Regional films dominate 51st IFFI's Indian Panorama line-up
New Delhi: The 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has announced the list of Indian Panorama films for the year 2020, with regional language movies reigning the feature section and having a significant presence in the non-feature category.
The nine-day film gala, which takes place in Goa from November 20-28 every year, was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and will now be held from January 16 to January 24.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday unveiled the titles of 20 non-feature and 23 feature films, to be screened during the festival.
The line-up of the feature category in the Indian Panorama comprises 18 regional language films including "Bridge" (Assamese), "Avijatrik" (Bengali), "A Dog And His Man" (Chattisgarhi), "Pinki Elli?" (Kannada), "Safe" (Malayalam), "Eigi Kona" (Manipuri), "Prawaas" (Marathi), "Kalira Atita" (Oriya), "Thaen" (Tamil) and "Gatham" (Telugu).
"Saand Ki Aankh" (Hindi), directed by Tushar Hiranandani and starring Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar, will be the opening movie for the feature film section at the festival, which will also see the screenings of Vetri Maaran's Tamil film "Asuran" and Govind Nihalani's English animation "Up, Up & Up".
Sanskrit language movie "Namo" is also part of the list of features selected by a jury headed by filmmaker-writer John Mathew Matthan.
Nitesh Tiwari's Hindi feature "Chhichhore", starring actor Sushant Singh Rajput who died in June this year, has been included as part of three mainstream films, which also consists of "Asuran" and Malayalam movie "Kappela".
The movies were selected by an internal committee of Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) based on the recommendations of Film Federation of India (FFI) and Producer's Guild.
The non-feature section includes eight regional names -- "Highways Of Life" (Manipuri), "Jhat Aayi Basant" (Pahari/Hindi), "Oru Paathiraa Swapnam Pole" (Malayalam), "Paanchika" (Gujarati), "Radha" (Bengali) and Marathi titles "Still Alive", "Khisa" and "Pandhara Chivda".
Ankit Kothari's "Paanchika" will be the opening non-feature film section of Indian Panorama 2020.
Other titles to be showcased under the category are "100 Years Of Chrysotom - A Biographical Film", "Ahimsa- Gandhi: The Power Of The Powerless", "Justice Delayed But Delivered", and "Investing Life".
Regional titles were also the centre focus of IFFI during its golden jubilee edition in 2019. Various regional films were screened as part of Indian Panorama and over 12 films, made in different languages about 50 years ago, were also showcased during last year's gala.
National Award-winning Gujarati movie "Hellaro", directed by Abhishek Shah, was the opening film of the feature section in 2019.
Malayalam film "Uyare" by Manu Ashokan and Lijo Jose Pellissery's "Jallikattu", India's international feature film Oscar entry for 2020, were also also part of last year's line-up along with "Ek Je Chhilo Raja" (Bengali), "Iewduh" (Khasi/Garo) and "OththaSeruppu Size 7" (Tamil).
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CM Siddaramaiah meets Neha Hiremath's family, offers condolences
Dharwad (Karnataka), Apr 25: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday visited Neha Hiremath's house and offered condolences to her family members.
Neha Hiremath (23), daughter of Congress councilor of Hubballi-Dharwad Muncipal Corporation Niranjan Hiremath, was stabbed to death on the campus of BVB College on April 18 by her former classmate Fayaz Khondunaik.
CCTV footage showed Fayaz stabbing Neha multiple times before fleeing the spot. He was arrested by police later.
The incident sparked widespread outrage and protests across Karnataka.
Talking to reporters later, the chief minister termed the incident unfortunate.
"Already I have said that I strongly condemn Neha Hiremath's murder. I have assigned the case to the CID for a detailed investigation," Siddaramaiah said.
ALSO READ: My family faces threat from strangers who filmed inside my house: Neha's father
"Along with that we will constitute a special court (to try the case). Special court specifically for this case,
to ensure maximum punishment is given to the accused as per the IPC provision," he added.
On the BJP's demand for a CBI investigation, the chief minister said the BJP is politicising the issue.
"Did the BJP ever give any case to the CBI when they were in power in Karnataka? Show me just one case. During my previous term as chief minister I had assigned many cases to the CBI," Siddaramaiah said.
He declined to discuss political matters, saying he has come here to Dharwad to console the family and offer condolences over Neha Hiremath's death.
"We will be with them (Hiremaths). I pray for her soul to rest in peace," the chief minister said.
On the alleged threat to the family and arresting others involved in the case, the chief minister said the government will provide security to the family and also ordered the CID to investigate the angle regarding the involvement of others in this case.
Speaking on the occasion, Neha's father Niranjan Hiremath thanked Siddaramaiah and state Law Minister H K Patil for quickly responding to the demand and ordering that a special court be set up to try the case and for transferring the probe to the CID.
He said Congress General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala has promised him that justice would be delivered in this case within 90 days, or if it gets delayed then it would not exceed 120 days.
"I demand capital punishment for the accused," Hiremath said.
