After undergoing postponements owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF), Maharashtra’s official film festival, is finally set to be held in its physical form from December 2 to December 9, 2021.
The 19th edition of the popular film festival was earlier scheduled to be held in March this year (instead of its traditional commencement date in January), but had to be called off again in the wake of the lethal second wave of the pandemic, which hit Pune district particularly hard. The film fest was then held in an online format in March under the shadow of the pandemic, with only a select few films available for viewing.
Filmmakers, distributors, film festival organisers and cinephiles heaved a sigh of relief after the Maharashtra government finally gave the green signal for the reopening of cinema halls, theatres and auditoriums on October 22 this year.
“Now that the State Government has given the permission to open cinema halls, the PIFF can finally be held in its physical format with proper appreciation by the public. Audiences will get an opportunity to watch over 150 curated national and international films. The standard operating procedure given by the State government in regard to the functioning of the cinema halls shall, however, be strictly followed,” said PIFF Director and eminent filmmaker, Dr. Jabbar Patel.
Cineastes can head to Pune’s theatres to catch a rich cinematic bonanza from across the globe while savouring the finest works in regional cinema by young talent of the celluloid world.
The ‘World Competition’ category showcases films from Armenia, Romania, Argentina, Iran, Peru, Russia and Lithuania, among other countries. They include such films as the excellent, minimalist Should the Wind Drop (2020), Armenia’s submission for the Best International Feature Film at the Oscars; Dear Comrades! (2020), a Russian historical drama about the 1962 Novocherkassk massacre by the famed director Andrei Konchalovsky; and Charlatan , by the legendary Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, among others.
Earlier this year, Dr. Patel had announced that PIFF 2021 would be dedicated to the “frontline warriors” who heroically battled the pandemic.
