The 52nd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has begun at Panaji (Goa), albeit in a hybrid avatar. For the first time, the BRICS Film Festival is being held along with it with eight film screenings. Major OTT platforms will participate in IFFI through exclusive masterclasses, content launches and previews.
The festival kickstarted on November 20 with a grand opening ceremony hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar and actor Maniesh Paul. Veteran actress Hema Malini was presented with the Indian Film Personality of 2021. Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Shraddha Kapoor, Mouni Roy, Raashi Khanna, Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza gave power-packed performances.
Celebrated Hungarian filmmaker István Szabó, known for Mephisto (1981), and American filmmaker Martin Scorsese were given the prestigious Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Awards. In a pre-recorded message, Scorsese said, "I cannot tell you how proud I am to be receiving an award named after Satyajit Ray. He is one of my masters. I keep his films with me all the time."
Despite all the hurdles, including the Covid-19-induced lockdown and concurrent restrictions, IFFI 52 received 624 film entries from 96 countries. The nine-day festival will showcase more than 300 films, including 148 films from about 73 countries in the International Section with 12 world premieres, seven international premieres, 26 Asia premieres and 64 India premieres. Delegates will also get a chance to attend a three-day virtual masterclass by a renowned Paris-based school of image and arts.
