Under the Spotlight: 52nd edition of Asia’s oldest and India’s biggest film festival, the International Film Festival of India (IFFI)

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The 52nd International Film Festival of India, commenced on November 20, in Goa, and witnessed the participation of five significant OTT players, namely- Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5, Voot and SonyLIV for the first time in history.

The move aimed to bolster the quality and produce fresh content, since these platforms curate variety of shows and movies every year. Digital India also paved the way for fascinating the audience virtually all over the world.

The latest edition of the International film festival of India was held in a hybrid format owing to the current COVID-19 situation. The festival delegates had the option to participate and watch films and other events virtually, sitting in the comforts of their homes.

Founded in 1952, the film festival is held yearly to celebrate the excellence of world cinema. Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur and Chief Minister of Goa, Dr Pramod Sawant graced the occasion. Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Dr L. Murugan was also present at the opening ceremony.

IFFI was conducted between 20th to 28th November 2021 and provided a perfect platform for understanding and welcoming the film cultures of various nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos. The festival was held jointly by the Directorate of Film Festivals (under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and the Entertainment Society of Goa, Government of Goa.

The festival kicked off with a star-studded inaugural ceremony at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Panaji, Goa, with the presence of film personalities Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Ritesh Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh, Shraddha Kapoor, amongst others. IFFI this year showcased over 300 films from across the globe. The well-known filmmaker Karan Johar and television personality Manish Paul hosted the ceremony.

Movies at IFFI:

IFFI featured 148 films from about 73 countries in the International Section with about 12 world premieres, about 7 international premieres, 26 Asia premieres and about 64 India premieres. The festival received 624 films from 95 countries this time, up from 69 countries in the previous edition.

‘The King of all the World’ (El Rey de Todo El Mundo) directed by Carlos Saura was the Opening Film of the festival. It was also the film’s International Premiere. The Power of the Dog directed by Jane Campion, Winner of Best Director at Venice Film Festival was chosen as the Mid Fest Film. Grand Prix Award-winning movie of Director Asghar Farhadi, A Hero was the closing film at the Festival.

The World Panorama Section of IFFI showcased 55 cinematic gemstones across the world. 11 Films were selected for the Festival Kaleidoscope including movies such as Titane (French) and Souad (Arabic).

Retrospective section:

The retrospective section in the 52nd IFFI featured renowned Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr and Russian filmmaker and stage director Andrei Konchalovsky.

Indian Film Personality of the Year 2021:

Ms Hema Malini, celebrated actor and Member of Parliament was presented the Indian Film Personality of the Year 2021 award at the opening ceremony. Acclaimed lyricist and Chairperson, CBFC Shri Prasoon Joshi has presented the honour on the closing day. Their contributions to the field of Indian cinema spread over decades and their body of work has enthralled audiences across generations.

Image Source: https://www.mid-day.com

Homage to the lost stars:

Every edition of the International Film Festival of India pays a tribute to the stalwarts that the film industry lost. The Homage section of 52nd IFFI showcased the films of Bertrand Tavernier, Christopher Plummer, Jean-Claude Carriere and Jean-Paul Belmondo as an homage to the veterans. IFFI also paid 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).

The festival gave a Special Tribute to Sir Sean Connery, the first James Bond on the large screen.

#FirstatIFFI:

75 Creative Minds:

In one of the firsts, IFFI  gave a platform to 75 young filmmakers, actors, singers, scriptwriters, and others to showcase their talent at the globally recognized festival. The 75 creative minds from across India were invited to IFFI to unite with celebrated filmmakers and industry experts and attend Masterclasses at the Festival. The 75 youngsters were selected through competition for young filmmakers from around the country to celebrate the spirit of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

BRICS Film Festival:

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