Hyderabad (Telengana): Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur has announced that acclaimed international directors Martin Scorsese and Istevan Szabo will be conferred the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming International Film Festival of India in Goa. The 52nd edition of India’s most prestigious film festival will be held from 20-28 November, in the beach state.
Istvan Szabo is one of the most critically acclaimed Hungarian film directors of the past few decades known for masterpieces like Mephisto (1981) Father (1966). Martin Scorsese, the acclaimed American director, is one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, and widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential directors in film history.
In a first, major OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5, Voot and Sony Liv will participate at the film festival. The festival will pay a Special Tribute to Sir Sean Connery, the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on the big screen.
while announcing the details, Anurag Thakur remarked “India is a land of story tellers; our tales have captured the imagination of the world. India’s wide variety of stories rightly makes us the ‘Content Subcontinent’.
The King of all the World directed by Spanish director Carlos Saura will be the opening film and also the film’s international premier. The Power of the Dog directed by Jane Campion, Winner of Best Director at Venice Film Festival will be the Mid Fest Film. Around 30 films have been shortlisted for screening at 52nd IFFI from prominent International Film Festivals in the Festival Kaleidoscope and World Panorama Section.
Collaboration with major OTT players
The minister informed that for the first time ever, IFFI has invited major OTT players to participate at the festival and they will participate through exclusive Masterclasses, content launches and previews, curated film package screenings, and various other on-ground and virtual events. Thakur said that the trend of watching movies on OTT is on the rise and IFFI is embracing new technology and providing a platform for the industry artists to interact with OTT players.
In another first time ever, films from five BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, South Africa, China and India - will be showcased through the BRICS Film Festival alongside IFFI. The five countries are also the Focus Countries of the 52nd IFFI.
Opportunity for 75 Creative Minds
Thakur said that IFFI will provide a platform to young budding talent from across India to connect with mainstream cinema filmmakers and the industry. 75 creative minds - young filmmakers, actors, singers, scriptwriters, and others under 35 years- will be invited to interact with industry leaders and attend Masterclasses.
These youngsters will be selected through a competition for young filmmakers from around the country. The last date to submit applications online through IFIi website is 30th October, 2021.
Retrospective, tributes
Retrospective section in the 52nd IFFI will feature renowned Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr, Russian filmmaker and stage director Andrei Konchalovsky, Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner Rajinikanth.
The 52nd IFFI will also pay homage to Dilip Kumar, Sumitra Bhave, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Sanchari Vijay, SurekhaSikri, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Bertrand Tavenier, Christopher Plummer and Jean-Claude Carrière.
The Jury for the International Competition comprises Iranian filmmaker Rakhshān Banietemad (Jury chairperson), British director Stephen Woolley, Columbian Ciro Guerra, Sri Lankan Vimukthi Jayasundara and Indian filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda.
