Our Correspondent
The 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2016 began at Panaji in Goa. Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the festival. Veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy was the Chief Guest.
Speaking on the occasion Minister of Information & Broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu said that cinema should reflect larger social concerns besides focusing on entertainment only.
Films should illuminate the mind and heart, engaging audience both intellectually and emotionally. It should expose the people to ideas, problems and developments happening in the society and make them think critically and look for alternate solutions and actions. In a country like India, with its several social problems, a case could be made for social realism in our films. Cinema was a work of art and there has to be a certain ‘take away’ for the audience who gave over two hours of their valuable time for watching a film. The Minister said this while delivering his address at the inaugural ceremony of the 47th edition of International Film Festival of India which began in Goa today.
About the role of cinema and social change, Naidu said that demonetization scheme of the Government was a national project of behavioral change of an unprecedented scale and urged the film makers to analyze and present the consequences of this change to the people in a creative manner. He further mentioned about 1946 movie ‘Vijayalakshmi’ produced and directed by late Shri B.R.Pantulu which was based on the first demonetization in our country. The movie had brilliantly presented the negative role of money sharks working for their own interest at the cost of the common man. Naidu said that the situation today was also similar and hence the Prime Minister for this very reason had set in motion the current process of change that would bring benefits to the citizens of the country.
Speaking about the importance of rich content in the movies, Naidu said that cinema needed to coexist with reality. It was necessary to pass the test of ‘2Rs’ – Reason and Reality. Many of the commercial films were crashing because of lack of creative content. Taking example of the movie ‘Sholay’, he said that movie was a huge success because it was not formulaic in the strict sense of it though it was a commercial production. The Minister added that certain relationships and values were so finely woven into the theme that people across the country owned it up and made it a landmark film.
Elaborating further, about the role of cinema as a powerful mass communication medium, the Minister said that Cinema spoke with the language of universality rising beyond the limitations of social and geographical boundaries. It promoted rapid diffusion of ideas which manifested themselves consciously or otherwise in the relaxing environments of cinema halls or homes, when the audiences were more susceptible.
Speaking on the occasion, Naidu briefly reflected on the course of evolution of cinema in India and where it was headed today. From the days of projecting anecdotes from Hindu mythologies, came the era of social films that began to portray the situation of contemporary life. He added that movies like Mother India captured the emotions, then prevailing in the country. The Minister said that some of the movies in the recent times were both entertaining and stimulating that did the role of informing, educating and enlightening while some movies had also propagated the Gandhian way of living where the humanistic approach to mankind was highlighted.
The Minister also spoke about the Government initiatives to support the film industry in the form of a single window Film Facilitation Office in National Film Development Corporation and a National Film Heritage Mission to restore and digitize film archives.
Governor of Goa, Smt. Mridula Sinha, Union Defence Minister, Manohar Parikkar, Chief Minister of Goa, Laxmikant Parsekar, Mr. Cho Hyun, Ambassador, Republic of Korea, Secretary I&B, Shri Ajay Mittal, and Ramesh Sippy were also present on the occasion
Chief Minister of Goa, Laxmikant Parsekar in his address said that IFFI provided a common platform to cinematography of the world. The movie selection at IFFI reflected the diversity of world cultures.
Also speaking on the occasion, Secretary I&B, Ajay Mittal said that Films were one of the most powerful mediums to reach out to society today. IFFI was one of the most prominent film festivals in India and Asia endeavoring to encourage and uphold an exceptional film culture in India.
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Award winning and acclaimed singer was conferred the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year 2016 for his contribution to Indian Cinema. He holds the record in the Guinness Book for singing and recording more than 40,000 songs and has won the National Award six times He was honoured with the Padma Shri (2001) and Padma Bhushan (2011) by the Government of India. This year, Mr Balasubrahmanyam has completed five decades in the film industry.
Internationally acclaimed Korean Writer and Director, Im Kwon Taek (Im Kwa Teek) was conferred ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’. In his career span of five decades, he has directed more than 100 films and has been honoured with a number of awards, including Best Director Award at Cannes Film Festival, 2002 for his movie Chihwaseon (chhih-wasaion).
Republic of Korea was the partner country for IFFI 2016. Ramesh Sippy, eminent director known for his seminal contribution Sholay was the Chief Guest for the opening ceremony.
