Digital Goa, Nov 19- The 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is all set to begin tomorrow with a gala opening ceremony. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur will inaugurate the event at SPM Stadium. The Film Bazaar South Asia’s largest global film market organised by National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) alongside IFFI every year will also be inaugurated by the Minister tomorrow. The Opening Ceremony will showcase performances by Bollywood stars Madhuri Dixit and Shahid Kapoor. Eminent personalities from the film industry including Salman Khan, Vidya Balan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Catherine Zeta Jones, Anupam Kher, Vicky Kaushal, Siddharth Malhotra, Aditi Rao Hydari, AR Rahman, Amit Trivedi, among other celebrated actors, singers and filmmakers will attend the opening ceremony. Bollywood stars Shriya Saran, Nushratt Bharucha, Pankaj Tripathi, Shantanu Moitra, Shreya Ghoshal and Sukhwinder Singh will also perform in the opening ceremony. The nine day film festival, showcasing an eclectic array of world cinema to the audiences worldwide, will kick-start with the international premiere of Catching Dust, by award-winning British filmmaker Stuart Gatt. IFFI will be held from Nov 20 to Nov 28.
This year, IFFI has received an overwhelming response. A total of 2926 entries from 105 countries were received, which is three times more international submissions than last year. During the nine day festival, more than 270 films will be showcased at 4 venues of the festival. 13 World Premieres, 18 International Premieres, 62 Asia Premiers and 89 India Premieres will be screened during the festival. A total of 32 entries have been received in 10 languages from 15 OTT platforms for Best Web Series (OTT) Award. 15 feature films (12 International films and 3 Indian films) will compete for the coveted Golden Peacock award this year.
To highlight the importance of documentary film making, a Docu-Montage section has also been introduced this year. Besides this, Seven International films and three Indian films that reflect the ideals of UNESCO will also be featured in ICFT UNESCO Gandhi medal award session during the festival.
As a testament to its commitment to nurturing emerging talent, IFFI will also host masterclasses, workshops, and panel discussions conducted by renowned industry stalwarts. More than 20 leading companies will hold professional master classes and a Talent Camp for the 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow (CMOT) candidates during the festival.
The NFDC Film Bazaar will exhibit a VFX & Tech Pavilion, introducing Documentary & Non-Feature Projects/Films, the Knowledge Series and Book to Box Office. A novel initiative of a Restored Classics section will feature seven world premieres of the world class restorations done by NFDC-NFAI under the National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM) from the damaged celluloid reels of the Indian Classics. Three international films restored under the mission will also be screened during the festival.
An exhibition with immersive visual content has also been set up by the Central Bureau of Communication, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. The cine enthusiasts will also learn about films through interactive displays. Entry is free for all. Besides this, Open Air Screenings will also be held for the public at three locations along with initiatives such as Caravans, Shigmotsav, Goa Carnival, Selfie points, IFFI Merchandise and others.
