53rd edition of IFFI all set to begin in Goa from November 20
280 movies from 79 countries to be screened during 9-day IFFI
The 53rd edition of IFFI, the International Film Festival of India is all set to open to a colourful opening ceremony on November 20, Sunday at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Taleigão, Goa.
"This edition of the festival presents to film delegates a potpourri of 280 films, inviting them to immerse themselves in the lives, aspirations and struggles of peoples from a total of 79 countries," a press statement from the organising committee states.
With the festival preparations being in full swing, Festival Director and Managing Director, NFDC Ravinder Bhakar; CEO, ESG Swetika Sachan; Director General, PIB, Monideep Mukerjee; and Additional Director General, PIB, Pragya Paliwal Gaur addressed a curtain-raiser press conference in Old GMC Building, Panaji on Friday.
Highlights from the press conference:
The Austrian film, Alma and Oskar, directed by Dieter Berner, will open the festival. Red Carpet for opening film will commence at 2.00 PM at INOX-I, Panjim, followed by the screening of the film.
Polish film Krzysztof Zanussi’s Perfect Number is the closing film. Red Carpet for closing film will commence at INOX-I, Panjim at 2.00 PM on 28th November, followed by the screening of the film.
Fixation, a 2022 film set in Germany, Canada and the USA, by Mercedes Bryce Morgan is the mid-fest film.
25 feature films and 19 non-feature films from India will be showcased in the ‘Indian Panorama’ while 183 films will be a part of international programming.
The festival presents a special section for Asha Parekh, the 52nd Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner, with the screening of three films, namely, Teesri Manzil, Do Badan and Kati Patang.
On the occasion of completion of 50 years of Manipuri Cinema, a specially curated package of five Feature and five Non-Feature films, curated by Manipur State Films Film Development Society, is being screened under Indian Panorama.
As an initiative to promote films from North-East India, 5 feature and 5 non-feature films, will mark golden jubilee of Manipuri cinema.
There will be special screenings of Pan Nalin’s Chello Show—The Last Film Show, India’s official entry to the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language category, and Madhur Bhandarkar’s India Lockdown.
Films from National Film Archives of India will be showcased by the NFDC in the ‘Indian Restored Classics’ section. These include Sohrab Modi’s 1957 costume drama Nausherwan-E-Adil, Ramesh Maheshwary’s 1969 National Award-winning Punjabi film Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai, K Vishwanath’s 1980 Telugu musical drama Sankarabharnam and two Satyajit Ray classics, the 1977 period drama Shatranj Ke Khiladi and the 1989 social, Ganashatru.
Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement award is being conferred on Spanish film director Carlos Saura. His daughter Anna Saura will accept the Award on behalf of the eminent filmmaker, at the opening ceremony. A retrospective of his oeuvre is being showcased at the festival.
France is the ‘Spotlight’ country and 8 films will be screened under Country Focus package.
‘Film Bazaar’ will screen some of the finest films and filmmakers in various sections. For the first time, Pavilions will make an appearance at IFFI in line with major international markets like the Marche du Cannes. This year, there will be a total of 42 Pavilions. They will house the film offices of the various state governments, the participating countries, industry players and media units from the ministry. This will also be the first time when many restored classics will be available at ‘The Viewing Room’ where one would be able to buy the rights of these films and use them at film festivals across the globe.
The festival director informed that a new Book Adaptation Program titled Books to Box Office has been introduced as an initiative to bridge the gap between good stories printed in books and good films that can be made by adapting books. Some of the best publishers are expected to be present to sell the rights of the books that can be turned into on-screen content.
Caravans will be deployed throughout Goa and movies will be screened, as an initiative to reach out to people in the villages as well.
Open air beach screening to also be carried out.
The ‘Homage’ section will include fifteen Indian and five international films.
Special attractions include Shigmotsav (Spring Festival) on 26th November and Goa Carnival on 27th November, 2022.
CBC will organise exhibition on the theme of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
FTII to conduct Smart Phone FilmMaking for individuals with Autism and Acting course for individuals using Wheel Chair.
There will be several Gala Premieres of Hindi films with their actors present to support and promote cinema. These include Paresh Rawal’s The Storyteller, Ajay Devgn and Tabu’s Drishyam 2, Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon’s Bhediya and Yami Gautam’s Lost. The upcoming Telugu film, Raymo, Deepti Naval and Kalki Koechlin’s Goldfish and Randeep Hooda and Ileana D’Cruz’s Tera Kya Hoga Lovely will also be premiered at IFFI, along with an episode of OTT shows like Vadhandhi, Khakee and Fauda Season 4.
The festival director informed that the second edition of ‘75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow’, an initiative by the Ministry of Broadcasting and Information is another attraction. The number of filmmakers being recognized is symbolic of 75 years of Indian Independence.