There would be 15 films from across the globe, including two Indian films from Indian Panorama section in the International Competition Section. Under the section ‘International Competition’, awards will be given for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor – Male, Best Actor – Female and Special Jury Award. This year, the festival line-up included 26 Asian and 108 Indian Premieres in the International Cinema section.
The opening film of the festival was the grand masterpiece, After-Image, a creation of veteran writer and director, late. Andrzej Wajda (andre wajda). This movie is a passionate biopic about avant-garde painter Wladyslaw Strzeminski (Wlady-slaw Strz-aim-inski). The closing film or 47th IFFI would be the South Korean official entry for the Academy Awards, The Age of Shadows, directed by Kim Jee Woon.
IFFI 2016 in collaboration with the International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication (ICFT), Paris and UNESCO would also present the “ICFT- UNESCO Gandhi Medal” to a film, which reflects the ideals of peace, tolerance and non-violence.
The International Jury for IFFI 2016
Ivan Passer (ivan passer)- Chairperson (Czech Republic, USA) – internationally acclaimed Writer and Director, he is a significant figure in the Czech New Wave of the mid-1960s and collaborated as a writer with legendary filmmaker Milos Forman (Miloš Forman ) in Oscar nominated films, A loves of a blonde (1965) and Fireman’s blonde (1967). He has received Special Prize for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Larry Smith – Member (UK) – internationally acclaimed Cinematographer and Director, best known for his collaborations with director Nicolas Winding Refn and Stanley Kubrick..
Lordan Zafranovic (lordan zafra-novich) – Member (Croatia) – internationally acclaimed Writer and Director. His most important work is the cult film Occupation in 26 Pictures (1978). Zafranović has been praised as “one of the great masters of modernism. He started his feature film career by directing film, Sunday (1969). His documentaries Eyes of Beijing (2003) and China’s Terracotta Warriors (2003)won awards for best director at the Belgrade Festival of Documentary and short film. Documentary and experimental film Symphony of the Heaven City (2004) won the UNESCO Prize for the best documentary in 2004
Nagesh Kukunoor – Member (India) – Internationally acclaimed filmmaker from India, Kukunoor is known for his narrative style and distinct scripts. Hyderabad Blues 1&2, Rockford, Iqbal and Dor are some of his most acclaimed films.
Leila Kilani (Laila Kilani) – Member (Morocco) – She is a director and writer, known for Sur La Planche (2011), Tangier, the Burners’ Dream (2003), Our Forbidden Places (2008).
IFFI 2016 would also organize a special tribute section in the memory of Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda (andre wajda) and Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami (abbaas kirastomi) , who passed away this year.
The 47th edition of IFFI would screen three films for specially-abled children with special audio described technology under the Accessible India Campaign/ Sugamaya Bharat Abhiyan. This screening would take place in collaboration with UNESCO and Saksham.
Inspired by the Government’s Clean India Drive, IFFI 2016 would showcase a special package of 20 award winning short films based on the Swachh Bharat theme. These 20 films were short listed from 4,346 entries and awarded at the ‘Swachh Bharat Film Festival’ organized by National Film Development Corporation on 2nd October in New Delhi.
At 47th IFFI, National Film Archive of India has also organized a Multi-Media Exhibition on the theme ‘Azadi 70 Saal: Yaad Karo Qurbani’, to commemorate 70 years of India’s Independence and its depiction through films.
One minute silence was observed at the start of the IFFI 2016 inaugural ceremony for the people who lost their lives in the tragic train accident today.
The 47th edition of the International Film Festival of India would continue up to November 28th, 2016. The film festival besides showcasing films from across the globe would also bring interactive sessions, workshops and informative classes from global masters of the art in Direction, Documentary film making, Editing, Art Direction, Cinematography, VFX & Animation and Action Direction.
Veteran Korean filmmaker Im Kwon Taek will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening ceremony. The function will be held at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in Bambolim. Festival Director C Senthil Rajan has informed, around 300 films from nearly 90 countries will be screened during the 9-day event.
Polish drama film Afterimage directed by Andrzej Wajda will be the opening film. Legendary singer SP Balasubrahmaniam will be given Centenary Indian Film Personality of the year 2016 award for his distinguished services to the film industry. The Age of Shadows directed by acclaimed filmmaker Kim Jee-Woon will be the closing movie. Republic of Korea is the focus country at the IFFI this year.