53rd IFFI begins with pomp and grandeur for 1st time since Covid Want to establish India as global content hub, says Anurag Thakur

MP | 21 Nov 2022 | Panaji: The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) opened here on Sunday amid much fanfare as it returned to a fully physical format after going hybrid for the last two editions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The 53rd IFFI, conducted jointly by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), kicked off with a grand ceremony at the jam-packed Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium. Keeping with the spirit of the Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations, the theme of the opening ceremony was "Evolution of Indian Cinema in the last 100 years." 

The event was attended by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Anurag Thakur, Union Minister of State (MoS) for I&B L Murugan, Goa Governor PS Sreedharan and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant as well as many Indian and international film personalities. 

Thakur said his vision is to make India the most sought-after destination for film shoots and post-production backed by local talent and innovation of industry leaders.

"My vision for the IFFI is not limited to one event, but what the IFFI should be when India celebrates its 100th year of Independence once we transition from Amrit Mahotsav to Amrit Kaal. We aim to make India a powerhouse of content creation, especially regional cinema by scaling up regional festivals," he said. 

The IFFI will showcase a collection of 280 films from 79 countries. Twenty-five features and 20 non-feature films will be showcased at the Indian Panorama section from a broad spectrum of entries. 

At the ceremony, hosted by Aparshakti Khurrana, actors Manoj Bajpayee, Suniel Shetty, Ajay Devgn, Paresh Rawal and veteran writer V Vijayendra Prasad were felicitated with special honour, while legendary Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura was given the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Saura, known for directing classics "Mama-Cumple Cien Anos" and "Carmen", gave the ceremony a miss due to health reasons and his daughter Anna Saura accepted the award on his behalf.

 "I am still recovering from bronchitis. I hope to fully recover soon. But, as of today, I cannot travel. I want to thank you all and the IFFI for the honour," the 90-year-old filmmaker said in a video message. During the event, the I&B minister declared megastar Chiranjeevi the Film Personality of the Year. The Telugu film veteran was last seen in the blockbuster hit "Godfather". Thakur also welcomed a delegation from France, which is the Country of Focus at this edition of the IFFI. 

"Continuing the spirit of India's 'Country of Honour' at the Marche De Films at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, I am delighted to welcome France as the 'Country of Focus' at the 53rd edition of IFFI," he said. The 53rd IFFI, MoS Murugan said, is the festival's comeback to its vibrant avatar after the pandemic. 

"Our prime minister (Narendra Modi) has described the IFFI as the film festival which promotes synergy between delegates from different nations and societies, united by cinema. IFFI-53 has everything that a movie lover wants - 75 Creative Young Minds, masterclasses, box office flavour, film bazaar, and global cinema," he said.

The opening night saw electrifying performances by Hindi film stars Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan, Kartik Aaryan and Mrunal Thakur. Dhawan, who is awaiting the release of his horror comedy "Bhediya", delivered an energetic act on songs "Teri Mitti", "Vande Mataram", "Hindustani" and his popular dance numbers "Thumkeshwari", "Nach Punjaban" and "Jungle Mein Kaand." 

Khan danced on some classic Hindi songs such as "Inn Aankhon ki Masti", "Salaam-e-Ishq Meri Jaan", "Maar Dala" and "Ghoomar", while "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2" star Aaryan performed on his popular tracks -- "Kaala Jaadu", "Bom Diggy Diggy" and "Dil Chori", among others. 

On the occasion, Goa Chief Minister Sawant said the setting up of a world-class multiplex and convention centre in the state is in its final stage and hopefully the IFFI will have a new permanent venue by 2025. He said this year at the IFFI, the state government has taken an initiative to curate special masterclasses for the Goan film fraternity in which renowned film personalities from the Hindi and Marathi film sections will participate. 

"A Goan section has also been specially curated for this year. A special jury comprising three jury members from Indian Panorama has selected six short films and one documentary film. We have been able to draw the attention of tourists and Goan public through various peripheral activities such as festival mile, entertainment zone and heritage parade," Sawant said. 

With an intention to make the event more inclusive, special movie screening for Divyangs (specially abled) will be organised during the festival, he said. Sawant also remembered former chief minister Manohar Parrikar for his efforts to make Goa the permanent venue for the IFFI. 

Actors Amruta Khanvilkar and Catherine Teresa also performed at the event. 

The opening film for this year's IFFI was Austrian Director Dieter Berner's feature "Alma and Oskar". 

The nine-day festival will also see gala premieres of Rawal's "The Storyteller", Devgn and Tabu's "Drishyam 2", Dhawan and Kriti Sanon's "Bhediya" and Yami Gautam's "Lost." 

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