themed short film, received 500 US dollars. This is a Chinese short film directed by Pang Jia.

The best student film award has been declared to the Mexican film ‘Pasarinho’. This movie has been honored with five hundred dollars and a trophy.

‘Home is not a place’ directed by Deepak Choden Lama was declared as the best national documentary category and ‘Rihana’ by Suraj Paudel was declared as the best national short film category. Both of them received a trophy and fifty thousand rupees.

The Iranian film ‘My Daughter’s Hair’ won the Don Quixote Best International Film Award. Directed by Hesam Farahmand, this film has been honored with a certificate.

‘As Day Goes By’ directed by Ngima Gelu Sherpa became the best in the Special Mention National Documentary category. It was honored with a certificate. India’s ‘Housekeeper’ was declared the best in the Special Mention International Short Film category.

The Chinese film ‘The Shore of Life’ won the Special Jury Mention International Film Award category. The chief guest, Hartmchhali, expressed his gratitude for organizing the award program and connecting Nepali films with the foreign film industry and expanding relations.

President Pathak expressed his gratitude to everyone who helped to make NIF a success. The NIF of this edition started from Chait 19th.