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Tag: Panaji

  • India can be the post-production hub of the world: I&B minister Anurag Thakur

    India can be the post-production hub of the world: I&B minister Anurag Thakur

    Mumbai: “International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has become a platform for film directors from all over the world to showcase their work. I am sure that India will become a hub for co-production, post-production, film shooting, content, and also for the technology partners,” said the union minister for information & broadcasting and youth affairs & sports Anurag Thakur, during the inauguration ceremony of the 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India at Panaji, Goa.

    Thakur added that his vision is to make India the most sought-after destination for film shoots and post-production, backed by the talent of our people and the innovation of our industry leaders.

    The minister went on to say that his vision for IFFI isn’t limited to a single event, but rather what IFFI should be when India celebrates its 100th year of independence, when we switch from Amrit Mahotsav to Amrit Kaal. “We aim to make India a powerhouse of content creation, especially regional cinema, by scaling up regional festivals. India can be the post-production hub of the world by leveraging the immense tech talent amongst our skilled youth,” he added.

    “For the first time, gala premieres of Indian, global, and OTT films will be held at IFFI, including the premiere of the fourth season of the globally acclaimed series Fauda, which features some of the biggest Israeli stars in the world today. I would also like to share that the next season of this show will also be launched at IFFI,” Thakur added.

    The minister further congratulated celebrated Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura for winning the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award this year. He also announced that the Indian Film Personality of the Year award will be conferred to South Indian actor Chiranjeevi.

    While sharing the achievements, Thakur pinpointed the importance of the Film Bazaar, which is being organised on the sidelines of IFFI. “For the first time, IFFI has augmented the scope of the ‘Film Bazaar’ by introducing ‘Country Pavilions,’” he added.

  • Goa to be permanent venue of International Film Festival of India

    Goa to be permanent venue of International Film Festival of India

    NEW DELHI: Although Goa has been the venue of the International Film Festival of India since 2004, there has been discussion year after year on whether it should continue to remain so, with a large section of the film industry particularly from eastern and north east India opposing this move.

     

    However, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar has reiterated that Goa will be formally made the permanent venue for the festival.

     

    The Minister made this statement after the signing of the ritual annual Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry and the state government at the State Secretariat in Panaji in the presence of Javadekar and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. The MoU was signed by Ministry secretary Bimal Julka and Goa Chief Secretary B Vijayan.

     

    The 45th edition of the festival will be held from 20 to 30 November.

     

     “With the signing of the MoU, Goa will now be designing permanent facilities and world-class infrastructure for the festival at Goa, which has matured as a venue for IFFI,” declared Javadekar. This year will be the State’s 11th time hosting the IFFI.

     

    With its peculiar culture and hospitable atmosphere, Goa would soon catch up with renowned international film festivals like Cannes, Javadekar added.

     

    With a few days to go, Javadekar expressed confidence in the facelift planned for the festival, which is being organised by a steering committee comprising representatives of the Directorate of Film Festivals, the State and reputed film industry stakeholders.

  • IFFI to highlight north-east cinema for the first time

    IFFI to highlight north-east cinema for the first time

    MUMBAI: The 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Panaji, Goa will for the first time highlight cinema from the north eastern states of India. The opening ceremony for this section will include actors Seema Biswas and Adil Hussain.

     

    The festival has created a special north-east package named ‘Focus: North East’. The section will be inaugurated on 22 November and close on 27 November. A total of 23 films from the north east will be screened between these dates. This will include Ek Pal, as a special homage to its producer Hemendra Prasad Barooah.

     

    The opening movie of the section will be Khawnlung Run, the first-ever Mizo film to be screened in any international festival. Among the other films to be screened is Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Aru Joymoti, which was directed by the late Bhupen Hazarika.

  • Life of Pi to premier in India at IFFI 2012

    Life of Pi to premier in India at IFFI 2012

    New Delhi: The Central and Goa Governments have allocated a budget of Rs 90 million for the 43rd International Film Festival of India which will be inaugurated by versatile actor Akshay Kumar.

    The festival being held from 20 to 30 November will have the Indian premiere of Academy Award Winning Director Ang Lee‘s much awaited film ‘Life of Pi‘. The film‘s worldwide theatrical release is slated for November 23.

    Eminent Polish film maker Krzysztof Zanussi, will be conferred the Life Time Achievement Award at the Festival, which this year will have a special Centenary Award which will be decided by an independent jury.

    The inauguration will feature a medley choreographed by Maestro Saroj Khan and songs sung by Kailash Kher. Kher said he will be performing only on the Hindi film songs, keeping in view the celebration of 100 years of cinema.

    Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari has said the Centre will work towards making the forthcoming International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa a self sustainable event.

    Speaking over the weekend in Panaji, he said the Ministry will work towards this goal after the conclusion of IFFI 2012. The premier Festival is currently being financed by the Union and Goa government.

    “I agree with the spirit (that festival should be self sustainable). There is road to travel. Once we are through with this festival, we will see how possibly can make this happen,” the Minister said.

    Since the time IFFI moved to Goa as a permanent venue in 2004, efforts have been made to ensure that it is made self sustainable.

    The Taiwanese born American Director Ang Lee and the cast and crew of the film that includes Tabu, Irrfan Khan and the main lead and debutante Suraj Sharma will be present.

    The ‘Life of Pi‘ which is based on an adapted screenplay of a novel by the same name by Yann Martel, is a 3D adventure film telling the story of a 16 year old Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) of Pondicherry (Puducheri), who survives a shipwreck along with animals like an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena and a Royal Bengal Tiger. The film explores the issues of spirituality, religion and life as a whole.

    Ang Lee is the man behind some of the most prestigious and acclaimed films such as Sense and Sensibility (1995), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Hulk (2003) and Brokeback Mountain (2005). His latest film, Life of Pi, besides providing a global platform for Indian artistes, also explores some of the scenic spots in India, including the countryside of Munnar and the French elegance of Pondicherry. During his interaction with the media, Ang Lee admitted that experiments like his are helping change the stereotype perceptions about Indians and the Asians in mainstream Hollywood.

  • Government to set up 3 TV centres, 8 more to be augmented

    Government to set up 3 TV centres, 8 more to be augmented

    MUMBAI: The Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs minister P R Dasmunsi in Lok Sabha has announced that three new TV centres are to be set up and eight more to be augmented in the country.

    Under the plan to set up new TV Centres, the ones at Rajouri (J&K) and Calicut (Kerala) are technically ready whereas the site has been taken over and building plans have been finalised for the Tirupati studio. Target completion date is 2008-2009, informs an official release.

    In the case of eight augmentation projects for existing TV centres, the technical area of building has been completed for Gorakhpur and departmental works have been taken up with the aim to complete it in 2006-2007.

    As regards additional studios in Chandigarh, Panaji, Jammu and Srinagar, building plans have been finalised and preliminary estimates for building works sanctioned. For project of a studio at Derhadun, land has been taken over and building plan finalised. In the case of work of building construction has been awarded.

    These projects are expected to be completed within 2008-2009. For the augmentation of studio at Portblair, the scheme has been approved and financial sanction issued and the target for completion is 2007-2008, adds the release.