The 54th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which is the 20th edition held in Goa, is set to kick off at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium on November 20. The opening ceremony will be attended by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur. It will begin with the screening of the opening film, 'Catching Dust’, telling the story of a wife wanting to leave her criminal husband and their isolated hideout but faces obstacles from a couple arriving at the house.
During the festival, 'About Dry Grasses' will be the mid-fest film, and 'The Featherweight' will serve as the closing movie. According to director Prithul Kumar, the heart of IFFI lies in the selection of films, and this year has seen three times more international submissions than the previous year.
Source: Punjab Kesari
Preparations for IFFI 2023 started with the launch of the poster at the Cannes Film Festival earlier in the year. The festival will feature 15 films in the International Competition Section and seven films from debut directors. There will be a total of 198 international films screened, including 62 Asian premieres, 13 world premieres, 18 international premieres and 89 Indian premieres. Notably, more than 40 international films at IFFI 2023 are directed by women.
The opening ceremony will be star-studded, with performances by Shahid Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Nushratt Bharucha, and Shriya Saran. Guests at the opening ceremony include Vijay Sethupathi, Pankaj Tripathi, Sunny Deol, Karan Johar, Sara Ali Khan, Shantanu Moitra, Shreya Ghoshal, and Sukhwinder Singh. The inaugural ceremony will be hosted by Karishma Tanna and Aparshakti Khurrana.
Source: Indian Express
To add excitement, IFFI organizers have invited actors and filmmakers to promote their upcoming films during the opening ceremony. Karan Johar and Sara Ali Khan, along with the team of the film 'Ae Watan Mere Watan', will unveil the first look of their thriller drama. Additionally, Sukhwinder Singh will perform the film's inspiring title track and Pankaj Tripathi will introduce his crime thriller 'Kadak Singh’.
The nine-day festival will be graced by the presence of Hollywood actor-producer Michael Douglas and his wife, actor Catherine Zeta Jones, along with Salman Khan, Vidya Balan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Anupam Kher, Vicky Kaushal, Siddharth Malhotra, and AR Rahman, among other celebrities.
The closing ceremony, scheduled for November 28, will feature performances by Ayushmann Khurrana and renowned music composer Amit Trivedi. Ayushmann will pay homage to Michael Douglas, who is set to receive the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award.
Source: LatestLy
A notable event during IFFI 2023 is a Masterclass that will include a conversation among noted Indian cinema villains, namely Ranjeet, Gulshan Grover, Raza Murad, and Kiran Kumar. The topic, 'The Villains: leaving a lasting impression,' is scheduled for November 27.
The International Section of films at the festival encompasses Festival Kaleidoscope with 19 films, Cinema of the World with 103 films, a Docu-Montage Section featuring compelling documentaries from around the world, and an Animation Section, which includes Poland's official Oscar entry – 'The Peasants’.
It was informed that the film festival would showcase movies aligned with the ideals of UNESCO. Furthermore, the festival will feature Accessible Films, complete with facilities to ensure that specially-abled delegates can attend all screenings. This initiative aims to make the festival an inclusive and accessible platform for everyone, marking a significant step towards promoting inclusivity.
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