Bollywood Spectacle: Goa Film Festival gets off to an exciting start as India reveals plans to become a global content hub
The 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa kicked off with a bang on November 11. 20, featuring the best of Bollywood.
A nearly full hall at the 4,000 capacity Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium has saw performances by Bollywood stars Varun Dhawan, whose upcoming film 'Bhediya' is premiering at the festival, and Mrunal Thakur. There were stage appearances from A-listers Ajay Devgn, Kartik Aaryan, Manoj Bajpayee, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal and Sara Ali Khan. Actor Aparshakti Khurana hosted the evening.
South Indian film star Catherine Tresa Alexander performed on a mix film hits in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada songs and southern industries were also represented by "RRR" and "Baahubali" writer Vijayendra Prasad.
India's Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur chaired the proceedings. The country is celebrating 75 years of independence and Thakur said India is on track over the next 25 years to become a global center for filming, co-production, post-production, technology and content.
>"We aim to make India a powerhouse for content creation, especially regional cinema , developing regional festivals," Thakur said. The Minister also highlighted the South Asian film market Film Bazaar which takes place at the same time as the IFFI and that for the first time the festival has a technological pole to present the latest innovations in the world of cinema.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said setting up a multiplex and an international standard convention center in Goa was in its final stages and the IFFI could be held there by 2025.
Spanish author Carlos Saura received the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award. Saura was unable to attend due to bronchitis and agreed via video speech. His daughter Anna received the award on his behalf. There is a Saura retrospective at the IFFI. South Indian megastar Chiranjeevi has been awarded IFFI's Indian Film Personality of the Year.
Dignitaries present included L. Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting , Ravinder Bhakar, MD of the National Film Development Corporation of India, which organizes the IFFI alongside the Entertainment Society of Goa, and Apurva Chandra, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Chandra read a letter from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which read in part: "Films in different Indian languages are reaching a wider international audience and are increasingly popular across the globe. As India's largest film festival, IFFI promotes an invigorating synergy between delegates from different nations and societies united by cinema. »
The festival opened with the Austrian film "Alma & Oskar", directed by Dieter Berner. IFFI runs from November 20-28.
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The 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa kicked off with a bang on November 11. 20, featuring the best of Bollywood.
A nearly full hall at the 4,000 capacity Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium has saw performances by Bollywood stars Varun Dhawan, whose upcoming film 'Bhediya' is premiering at the festival, and Mrunal Thakur. There were stage appearances from A-listers Ajay Devgn, Kartik Aaryan, Manoj Bajpayee, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal and Sara Ali Khan. Actor Aparshakti Khurana hosted the evening.
South Indian film star Catherine Tresa Alexander performed on a mix film hits in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada songs and southern industries were also represented by "RRR" and "Baahubali" writer Vijayendra Prasad.
India's Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur chaired the proceedings. The country is celebrating 75 years of independence and Thakur said India is on track over the next 25 years to become a global center for filming, co-production, post-production, technology and content.
>"We aim to make India a powerhouse for content creation, especially regional cinema , developing regional festivals," Thakur said. The Minister also highlighted the South Asian film market Film Bazaar which takes place at the same time as the IFFI and that for the first time the festival has a technological pole to present the latest innovations in the world of cinema.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said setting up a multiplex and an international standard convention center in Goa was in its final stages and the IFFI could be held there by 2025.
Spanish author Carlos Saura received the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award. Saura was unable to attend due to bronchitis and agreed via video speech. His daughter Anna received the award on his behalf. There is a Saura retrospective at the IFFI. South Indian megastar Chiranjeevi has been awarded IFFI's Indian Film Personality of the Year.
Dignitaries present included L. Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting , Ravinder Bhakar, MD of the National Film Development Corporation of India, which organizes the IFFI alongside the Entertainment Society of Goa, and Apurva Chandra, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Chandra read a letter from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which read in part: "Films in different Indian languages are reaching a wider international audience and are increasingly popular across the globe. As India's largest film festival, IFFI promotes an invigorating synergy between delegates from different nations and societies united by cinema. »
The festival opened with the Austrian film "Alma & Oskar", directed by Dieter Berner. IFFI runs from November 20-28.
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