With Lights! Cinema! Celebrities from all over globe, Goa all geared up for IFFI-2017, Are you?
Panaji, November 20: After few hours Goa will get all-light up under the creative melange of grand International Film Festival of India (IFFI). Goa is all geared to now and many celebs including other people who are equally participating too waiting for this grand event. Till then all eyes are on IFFI!
Around 195 films, 85 countries IFFI this time will be a grand one. Superstar Shah Rukh will inaugurate the opening ceremony of the festival, while; another Superstar Salman Khan will grace the closing ceremony. The festival will also honor Megastar Amitabh Bachchan with the Indian film personality of the year award. This year, Karan Johar, Ekta Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Huma Qureshi, Jhanvi Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Anurag Basu, Farah Khan, Shekhar Kapur, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and many more will be attending the festival.
During IFFI, the Entertainment Society of Goa will have a special section of premier of films produced by Goan film producers in Feature and Non Feature Film. The festival will be presenting 195 films from over 82 countries of which there will be 10 World Premieres, 10 Asian and international premieres and over 64 Indian premieres as part of the official program.
The festival will open with the much talked about new feature, Beyond The Clouds, which also marks Ishaan Khattar’s film debut. The film is directed by Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi. The world premiere of Director Pablo Cesar’s Indo-Argentinian co-production Thinking of Film will close the festival. The press and delegate screenings that will begin on November 21 will also see the opening of the Indian Panaroma section, which will be inaugurated by actress Sridevi.
This year the country of focus at IFFI is Canada. It will be celebrated with a grand red carpet opening amidst the presence of noted Canadian film personalities. The festival will also celebrate the iconic spy James Bond by dedicating a section of the festival to him, wherein nine films featuring the popular character will be screened.
The international competition section of IFFI 2017, which carries a cumulative cash prize of over Rs 1 Crore will showcase 15 of the finest films of this year, competing for the Golden and Silver Peacock awards. The International Competition jury will be headed by renowned filmmaker Muzaffar Ali, who is joined by his fellow jury members festival Director Maxine Williamson from Australia, Actor-Director Tzahi Grad from Israel, Russian Cinematographer Vladislav Opelyants, British Director and production designer Roger Christian.
Started way back in 1952, the first ever IFFI was organized by the Films Division, Government of India, with the patronage of the first Prime Minister of India 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 film making. This India’s most prestigious festival is also the first International Film Festival held anywhere in Asia.