The Colombian film, Porfirio, which narrates the tale of middle-aged Porfirio, who is confined to a wheelchair after police shoot him in the back, won the Golden Peacock Award for the best film, a certificate and ` 20 lakh, in the International Competition section of the 42nd International Film Festival of India.

The noted South Indian actor, Suriya presented the award to the film director, Alejandro Landes and producer Francisco Aljure, for making a film with "imaginative blend of fiction and reality, which presented celebration of life on the screen."

Salim Ahamed, who won the special jury award for his Malayalam film ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’, comprising of Silver Peacock, certificate and cash prize of ` 15 lakh, said that he will use the money to promote the film at the Oscars. The film is India’s official entry at the Academy Awards.

Earlier, the chief guest for the closing event of the 11-day film fiesta, Suriya in his speech said that the regional cinema has always been given a raw deal in the country as compared to the Bollywood films. "India is a vast country with different film industries existing in it, and with due respect to the Hindi film industry, the regional cinema does not get the status it deserves," the South Indian superstar lamented, adding that even the film industry existing in the Eastern part of the country has talent. "Today, a song like Kolaveri Di is a big hit and South Indian films are remade in Hindi and earn crores of rupees of revenue," he observed, questioning, "Yet how many people in India have watched the latest Tamil film, Aaranya Kaandam"

Speaking further, Suriya bemoaned that there are not many takers for creative content existing in film industries in other parts of the country. "We have chains of film exhibitors and multiplex owners who can find a way to screen such regional films with English subtitles, as nearly 50 per cent of Indians reside in urban areas," he maintained.

Coming out with the information that this was his first appearance on the stage at a film festival, Suriya said that movies are all about the desire to see, show and tell a story. "They make a statement and express emotions," he mentioned, noting that films are creations transferred from stone art to canvass to silver screen.

Suriya, who is the eldest son of the popular Tamil actor, Sivakumar said that in his early 20s he did not know how to handle life. "And my father gave me valuable advice about making it in the Tamil film industry," he recalled, stressing that he was very proud to be a part of the South Indian film industry where entertainment is a culture, a religion.

On a parting note, Suriya said that Goa is a fantastic place. "I wish I was on the other side of the stage, enjoying holiday," he stated, pointing out, "What better place could there be than Goa for a holiday, along with the chance to watch films." The South Indian Superstar concluded by predicting that Goa would soon receive global recognition as a film shooting destination.

The Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Mr C M Jatua, in his welcome address said that nearly 170 films from different countries were shown at the film festival, and a team of experts contributed to a number of new features like sections on 3-D films and animation films, besides a special section on football films. "The juries must also have faced a tough time selecting the winners in the International Competition section due to the excellent quality of films," he observed.

"IFFI provides a common platform to different filmmakers of the world for presenting excellence in cinema, as also for appreciating the art of cinema," Mr Jatua opined, pointing out that IFFI, the oldest and the biggest film festival in the Indian subcontinent promotes friendship and creates camaraderie between people.

The Chief Minister, in his speech said that when IFFI began in Goa, people questioned the existence of a film culture, festival infrastructure and so on in Goa. "However, the central government assistance has made the film festival go from strength to strength," he observed, thanking the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ms Ambika Soni for taking the opening ceremony of the 11-day event to Margao and allowing the people of South Goa to get a glimpse of IFFI.

The Chief Minister further said that Goa is into film production - with filmmakers producing films independently as well as with the support of government – in a big way, and till date 67 films have been produced locally. "I am sure this number will rise soon," he predicted, observing that Goa is favoured as a destination for film shooting.