BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
ODD FISH (Iceland) directed by SNÆVAR SÖLVASON
KASHISH Golden Butterfly trophy and
Cash award of Rs.30,000 supported by KASHISH Arts Foundation

Jury Citation:
For exploring the deepest human yearning — the quest for freedom, love, and the urgency of living life fully once you find someone to share it with; a rare and sensitive cinematic gem, handled with emotional depth and pure storytelling magic — The Narrative Jury is honoured to award the Best Narrative Feature to ODD FISH, directed by SNÆVAR SÖLVASON from Iceland.

UNITY IN DIVERSITY BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
B AND S (India) directed by LIPIKA SINGH DARAI
KASHISH Golden Butterfly trophy and
Cash award of Rs.25,000 supported by K.F.Patil Charitable Trust

Jury Citation:
Every once in a while, you watch a film and wish you had made it – for how boldly it pushes cinematic boundaries, how fearlessly it plays with form, and how seamlessly it carries you through emotion and memory.  This is not just a film, it’s an embrace, a letter, and a quiet act of revolution. Tender, intimate and atmospheric, the film evokes memories and emotions which aren’t easy to articulate. A soft whisper which meanders and seeps through the senses – a love letter like no other. The jury awards the “Unity in Diversity Best Documentary Short” to B AND S directed by LIPIKA SINGH DARAI.

BEST INDIAN NARRATIVE SHORT
JASMINE THAT BLOOMS IN AUTUMN (India) directed by CHANDRADEEP DAS
KASHISH Golden Butterfly trophy and
Cash award of Rs.25,000 supported by KASHISH Arts Foundation

Jury Citation:
Set in an old age home in the poetic city of Kolkata, this poignant film explores the discovery of love and desire between two women in the autumn years of their lives. The invisibility that women of a certain age and people of a certain sexual orientation endure is delicately highlighted — yet, through tender storytelling and visual grace, the film brings them into full and rightful focus. With beautiful camerawork, evocative production design, and performances by Sudipa Basu and Uma Jhunjhunwala that brim with ease and depth, director Chandradeep Das captures the mood with slow, deliberate shot-taking and quiet emotional power. The jury is proud to present Best Indian Narrative Short to JASMINE THAT BLOOMS IN AUTUMN.

BEST SCREENPLAY
GABRIEL DOMINGUES AND MARCELO CAETANO (Brazil) for the film BABY
KASHISH Golden Butterfly trophy and
Cash award of Rs.25,000 supported by Abhay Kulkarni

Jury Citation:
A story located in the underbelly of society, a film with writing that is consistently stark and gritty, but also heart wrenching and emotionally alive – this screenplay is a marvel! To be able to bring tenderness in the portrayal of characters living in very dark and brutal circumstances, a writer’s heart must echo with great compassion; and for the beautiful tale of love in a disparaged community, the jury gives the Best Screenplay Award to screenwriters GABRIEL DOMINGUES & MARCELO CAETANO for narrative feature BABY.

RIYAD WADIA AWARD FOR BEST EMERGING INDIAN FILMMAKER
SAIKAT MONDAL (India) for his film JALSA – THE NAME DAY
KASHISH Golden Butterfly trophy and
Cash award of Rs.25,000 supported by Wadia Movietone

Jury Citation:
A beautifully conceived and executed story – seemingly simple on the surface but painting a complex and subtle picture. Discrimination and rejection give way to understanding and acceptance, underpinned by humanity and love. The performances are genuine, the direction deft.

At a time when transgender individuals and communities are facing a backlash across many parts of the world, JALSA – THE NAME DAY directed by SAIKAT MONDAL offers a warm and timely embrace.

ADITYA NANDA AWARD FOR BEST FILM ON QUEER MENTAL HEALTH
AFTER ALL (UK, France, Germany) directed by CHONGYAN LIU
KASHISH Golden Butterfly trophy and
Cash award of Rs.25,000 supported by Keshav Suri Foundation

Jury Citation:
In a world where queer and trans suicide is often reduced to a trope, this film dares to pause – with silence, sensitivity, and aching honesty. Set in a quiet therapy session, it explores absence, memory, and the fear of being forgotten, offering no easy answers, only emotional truth. At a time when queer lives, especially trans lives, remain vulnerable and overlooked in mental health narratives, the Keshav Suri Foundation reaffirms its commitment to compassion and systemic change. For its quiet power and radical empathy, and unwavering honesty, the Aditya Nanda Award for Best Film on Queer Mental Health is awarded to AFTER ALL directed by CHONGYAN LIU.

OPERATION: GULZAR written by VARSHA PANIKAR (They/He)
Cash award of Rs.75,000 supported by Renuka Shahane, Abhishek Chaubey, Guneet Monga Kapoor, and Vikramaditya Motwane

Jury Citation:
In a film that transcends the typical breakup narrative, Operation: Gulzaar becomes a subversive, genre-bending quirky quest for healing — blending humour, heartbreak, and queer rebellion into a cinematic act of reclamation. Set against the urban chaos of Mumbai, the story unfurls with poetic mischief as two non-binary friends attempt to stage a rescue, in what becomes an emotional and spirited search for closure, dignity, and something that still feels like home. For its originality and its deft weaving of comedy with catharsis, we are proud to name VARSHA PANIKAR for OPERATION: GULZAAR as the Runner-Up for the KASHISH QDrishti Film Grant.

BEST SCREENPLAY (FEATURE FILM)
SNÆVAR SÖLVASON for the film ODD FISH

Jury Citation:
For its gently unfolding and wonderfully crafted screenplay that brings tears to the eyes and makes one applaud its protagonist’s courage, the Jury would like to felicitate writer-director SNÆVAR SÖLVASON a Special Jury Mention for Best Screenplay for his Icelandic feature film, ODD FISH.