The 49th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2018 will kick-start on Tuesday evening with an opening ceremony that will showcase the theme of New India through a variety of genres of cinema.
The ceremony will be held at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on the outskirts of the city from 4.30 p.m. onwards.
The inaugural would entail a 90-minute programme incorporating elements and narratives of the rich and diverse kaleidoscope of the Indian film heritage and industry, which will showcase the themes of history, action and romance.
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This film festival will showcase 212 films from over 68 countries. International Competition section incorporates 15 films, including three Indian films. As many as 26 feature and 21 non-feature Indian films will be screened in the Indian Panorama section.
The festival will open with director Julien Landais’ debut movie
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Addressing a press-conference the French-born director said, “The film was set in the overwhelmingly repressive Victorian era, when people could not express their feelings and emotions, and still you will see how it is connected to our world today. Especially concerning women and their independence and freedom. I love what Henry James created at the end of that novel.” He went on to describe it as the “perfect ending for today.”
A host of celebrities, led by Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Julien Landais, Hrishita Bhatt, Madhur Bhandarkar, Subhash Ghai, Arijit Singh, Ramesh Sippy and Chin Han, among others, will walk the red carpet.
Chairman, International Competition Jury and Polish Director Robert Glinski will be present with jury members, namely, Adrian Sitaru, Anna Ferraioli Ravel, Tom Fitz Patrick and Indian member Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.
Nearly 8000 delegates have registered for the IFFI,2008 of which over 4,000 have been confirmed, said the organisers.
While OLU directed by Shaji N. Karun will be the opening feature film of the Indian Panorama 2018, Marathi film Kharvas directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale will be the opening non-feature film.
Country of Focus
Every year IFFI features a “Country of Focus” that brings out the cinematic excellence and contributions of that particular Country. This edition will have Israel as the Country of Focus.
Ten films from Israel have been selected in the category, which will open with The Other Story by Avi Nesher.
In the State focus section, introduced for the first time, the focus will be on films from Jharkhand. It includes Death in the Gunj, Ranchi Diaries, Begum Jaan, among others.
A new section Sketch on Screen (Animation Film Package) has been introduced, which will screen three International Feature Length Films done in collaboration with Indian studios.
The ‘Homages’ section will pay tribute to veteran actors Shashi Kapoor, Sridevi, M. Karunanidhi and Kalpana Lajmi. In the global section, homages will be paid to Terence Marsh, Milos Forman, and Anne V. Coates.