|
|
|
|
|
|
International Film Festival of India |
|
| India got its first taste of a film festival as early as 1952. This young country hosted the first International Film Festival of India in Bombay. It was a small but auspicious start with numerous Bollywood luminaries gracing the occasion. Within a decade, it gained official recognition from the Paris based Federation Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films (FIAPF) putting it on par with those of Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Karlovy Vary and Moscow. However it always remained a poor cousin, despite the recent attempts to glamorize it with a Cannes like location (Goa).
A watershed in the history of the festival was the declaration of it being a competitive one in 1983. With the participation of 22 World Countries, the festival has become a major forum for Third World cinema. However at the 12th IFFI in 1989,it was shorn of the competitive tag again. Its chequered history received a boost again in 1996, when the festival included a special competitive section on alternative years for Asian Women directors only. Very soon the competitive section was further expanded to include a section for Asian directors.
|
|
| The Goa Factor |
|
| The film festival was primarily hosted in New Delhi (it did circulate between Mumbai, Kolkata and Thiruananthapuram too) since its inception; however, in 2003 it was decided to have the festival permanently in Goa from 2004 onwards. The 35th IFFI was held in Goa between 29 November and 9 December 2004. 36th IFFI was conducted in Goa between 24 November and 4 December and the competition section further expanded for Asian/African/Latin American film directors.
Goa was seen as an ideal destination to project the new avatar of the festival. The Indian government decided to model it on the glamorous Cannes Film Festival, which attracts thousand of film lovers from across the world every year. The idea is to make it a young, colorful Film Fiesta and in the process attract international investments (the film market of the festival is on of its major attractions) and tourists too. Organisers claim that the IFFI 2006 in Goa would mean "240 hours of sheer entertainment and fun".
|
|
| Categories |
|
| IFFI has been divided into the following categories –
|
- Competition (feature films by directors from Asia, Africa and Latin America)
- Cinema of the world
- Retrospectives
- Tributes, Focus
- Indian panorama
- Mainstream Indian cinema
The 37th IFFI will be held between 23rd Novemeber and 3rd Decemkber 2006 in Goa.
|
|
| « Go back |
Go to Top |
|
|
 |
|
