Acknowledging the change in viewers’ preferences, the 52nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will provide space to five key streaming platforms — Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5, Voot and SonyLIV.
The film festival is scheduled to be held from November 20 to 28, 2021 in Goa.
American filmmaker Martin Scorsese, one of the most influential directors in the world, along with critically acclaimed Hungarian director Istvan Szabo, will be conferred the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the Festival.
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting officials said that both the directors have been invited to receive the award in person but, so far, there is no confirmation from them on it.
A total of 22 international guests have confirmed their presence.
This is the first time that the OTT (Over The Top) platforms will be participating at the IFFI.
“When cinema halls shut down during the pandemic, filmmakers moved to OTT platforms. We also decided to embrace this change and take the step in the right direction. Films made especially for OTT platforms will be showcased at the festival,” said Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, briefing reporters in Delhi.
Mr. Thakur said that OTT is also emerging as “one of the leading job creators”. The government, he said, is open to addressing any challenges that OTT platforms face. “India is a land of storytellers; our tales have captured the imagination of the world. India’s wide variety of stories rightly makes us the ‘content subcontinent’,” he remarked.
Spanish film The King of All the World will be the opening film. The festival will also pay a special tribute to Sean Connery, the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on the big screen.
Mr. Thakur also announced that the BRICS Film Festival will be showcased alongside the IFFI.
Around 30 films have been shortlisted for screening in the Festival Kaleidoscope and World Panorama sections.
The jury for the international competition section is headed by Iranian filmmaker Rakhshan Banietemad. For the first time ever, 75 young aspiring filmmakers will receive masterclasses from industry experts.
