Spirit of Cinema Award
Kelly Fyffe-Marshall
The Spirit of Cinema Award at the 30th IFFK will be presented to Canadian filmmaker Kelly Fyffe-Marshall. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a statuette, and a citation.
Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, whose films challenge racial prejudice against Black communities, won the first-ever Changemaker Award at the Toronto International Film Festival for her short film Black Bodies (2020). She made her debut with Haven (2018), which also focused on Black lived experiences. She is the co-founder of Make Ripples, a non-profit organisation dedicated to accessible activism, racial justice, and empowering communities through storytelling. Active in television and advertising as well, her campaign film Black Elevation Map has earned several international recognitions. Her 2025 short film Demons was selected for the official programme at the Toronto International Film Festival. Kelly’s films challenge perceptions of Black communities while celebrating love, resilience, and the Caribbean diaspora.
The Spirit of Cinema Award was instituted at the 26th IFFK to honour courageous women filmmakers who use cinema as a weapon of resistance against injustice in society. Kurdish filmmaker Lisa Kalän was the inaugural winner. Iranian filmmaker Mahnas Mohammadi, Kenyan director Wanuri Kahiu, and Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia have been the previous recipients.
