Neeraj Ghaywan's debut directorial 'Masaan' won the acclaimed FIPRESCI and the Promising Future awards at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival, where it was premiered last week.

At the event, the film was greeted by a 5 minute long standing ovation by the critics and reviewers. A joint production between Manish Mundra (Drishyam Films), Macassar Productions, Sikhya Entertainment and Phantom Films, was selected in the Un Certain Regard section at the 68th Cannes International Film Fest. Remarked an ecstatic Neeraj,"I wish I could say, 'this is a dream come true'. I never dreamt of this day. This is magical. My first film, produced by the people who inspire me, is a great feeling and now winning these awards, is a feeling one cannot articulate. I am happier for India and my team than myself. A win in the official selection has been long overdue for India and we have a double win.

The film, which stars newcomers Vicky Kaushal, Shweta Tripathi and powerhouse performers Richa Chadha & Sanjay Mishra, will be released across India on 24th July.

Sharing views about Indian Indies, Neeraj added further, "For so many years Indie supporters as Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Guneet Monga, and now Manish Mundra, have worked immensely towards giving a platform to Indian Indies with the limited resources they had, against the conventional Bollywood structure. This win is an acknowledgement of their stupendous effort for so many years".

Vikramaditya Motwane, of Phantom Films said, "The FIPRESCI & Promising Future prizes for Neeraj and Masaan reinforce our faith in telling good stories and backing new talent. We are thrilled that the team's hard work has paid off and we are fully confident that the Indian audience will love the film as much."