The 19th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF 2026) came to a grand close on June 22, 2026, marking the end of a week-long celebration of documentary, short fiction and animation films. The closing ceremony honoured outstanding cinematic achievements across various categories, with a total of 17 awards presented to filmmakers from India and around the world. Here’s a look at the major highlights and winners from the concluding day of MIFF 2026. MIFF 2026 Closing Ceremony HighlightsPoland’s Silver Wins Golden ConchThe closing ceremony of MIFF 2026 celebrated some of the finest works in documentary, short fiction and animation cinema from across the globe. Poland’s Silver emerged as the biggest winner of the evening, taking home the Golden Conch for Best International Documentary Film along with a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh. Iranian short film Under The Snow and German animation film Maya’s Song won top honours in the international short fiction and animation categories, respectively.
Waai Wins Silver Conch
In the national section, Waai bagged the Silver Conch for Best Indian Documentary Film, while the FTII-produced Small Clouds won the award for Best Indian Short Fiction Film. Tamil animation film Armstrong from Angaalamman Temple Street was adjudged the Best Indian Animation Film. Special HonoursSeveral special honours were also presented during the ceremony. Pradeep Kenchanuru’s The Hug of Emptiness received the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize, while Pooja Tolani won the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari Award for Best Debut Director for Raaza. Milan Kumar’s The Old Bull Knows, or Once Knew took home the IDPA Award for Best Student Film. The 19th edition of MIFF also witnessed an impressive global participation, receiving 1,459 entries from around the world. A total of 346 films from more than 46 countries were screened across competition and non-competition sections, making this year’s festival one of the most diverse editions to date.