IFFI 2024, 01: Start sound

International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2024 will mark its 55^th edition. It will be held in Goa from 20th to 28th November. Film enthusiasts can log on to https://my.iffigoa.org/ to register their names. While film professionals and cinema enthusiasts can register themselves by paying a fee of Rs. 1,180, students get free access to panels and screenings with an allowance of 4 tickets per day. Interested delegates can create a ‘My-IFFI’ account at https://my.iffigoa.org/ to access a personalised dashboard, where they can book tickets and check festival schedules. In case of any queries, one can send an email to registration@iffigoa.org.

The 55th IFFI will offer movies across 16 curated segments, and will also offer workshops and master classes by legendary film-makers and industry professionals, apart from ‘Film Bazaar’, ‘Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ and ‘Cine Mela’, making the International Film Festival of India a ‘One Stop Shop’ for budding talent and everything Films.

Founded in 1952, the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), known earlier by slightly differing names but finally settling for IFFI, stands as one of Asia’s premier film festivals. IFFI, which was earlier organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals, is, for the first time, being organised by the National Film Development Corporation and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in collaboration with the Government of Goa. A roving festival till 2003, it moved to Goa in 2004, for good. The Directorate of Film Festivals has since been dissolved.

A total of 25 feature films, including five mainstream movies, and 20 non-feature films, will be showcased under the Indian Panorama section. From a pool of 384 feature films, the opening spotlight will shine on Swatantrya Veer Savarkar (Hindi), directed by Randeep Hooda, while the non-feature category kicks off with Ghar Jaisa Kuch (Ladakhi), by Harsh Sangani.

The author, with Dr. ChandraPrakash Dwivedi

Led by Dr. Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, the selection jury has curated a diverse selection that celebrates both new and seasoned film-makers. Dwivedi, a qualified doctor, began his career with the TV serial, Chanakya, 1990-92, in which yours truly played MahaMantri Sushen. I also had occasion to dub the voices of several characters from Hindi to English in his series called Upanishad Ganga (2012). His last release was a feature film, Prithviraj Chauhan (2022). Earlier, he made Pinjar (2003), probably his most sensitive film till date. Mohalla Assi, set around Assi Ghat of Varanasi, and starring Sunny Deol. His next film was Zed Plus. This film was a political satire and comedy, starring Adil Hussain (best known for Life of Pi and English Vinglish) and Mona Singh (of Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi fame).

Other members of the Jury were Sameer Henchate, Sushant Misra, Neelabh Kaul, S.M Patil, Sushmita Mukherjee, Manoj Joshi (known for the stage version of Chanakya), Arun Bose, Himanshu Shekhar Khatua, Ashuu Trikha, Priya Krishna Swami, Oniam Gautam, Ratnottama Sengupta, Maharaj (formerly of the Films Division, now defunct; Head - Indian Panorama). If one notices that certain members of the selection committee have a political dispensation, it is hoped that it was their acumen in judging qualities of films, and not their political leanings, that they were chosen to be part of this committee.

The Indian Panorama selection includes Karkhanu (which is the Gujarati word for factory), directed by Rushabh Thanki and produced by Marrkat Bros. Gujarat’s first-ever smart horror comedy, where a spooky legend of the “Haunted Factory” comes to life. Set on the night of Kali Chaudas, this story follows three innocent carpenters, who find themselves trapped in a ghostly workshop, delivering a thrilling and humorous take on local folklore. From the Marathi repertoire, we have Gharat Ganpati, Gypsy, and Raavsaheb. There are three Bengali films too, Aamar Boss, Bhootpori, and Onko Ki Kothin. Kannada language gives us Kerebete, directed by Gururaj B, and Venkya, directed by Sagar Puranik. Then there are three Malayalam films, Aadujeevitham, Bramayugam and Level Cross. Two Assamese films, Juiphool and Rador Pakhi, one Tamil film, Jigarthanda Double X, and one Telugu film 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu complete the non-Hindustani film selection. Three Hindustani films, Srikanth, Article 370, and Mahavatar Narsimha are the other films that complete the tally, not counting the opening film.

The feature film section this year will also showcase a film in Galo, a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Galo people of Arunachal Pradesh. Popular films like Kalki, Manjummel Boys and 12th Fail will also be screened. In the non-feature film section, seven Hindi films will be screened, alongside two Tamil, one Garo, one Rajasthani, one Haryanvi, a Punjabi, an English, one Oriya, Bengali, and one Marathi film. Konkani film Saavat, directed by Shivam Harmalkar and Santosh Shetkar, is one of the 20 non-feature films selected.

Australia is the country of Focus at IFFI 2024.