52nd Edition of IFFI goes live in Goa today! Check highlights here

A cinematic treasure trove, the 52nd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is now live in Goa. Titled to be Asia's oldest and India's biggest film festival, IFFI celebrates the excellence of wold cinema annually in the coastal state. The event is notably Goa's first global-status programme, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has notched up the excitement and thrill by manifolds. This year, the international film festival will extend till November 28, 2021, ringing in a loud cheer to acknowledge film cultures around the world!

52nd IFFI to showcase over 300 films from across the globe

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Organised in the Directorate of Film Festivals (under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and the Entertainment Society of Goa, Government of Goa, IFFI is dubbed to be the perfect platform for understanding and appreciating the art of movie-making.

A mega celebration of all things cinema, "The festival will start off with a star-studded inaugural ceremony at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Panjim, Goa, with the presence of film personalities like Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Ritesh Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh, Shraddha Kapoor, amongst others. IFFI this year will showcase over 300 films from across the globe. The celebrated film-maker Karan Johar and television personality Manish Paul will host the event," stated a release issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

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However, the event schedule will adopt a hybrid avatar due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This format gives an option to the festival delegated to either attend the physical screenings or stream them virtually, from the comfort of their home. During the festival course, IFFI will feature around 148 movies, from 73 countries in the International Section, along with 12 world premiers. The 52nd edition will also play about 7 international premiers, 26 Asian premieres and 64 India premiers of award-winning films.

The IFFI Awards 2021

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"Every edition of International Film Festival of India pays a tribute to the stalwarts that the film industry lost. The Homage section of 52nd IFFI will showcase the films of Bertrand Tavernier, Christopher Plummer, Jean-Claude Carriere and Jean-Paul Belmondo as a homage to the veterans. IFFI will also pay Homage to Indian film stalwarts Buddhadeb Das Gupta (Director), Dilip Kumar (Actor), Nedumudi Venu (Actor), Puneeth Rajkumar (Actor), Sanchari Vijay (Actor), Sumitra Bhave (Director), Surekha Sikri (Actress) and Waman Bhonsle (Film Editor)," a key-note address stated.

Besides them, the iconic 'dream girl' of Bollywood and Member of Parliament, Hema Malini will be conferred with the Indian Film Personality of the Year 2021 award at the opening ceremony. On the other hand, legendary lyricist and Chairperson, CBFC Shri Prasoon Joshi will be presented with the award on the closing day. In addition to this, feature-film awards and cash prizes will also be handed to the winners here.

IFFI will celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

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In another festival highlight, IFFI will provide a stage to about 75 young filmmakers, actors, singers, scriptwriters, and others to showcase their talent at the globally recognized festival. This first-of-its-kind programme will notably flag off the celebrations of the Azadi ka Amrita Mahotsav, marking 75 years of India's Independence.

A global platform, IFFI will pave an opportunity for 75 creative minds from across India to connect with celebrated filmmakers and industry experts and attend Masterclasses at the Festival. These young minds have been reportedly selected through a competition held for Indian Filmmakers during the Mahotsav shenanigans.

BRICS Film Festival at IFFI

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"For the first time ever, films from five BRICS nations will be showcased through the BRICS Film Festival alongside IFFI. This is the Sixth Edition of the BRICS Film Festival. The five countries viz. Brazil, Russia, South Africa, China and India are also the Focus Countries of the 52nd IFFI and a total of eight films will be screened under this section. The Country of Focus is a special segment that recognizes the cinematic excellence and contributions of the country," the Ministry informed. Notably, the virtual inauguration of the NFDC Film Bazar will also be conducted on this occasion.

OTT Platforms' first-ever premiere at IFFI

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An IFFI first is inviting major players in the OTT space to participate at the Festival. Platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5, Voot and Sony Liv will foray into the festival space and mark their first-ever premiere through exclusive Masterclasses, content launched and previews. These digital distribution icons will also leave a mark with specially curated film package screening and a host of other on-ground and other virtual events.

While Netflix has already brought in new entries to the film festival, it has decided to capture the interest of festival delegates with 3-day virtual Masterclass. The sessions here will be conducted by the Paris-based renowned school of image and arts, Gobelins - School L'image.

Adding on, Netflix will also organise the India premiere of the 'The Power of the Dog' by Jane Campion. A special screening of the film 'Dhamaka' and the pilot episode of Aranyak, an upcoming thriller series starring Raveena Tandon and Ashutosh Rana, will also be screened by Netflix.

Another Masterclass by SonLiv will further glorify the OTT sections at IFFI this year. The sessions of this class will be held at Scam-1992 screenplay writer - Sumit Purohit and Saurav Dey, moderated by Indranil Chakraborty, Business Head studio Next. Jumping the wagon Zee5 has also created Breakpoint - the popular Paes and Bhupathi series by Nitesh Tiwari & Ashwini Iyer for IFFI.