'Jigarthanda Double X' shines at Puducherry Film Festival, Karthik Subbaraj's directorial wins Best Film honour
ETimes February 11, 2026 08:39 PM
The Puducherry International Film Festival , to be held from February 12 to 15 at four venues in the city, has made headlines with the selection of Karthik Subbaraj ’s ' Jigarthanda Double X ' as the Best Film of 2024. The announcement was made at the logo launch event held at the Chief Minister’s office, where Chief Minister Rangasamy unveiled the festival logo. While the festival aims to promote cinema culture and support young film lovers in Puducherry, the selection of 'Jigarthanda Double X' has become the biggest highlight of this year’s event.
Grand opening and special recognition
As per News 18, 'Jigarthanda Double X' will receive the Sankaradas Swamigal Award for Best Film (2024) at the grand opening ceremony on Thursday evening at Beach Road. This honour marks a proud moment for director Karthik Subbaraj and his team. 'Jigarthanda Double X' is being recognised not just for its success, but also for its strong story, powerful performances, and technical quality. The award places the film among the most respected Tamil films of recent times.
Festival screenings and cinema focus
From February 13 to 15, the festival will screen around 35 regional language films at the Kamarajar Manimandapam in Karuvadikuppam. Every day, films will be shown in three halls with multiple shows. The festival is planned to help young people understand cinema better and learn about different parts of filmmaking, such as direction, music, visuals and storytelling. Selected filmmakers will also receive awards and cash prizes, encouraging quality cinema.
A proud moment for the film and the festival
Making 'Jigarthanda Double X' the winner for the category of Best Film, has been a very powerful start to the awards program. Moreover, it will give the film an opportunity to be shown at other festivals and improve the standards for such festivals. This is not just another award; rather, it bears the stamp of this festival that is aimed at giving priority to substance and honoring influential films.
