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The 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began here on Sunday, with filmmakers and moviegoers from all over the world in attendance.
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur, Minister for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan, Minister for Tourism Shripad Naik, Goa Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and other dignitaries attended the event.
On the occasion, actors Ajay Devgn, Suniel Shetty, Manoj Bajpayee, Paresh Rawal, and ‘RRR’ writer V. Vijayendra Prasad were honored for their contributions to the film industry.
The opening ceremony took place at Taleigao’s Syama Prasad Mukherjee indoor stadium.
Anurag Thakur, speaking on the occasion, stated that while the Covid pandemic was difficult, India performed admirably in two areas: cinema and sports.
“It has always been our vision to embrace new platforms like OTTs and make them an integral part of the festival,” he said.
Thakur also encouraged people to submit ideas to make the next IFFI even better.
“There is no place that can replace Goa (as IFFI host),” he said.
“We don’t lack talent, infrastructure, or shooting locations.” As a result, we must trust ourselves and make India the filmmaking capital of the world,” Thakur added.
The nine-day festival, which features 280 films from 79 countries, began with Dieter Berner’s Austrian film ‘Alma and Oskar,’ and will conclude with Krzysztof Zanussi’s Polish film ‘Perfect Number.’
This year, France is the ‘Spotlight’ country, and eight films will be screened as part of the ‘Country Focus’ package.
The ‘Indian Panorama’ section will feature 25 feature films and 19 non-feature films from India, while the international section will feature 183 films.
The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) is organizing the nine-day event, which will conclude on November 28th, in collaboration with the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG).
The second edition of the Ministry of Broadcasting and Information’s ’75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ initiative, is another attraction this year.
It promises to be an exciting week ahead, with 23 ‘Masterclasses’ and ‘In Conversation’ sessions with eminent filmmakers and actors.
V. Vijayendra Prasad will give a masterclass in screenwriting, A. Sreekar Prasad will give a masterclass in editing, and Anupam Kher will give an acting masterclass.
Among those taking part in the ‘In-conversation’ sessions will be Asha Parekh, Prasoon Joshi, Aanand L. Rai, R. Balki, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
Source: IANS
