The 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is set to showcase the country’s cinematic and cultural diversity by screening films from east, south, north and western regions through a special five-day programme starting November 22, the organisers announced on Monday.
Films in Bengali, Assamese, Odiya, Manipuri and north-eastern will be screened on November 22, while November 23 has been reserved for Tamil and Malayalam films. Punjabi, Dogri, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani, Urdu and Chhattisgarhi films will be shown on November 24 and the next day is for Konkani, Marathi and Gujarati films. On November 26, Kannada and Telugu films will enthrall the audience.
“India, with its rich tapestry of cultures and traditions. From North to South, East to West, embodies our strength in unity amid diversity. To celebrate this harmony, #IFFI54 presents a five-day program, ‘Celebrating Cultures of India’, featuring films from different parts of the country. Join us for this incredible cinematic celebration,” the official handle of the festival posted on Instagram.
This year, the festival will showcase more than 270 films. The international section will feature 198 films, including 13 world premiers, 18 international premiers, 62 Asia premiers and 89 India premiers. The Indian Panorama section will present 25 feature films and 20 non-feature films from India.
The feature section would open with the screening of the Malayalam film Aattam, while the non-feature section would feature Andro Dreams from Manipur.
Additionally, a new section called Restored Classics will be introduced, highlighting seven world premieres of top-notch restorations by NFDC-NFAI under the National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM) from damaged celluloid reels of Indian Classics. Three international restored films will also be showcased in this section.
IFFI this year will offer an engaging week with over 20 'Masterclasses' and 'In Conversation' sessions featuring eminent filmmakers, cinematographers and actors. These sessions will take place at the renovated and refurbished Kala Academy at Festival Mile, Panjim, Goa.
Stars from Indian and international film industries participate in IFFI 2023, which begins from November 20. They include Michael Douglas, Brendan Galvin, BSunny Deol, Rani Mukerjee, Vidya Balan, John Goldwater, Vijay Sethupathi, Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Nawazuddin Siddhiqui, Kay Kay Menon, Karan Johar, Madhur Bhandarkar and Manoj Bajpayee.
