47th Edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2016 held in Goa

The 47th Edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), 2016 was held from 20-28 November, 2016 at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee indoor stadium at Talegao on the outskirts of Panaji, Goa.

• The Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) and the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) the Goa government’s Entertainment Body are the Organizers of the Event.
• The event was inaugurated by Union minister for information & broadcasting Venkaiah Naidu in the presence of veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy and other guests.
• Actor and film-maker Ajay Devgn was the Chief Guest at the Opening Ceremony.National Award-winning Director S. S. Rajamouli was the chief guest of the closing ceremony.
• The festival screened over 300 films including 4 premieres, 6 international premieres, 26 Asian premieres 104 Indian premieres and Oscar-winning entries from nearly 90 countries. The Republic of Korea was the focus country of IFFI 2016.
• The 2016 festival saw the participation of several young film-makers who took on bold and unique themes.
• The international Jury comprised of Ivan Passer, Nagesh Kukunoor, Lordan Zafranovic, Larry Smith and Leila Kilani.
• After nine days of cinema goodness, at the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) at Panaji, Goa drew to a close. The grand closing ceremony was held at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium with Gaurav Kapoor and Shriya Saran hosted the event.

The ceremony ended with veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai felicitating all the award winners and performers on the grand stage.

Award Categories At the IFFI 2016 :

South Korean film director and writer, Im Kwon Taek conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award at IFFI 2016

• South Korea is the focus country of the 47th edition of IFFI 2016.
• The legendary South Korean film director and writer, Im Kwon Taek, has been conferred with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at IFFI 2016 at the opening ceremony.
• He has directed more than 100 films in a career of more than 50 years and is credited with the film movement New Korean Cinema or Korean New Wave.
• He has also collected several honours, including best director at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival for Chi-hwa-seon (Strokes of Fire).
• The 80-year-old filmmaker was fond of Shah Rukh Khan’s work. He also liked 3 Idiots and Slumdog Millionaire.

‘Azadi 70 Saal  – Yaad karo Qurbani’

IFFI 2016 also featured the National Film Archives of India’s (NFAI) exhibition with theme: “Azadi 70 Saal, Yaad Karo Qurbani” (70 Years of Independence, Remember the Sacrifices) to commemorate 70 years of Indian Independence.

• The virtual reality section of the NFAI exhibition has two parts: the first consists of the tour of NFAI and their activities; the second is more interactive, comprising a virtual exhibition of film posters.
• The exhibition focussed on material from all possible languages.
• Director of NFAI, Prakash Magdum told the selection of posters was done in consonance with the theme, seeking to highlight the institution’s collection of archival material on the sacrifices of freedom-fighters, social evils and developmental issues, as well as the contribution of the nation’s armed forces.

IFFI first to use Barco Laser Projection In India.

The 47th edition of International Film Festival of India used Barco’s laser projection for the first time in the country to offer superior image quality to the audience at the IFFI from November 20- November 28.

• Barco’s laser phosphor digital projector model ‘DP2K-20CLP’ is cost effective as it uses blue laser technology where colors are generated through the phosphor wheel that provides 30,000 hours lifetime at 50% light utilization, clear image quality along with enhanced viewing experience as well as simple operations for projection.
• Barco India, is responsible for Research and Development and for Sales & Marketing of projectors in the country.

IFFI Nominated 8 movies for ICFT Unesco Gandhi Medal

The 47th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) nominated 8 films for the ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal Prize. All 8 films were screened at the IFFI in Panaji, Goa.

• The International Council for Film, Television and Audio-visual Communication (ICFT) UNESCO Gandhi Medal Prize is awarded to a film which promotes peace and inter-cultural dialogue.

The films nominated under the ICFT Unesco Gandhi Medal Prize 2016 included:

1.Harmonia from Israel,
2.Beluga from Iran,
3.Cold of Kalandar from Turkey/Hungary,
4.The Family from Spain/France/Germany,
5.Exiled from Latvia,
6.A Real Vermeer from Netherlands/Luxembourg/Belgium,
7.The Apology from Canada and
8.Allama from India.

The ICFT–Unesco Gandhi medal was awarded to Turkish film Cold of Kalandar, directed by Mustafa Kara for his poetic portrayal of rural life in a remote hilly region of Turkey. The film was chosen for its ethical values and respect for the environment.

• Canadian multi-lingual entry The Apology by Toronto-based Tiffany Hsiung received a special mention in the Gandhi Medal competition.
• The medal to be awarded to the winner will bear a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi, etched alongside his message ‘in the midst of darkness light prevails.

International Film Festival of India (IFFI)

• IFFI was founded in 1952. It is one of Asia’s oldest and India’s biggest film festival and is held annually in the state of Goa since 2004.
• The festival is conducted jointly by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Directorate of Film Festivals and the Government of Goa.
• The IFFI aims to nurture, encourage and inspire Indian cinema and introduce it to the world outside as well as the many audiences that co-exist in this vast and diverse country.
• It provides a platform to understand film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethics and promote friendship and cooperation among people of the world.