INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF INDIA 2021
Subhash Phal Dessai mentions the list of Goan films on various premiere and non-premiere selections
The 52nd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) which opened on November 20th in Panjim, Goa, will be held in a hybrid format with virtual as well as in-person screenings, due to the pandemic, which is still prevalent in the country.
Vice Chairman of Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) Subhash Phal Dessai, CEO Tariq Thomas and Festival Director, Chaitanya Prasad said that the 52nd IFFI will feature 148 films from 73 countries in the international section and will have 12 world premieres, about 7 international premieres, 26 Asia premieres and about 64 India premieres. IFFI received 624 films from 94 countries this time, up from 69 countries in the previous edition. For the first time in the history of IFFI, there are major OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Zee 5 and Viacom participating in the festival, with releases, master classes and more.
In a first, at IFFI 52, delegates will get to attend a three day virtual masterclass by the renowned Paris-based school of image and arts, GOBELINS, l’école de l’image. Organized by Netflix, the treat is thanks to IFFI’s first-ever collaboration with OTT platforms. Students will get to attend the masterclass for free, informs the Director.
The BRICS Film Festival is being held on the sidelines of IFFI for the first time. There will be a special package presenting films from the BRICS countries
Speaking about the ‘75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ who will get to attend IFFI, the Director informed that it was Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur’s idea to connect generations of film buffs by inviting the talented cinematic personalities of tomorrow to be a part of IFFI. “We have been overwhelmed with the 400 plus applications from across the country. The 75 applicants will be coming over to IFFI as our guests; they will get to meet everyone here. It will give them an opportunity to interact with filmmakers from across diverse segments of the industry.”
IFFI 52 will pay homage to late personalities such as Dilip Kumar, Sumitra Bhave, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Sanchari Vijay, Surekha Sikri, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Bertrand Tavenier, PuneethRajkumar, Christopher Plummer and Jean-Claude Carrière. The festival will pay a special tribute to Sean Connery, the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on the big screen.
The Director informed that IFFI will open with a star-studded inaugural ceremony comprising Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh, Shraddha Kapoor, amongst others. Karan Johar and Manish Paul will host the event.
Global cinematic giants, Istvan Szabo and Martin Scorsese would be conferred the first Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award. Much as they will not be present they will be sending video acceptance messages.
Vice-chairman, Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), Subhash Phal Dessai stated, “Our responsibility is to provide the required infrastructure in Goa, and we have been doing this successfully for the past few years. However, due to the rains, a lot of the work has been disrupted but we are confident to have everything in place in time for the film festival.”
A list of selected films on Goan Premiere and non-premiere selections were announced by the Vice Chairman of ESG, Subhash Phal Dessai. He also announced the list of five films to be screened in the Goan film section at the 52nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
The films have been selected by a three person jury comprising of renowned film maker S.V. Rajendra Singh Babu, cinematographer Prasantanu Mohapatra, and actor and filmmaker Pramod Pawar.
Konkani film Gagan directed by Supraj Kerkar, and produced by Brijesh Kakodkar, is a 23 minutes and 59 seconds short-film.
Limits is a 36 minutes short, non-feature film in Marathi language produced and directed by Vardhan Kamat.
The third non-feature film to be selected is Kupamcho Daryeo in Konkani language, produced by Kishor Arjun Shinde and directed by Himanshu Singh.
Produced and directed by Pramod Salgaocar and Jitendra Shikerkar respectively, D’Costa House will be the only feature film to be screened under the feature film section. It is a Konkani film that is 2 hours and 14 minutes long.
The last of the five films, Paul 10 will be the only non-premiere film. This Konkani film is 19 minutes long and is produced by Roopa Ramesh Revankar and directed by Sunil Revankar. Subhash Phal Dessai added, “The jury committee has thoroughly observed every aspect of the films and taken into consideration the feedback that they got. After pondering over their choices, they have selected five out of eight films that will be screened in Goa.”
He further stated that despite the rain and other difficulties faced, the Event Management Agency (EMA) in-charge for the opening and closing ceremony will put up a show full of lights and beautiful décor. The city beautification and other installations will be completed in due time to make the film festival even more memorable.
Subhash Phal Dessai Ex- MLA and Vice Chairman – ESG and Chaitanya Prasad, Festival Director of IFFI, were felicitated at the hands of Ravi Kottarkara, Secretay General of Film Federation of India at INOX Panaji, for successfully organising the 52nd edition of IFFI.
