The 55th International Film Festival of India was off to a flying start on 20th November in Goa. Ishaan Khatter and Manushi Chhillar danced to a medley of hit film songs from the various film industries of India. Sanya Malhotra and Sunny Kaushal enacted a musical medley to chronicle the journey of Indian cinema from 1913 to the present day, which included showstoppers Naatu Naatu from RRR and Jai ho from Slumdog Millionaire.
Australian filmmaker Michael Gracey’s feature film, Better Man, was the opening film at the IFFI. Among those who were felicitated at the gala opening ceremony, which was hosted by actors Abhishek Banerjee and Bhumi Pednekar, were Subhash Ghai, Chidanand Naik, Boman Irani, R.K. Selvamani, Jaideep Ahlawat, Jayam Ravi, Ishari Ganesh, R. Sarath Kumar, Pranita Subhash, Jackky Bhagnani, Rakul Preet Singh, Randeep Hooda and Rajkumar Rao, all for their immense contributions to cinema.
The film festival was ceremonially inaugurated by watering of a coconut sapling by Goa chief minister Dr. Pramod Sawant in the presence of dignitaries like Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade, secretary Information & Broadcasting, Sanjay Jaju, spiritual guru Sri Ravi Shankar, Festival director Shekhar Kapur, CBFC chairman Prasoon Joshi and Prasar Bharati chairman Navneet Kumar Sehgal, among others.
On the occasion, Goa CM Dr. Pramod Sawant said that Goa and IFFI were now literally synonymous. “When you think of IFFI, you remember Goa, and when you think of Goa, you remember IFFI,” he remarked. Dr. Sawant, on behalf of all Goans, extended a warm welcome to the festival delegates.
In a video message, Union minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said that IFFI had become a significant milestone in the development of the Indian film industry. He stated that there was much focus on developing the content creators’ economy, which was vibrant and rapidly growing. Vaishnaw also expressed hope about the emergence of new partnerships and fresh ideas from IFFI.
Through a video message, Union MoS for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan said that IFFI tried to promote Indian Cinema and took various initiatives for ensuring the same. He also conveyed that the government of India was trying to support the film industry in curbing film piracy. Further, he explained that the single-window system of film facilitation, started by the I & B ministry, had made obtaining clearances for film shootings easier. This initiative, coupled with various subsidies, had added to the ease of doing business for filmmakers, he added. Dr. Murugan mentioned that the Creative Minds of Tomorrow (CMOT) initiative had been started in IFFI, under which a hundred young creative individuals would have the opportunity to be mentored by film stalwarts and benefit from their interaction with them. The MoS stated that the 55th IFFI had received more than 1,000 entries. Dr. L. Murugan concluded that IFFI felt honoured to give this year’s Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award to noted Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce.
“Let’s tell each other our stories,” urged film stalwart and Festival director Shekhar Kapur. He said, “Within a nation, and nations and communities in a polarised world, the only way to talk to each other is by telling our stories.” Kapur added that the film festival should celebrate not just filmmakers but also audiences.
This year, IFFI will pay homage to the extraordinary legacies of Raj Kapoor, Tapan Sinha, Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Mohammed Rafi through a series of tributes, screenings, and interactive events, providing the delegates a closer look at the contributions of these legendary film personalities to the world of cinema. A special stamp on these four stalwarts of Indian cinema was unveiled by Information & Broadcasting secretary Sanjay Jaju, along with special secretary, I & B, Neerja Sekhar; chief post master general (CPMG), Maharashtra Postal Circle, Amitabh Singh; MD, NFDC, Prithul Kumar; joint secretary (films), Vrunda Manohar Desai; Festival director Shekhar Kapur; Nagarjuna, son of legendary actor Akkineni Nageswar Rao; and Firdaus Rafi, daughter-in-law of legendary playback singer Mohammed Rafi. Speaking on the occasion, I & B secretary Sanjay Jaju said, “It’s a great feeling that IFFI is celebrating four legends of Indian cinema this year!”
Chief minister of Goa Dr. Pramod Sawant and Festival director Shekhar Kapur felicitated the IFFI’s International Competition jury members — Ashutosh Gowariker (chairman), Anthony Chen, Elizabeth Karlsen, Fran Borgia and Jill Bilcock. The jury for the newly introduced ‘Best Debut Indian Film’ category was also mentioned. It includes Santhosh Sivan (jury chairman), M.V. Raghu, Suneel Puranik, Sekhar Das and Vinit Kanojia.
Dr. Pramod Sawant also launched Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform, Waves OTT, at the opening ceremony of IFFI. Aligning with the Young Film Maker’s theme of IFFI 2024, Roll No. 52, a student graduation film from Annapurna Film and Media Studio by Nagarjuna and Amala Akkineni, will be screened at Waves.
Indian Panorama feature films jury includes Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi (jury chairman), Manoj Joshi, Sushmita Mukherjee, Himansu Sekhar Khatua, Oinam Gautam, Ashu Trikha, S.M. Patil, Neelabh Kaul, Susant Misra, Arun Kumar Bose, Ratnottama Sengupta, Sameer Hanchate and Priya Krishnaswamy. Indian Panaroma non-feature films jury includes Subbaiah Nallamuthu (jury chairman), Rajni Acharya, Ronel Haobam, Usha Deshpande, Vandana Kohli, Mithunchandra Chaudhari and Shalini Shah.