The 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began in Goa on Sunday with a gala opening. The inaugural ceremony was held at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium near Panaji.
One of Asia’s oldest film festivals – IFFI opened with the screening of Austrian Director Dieter Berner’s film Alma and Oskar. Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement award was given to Spanish film director Carlos Saura at the opening ceremony. Veteran actor Chiranjeevi has been selected as Indian Film Personality of the Year 2022.
Mr. Chiranjeevi has had an illustrious career spanning almost four decades. with over 150 films as an actor, dancer and producer. He is immensely popular in Telegu Cinema with incredible performances touching hearts. An announcement to this effect was made by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur at the opening ceremony of IFFI.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Thakur said, IFFI has become a platform for film directors from all over the world to showcase their work. He expressed confidence that India will become a global hub for co-production, post-production, film shooting and also for the technology partners. Mr. Thakur called upon film fraternity to make India a global content hub. He said as the country celebrates Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Government plans to develop India as the most sought after destination for filmmakers, co-production and post-production.
Film personalities – Ajay Devgn, Paresh Rawal, Manoj Bajpayee, Suniel Shetty, Mrunal Thakur, Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan and Karthik Aryan were among those who graced the opening ceremony. Goa Governor PS Sreedharan, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan were also present on the occasion.
The opening ceremony witnessed cultural performances by top film celebrities from across the country. Music and dance groups from India and abroad also performed at the opening ceremony. The theme of the Ceremony was “Evolution of Indian Cinema in the last 100 years”, keeping with the spirit of the Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations.
A total of 280 films from 79 countries will be screened during the 9-day event. 25 feature films and 20 non-feature films will be showcased in the Indian Panorama section, while 183 films will be part of international programming. France is the ‘Spotlight’ country and 8 films will be screened under the Country Focus package.