The Festival Director told the media that 118 International film celebrities including Krzysztof Zanussi, Lav Diaz, Nadav Lapid , Jinko Gotoh , Maddie Hasson, John Lloyd Cruz, Genesis Rodriguez, Mark Osborne, Jeon Kyu hwan , Daniel Goldhaber and Natalia López Gallardo have confirmed their attendance at the festival. He informed that 221 Indian film celebrities have confirmed. They include Ajay Devgn Suniel Shetty, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon Prabhudeva Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddique, Shekhar Kapoor, Rana Daggubatti Mani Ratnam, AR Rahman, Pankaj Tripathi, Paresh Rawal Akshaye Khanna, Kalki Koechlin, Yami Goutam, Dinesh Vijan Illeana D’cruz R Balki Anupam Kher and Bhushan Kumar.
The opening ceremony will be held at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Taleigão, Goa on November 20, 2022. The Gala Red Carpet Opening Ceremony will begin at 4.00 PM, followed by the opening ceremony which will be from 5.00 PM to 9.00 PM. The Festival Director informed that the broadcast rights for the opening ceremony have been given to a media partner, and that videographic coverage of the opening ceremony, except for the entertainment segment comprising cultural performances, will be only by the public broadcaster Doordarshan. The videographic coverage of the entertainment segment is reserved for the media partner alone; however, select video footages of the ceremony including that of the entertainment segment will be made available to the media on the same day. Still photography is permitted for the whole event. Besides, media can cover the proceedings on the Red Carpet as well.
The closing ceremony will similarly be held at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Taleigão, Goa on November 28, 2022. The Gala Red Carpet will begin at 4.00 PM, followed by closing ceremony from 4.45 PM to 7.00 PM.
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Accused planned to attack Salman Khan at film shoot, say Panvel police; file chargesheet
Mumbai (PTI): Accused involved in the alleged conspiracy to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan had planned to attack him during a movie shoot, a police official on Tuesday said citing a chargesheet filed in the case.
During an investigation into the case, it came to light that Rs 25 lakh "supari" (contract) was given by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to his gang members to attack the actor, he said.
The gang planned to use sophisticated weapons, including AK-47, from Pakistan for the attack, the official said.
The Panvel Town police in Navi Mumbai submitted the 350-page chargesheet before a magistrate court on June 21 against five arrested accused - Dhananjay Tapsing alias Ajay Kashyap (28), Gautam Bhatia (29), Vaspi Mehmood Khan alias China (36) , Rizwan Hussain alias Javed Khan (25) and Deepak Hawasing alias John (30), he said.
Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, his brother Anmol Bishnoi, Sampat Nehra and Goldy Brar have been shown as wanted accused in the case, the official said.
The attack was allegedly planned to be carried out during a movie shoot or while the actor was leaving his Panvel farmhouse, the official said.
The chargesheet mentions the detailed plot, attack and escape route. It contains an analysis of the intelligence gathered, mobile phone records of the accused, their WhatsApp chats, audio and video calls and tower locations, he said.
In April, the Panvel Town police unearthed an alleged plot of the Bishnoi gang members to kill the actor, he said.
The plot was uncovered during their investigation disclosing a video call conversation between Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Ajay Kashyap and another accused.
As per the conversation, sharpshooters, trained in modern weapons, were stationed across Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Raigad, and Gujarat under the orders of Goldy Brar.
Accordingly, sharpshooters Anmol Bishnoi and Rohit Godara were said to have been instructed by Brar to carry out the attack, utilising minors under 18 years old for the task, officials said last month quoting the First Information Report (FIR).
A man named John was allegedly tasked with providing the vehicle for the operation, as per the FIR.
After the attack, gang members were to regroup at Kanyakumari and then proceed to Sri Lanka via sea route. From there, arrangements were made to send them to other countries, with gangster Anmol Bishnoi, based in Canada, arranging their travel, officials added.
According to police, Lawrence Bishnoi and Sampat Nehra gangs had deployed 60 to 70 members to monitor Salman Khan's movements as part of efforts to conduct recce at his Bandra residence, Panvel farmhouse, and film shooting locations.
Following specific information about the plot to kill Khan, a case was registered against 17 identified accused and others at Panvel Town police station on April 24.
Police discovered a video call between accused Ajay Kashyap and a Pakistan-based individual named Dogar. The call was initiated by Kashyap in the presence of a member, who later become an informer to police, as per the FIR.
Kashyap allegedly discussed procuring weapons, including AK-47s, from Pakistan after depositing a 50 per cent amount in gangster Goldie Brar's account. The remaining amount can be paid after the weapons are delivered.
During the video call, Dogar showed 4 to 5 weapons, including AK-47s and others, to Kahsyap, it added.
