Said to be one of Asia’s biggest and oldest film festivals, the International Film Festival of India is set to happen in Goa once again from the 20th to the 28th of November this year.
The first ever IFFI was organized by the Films Division, Government of India in 1952 with the patronage of India’s first Prime Minister, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru.
The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) aims at providing a common platform to the cinemas across the world to project the excellence of the art of filmmaking. This is one of India’s most prestigious film festivals and is also the first International Film Festival to be held anywhere in Asia.
Photo credit – www.ibnlokmat.tv
One of Asia’s First Film Festivals
Under the leadership of the then (and current) CM of Goa, Manohar Parrikar, the Goa Government strived to bring IFFI to Goa in 2004. Their efforts were not in vain however at the initial stages, there was a lot of cynicism due to the lack of infrastructure to cater to a festival of this magnitude. Additionally, there was the fact that there wasn’t much of a film culture in Goa at the time.
For a few years, screenings used to happen in different cities along with other cultural programs and laser shows in open spaces like Miramar Beach and Caranzalem grounds. In time, the film festival’s agenda got simplified and screenings in other locations were stopped.
Since 1952 with just 23 countries participating back then, IFFI participation has now grown to 100 countries this year. That means there are 1000 entries which are quadruple the number of entries back in 1952. So, with 46 years of existence and over a decade’s presence in Goa, IFFI has grown massively in both quantitative and qualitative terms.
Photo credit – www.iffigoa.org
What has this year’s IFFI got in store for Goa?
This year IFFI celebrates its 48th edition of the festival in the beach state of Goa from November 20-28, 2017. It is being led by a Steering Committee comprising of noted entertainment industry personalities.
National award-winning filmmaker Jahnu Barua is heading the new 13-member steering committee. Other members are new CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi, Nagesh Kukunoor, Shoojit Sircar, Shaji N Karun, Anand Gandhi, Piyush Pandey, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Vani Tripathi Tikoo, Meren Imchen, Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, Bharat Bala and Director, NFDC.
The annual event will showcase the best of recent International cinema, along with special sections such as Retrospectives, BRICS Award-Winning films, Homages and an Indian Panorama Section featuring the best of Indian Cinema produced in the past year, with the aim of providing a platform for young creative minds to interact, view and learn.
In order to enhance the involvement of the Indian film industry, a 40-member Film Preview Committee has been set up comprising of industry professionals from across the country. The committee, which is being headed by director Vivek Agnihotri, is responsible for shortlisting the films for the festival and will also recommend movies for the competition section.
There will also be a host of master classes by eminent film practitioners and panel discussions featuring a diverse range of distinguished personalities discussing topics of interest for film enthusiasts.
A few key details about one of Asia’s oldest film festivals
IFFI used to be an 11-day fiesta in previous editions. This year it has been reduced to 9 days. The lesser number of festival hours will be compensated with lesser repeat screenings and restrict this option only for films that prove to be extremely popular with delegates. This will promote a healthy competition among the top films for these slots.
Be sure to check out the Russian Film Days at the IFFI 2017 as well.
The IFFI starts on the 20th of November until the 28th. Make sure you do not miss it by registering yourself as a festival delegate right now. Hurry!
Source – News18 and IFFI Goa website
ItsGoa/NOV/KDGP
