The 55th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), jointly organised by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (Government of India), the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the Government of Goa via the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), is all set to take place from 20th to 28th November 2024 in the picturesque state of Goa. This year’s festival promises to be a cinematic extravaganza, showcasing diverse narratives, innovative voices, and fostering cultural exchange.
A press conference was held today at the IFFI Media Centre, and was addressed by Dr. Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister; Delilah Lobo, Vice-Chairperson of Entertainment Society of Goa; Prithul Kumar, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Managing Director, NFDC; Vrunda Desai, Joint secretary of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and Smita Vats Sharma, Director General, PIB, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; and senior officials from PIB and ESG.
Explaining the new initiatives lined up for this year, Dr. Sawant informed that ‘Sky Lantern’ competition entries will be showcased on the route of IFFI parade, and cash rewards will be given to the participants. IFFI parade is being organised on 22nd November from ESG office venue to Kala Academy.
180 international films from 81 countries will be screened during the festival. Free transport facilities will be arranged to facilitate the travel across the festival venues. The Chief Minister further informed that there will be special segment on Goan Films in which 14 films will be screened, celebrating local talent and culture.
Prithul Kumar, MD, NFDC said that Association of YouTube influencers in the festival is ensured through a partnership with Google and My Gov platforms. An Australian Film Pavilion will be featured in the Film Bazaar. The festival will also be graced by the renowned personalities from Film Industry such as Vidhu Vinod Chopra, A.R. Rahman, Vikrant Massey, R. Madhavan, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Kirti Kulhari, Arjun Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar, Rakul Preet Singh, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Sanya Malhotra, Ileana D’Cruz, Boman Irani, Pankaj Kapur, Aparshakti Khurana, Manasi Parekh, Pratik Gandhi, Sai Tamhankar, Vishnu Manchu, Prabhudeva, Kajal Aggarwal, Saurabh Shukla and others.
MD, NFDC further informed that 6500 delegates have been registered this year marking an increase of 25 percent over last year. To make the film festival more accessible to the film lovers, 6 more screens and 45 percent more screening theatres will be made available this year.
Prithul Kumar also informed that a press tour will be organised to acquaint journalists with all the verticals of Film business with an in-depth understanding of various aspects of the film industry. IFFI 2024 focusses on young filmmakers and has received a record 1032 entries in CMOT section as compared to 550 received in last year, said Kumar.
Smita Vats Sharma, DG PIB, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India underscored the festival’s growing appeal among media and its significant strides in fostering regional representation. She informed that an overwhelming number of applications were received from media persons. There are a total of 840 applications and 284 of them are from Goa itself. To extend the reach of the festival in all the regions of the Country, Regional offices of PIB will be issuing Media Releases in respective languages including media releases in Konkani language.
