45th International Film Festival of India kicks in Panaji

45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2014, kicked-off at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee indoor stadium, Panaji, Goa. During the opening ceremony two of the biggest stars of the Indian film industry, Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth, came together. Amitabh Bachchan was the chief guest for the ceremony while Rajinikanth was honoured with the Centenary Award for the Film Personality of the Year.

Key Facts: 

• The 11-day festival began with screening of Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s ‘The President’ film.
• The Hong Kong-based director Wong Kar-wai, film will be also screened in the festival. He is going to receive the lifetime achievement award on the last day of the film festival.
• This edition of festival will screen around 179 films from 75 countries across different categories which include World Cinema (61 films), Masterstrokes (11 films), Festival Kaleidoscope (20 films), Soul of Asia (7 films), Documentaries (6 films), and Animated Films (6 films).
• The Indian Panorama section will include 41 feature and non-feature films.
• As part of special package, seven films from the India’s North-Eastern region will also be screened at the event.
• Other attractions this year festival is: retrospective sections on Gulzar and Jahnu Baruah, special homage films on Richard Attenborough, Robin Williams, Zohra Sehgal, Suchitra Sen, and special tribute to Farooq Sheikh.
• A special section of films that focus on dance, personality based retrospectives, and masterclasses or specialised workshops conducted by master artistes will also form a part of IFFI 2014

About International Film Festival of India (IFFI)

IFFI was founded in 1952. It is held annually in the state of Goa.
It is the biggest state-backed film festival and conducted jointly by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Directorate of Film Festivals and the Government of Goa.
This film festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to

• Project the excellence of the film art.
• Contribute to create awareness for understanding and appreciation of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos.
• Promote friendship and cooperation among people of the world.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2014