India to be one-stop hub for content creation: Anurag Thakur

New Delhi, November 20

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Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur has said the government aimed at establishing the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) as the one-stop destination for content creation, filmmaking and shooting.

The 53rd edition of the nine-day festival kick-started in Goa today with film personalities, including Ajay Devgn, Kartik Aaryan, Pankaj Tripathi, Manoj Bajpayee, Suniel Shetty, Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan, in attendance at the opening ceremony.

Has the wherewithal

Given the trained and skilled manpower, India has the capabilities and possibilities to become a leader in content creation. We have the power to make the regional content international. —Anurag Thakur, Union Minister

The festival will come to an end on November 28. “The IFFI is Asia’s largest film festival and this year is its 53rd edition. The Centre wants to establish India as a global content hub — be it content creation, co-production, filmmaking or shooting,” Thakur said.

“Given the trained and skilled manpower, India has the capabilities and possibilities to become a leader in content creation. Besides, the way technology is being used in India, we have the power to make the regional content international,” said the minister. For the first time, the festival will include pavilions for countries, states as well as private organisations. Some of the participating states are Bihar, Punjab, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Russia and France will also have a major presence.

Calling India the “land of stories”, Thakur said: “The world is still unaware of the capabilities of Indian storytelling.” Almost 40 per cent of the movies that would be screened at the festival were either directed or fronted by women, he added.

Conducted jointly by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), the 53rd edition of the IFFI will feature retrospectives on Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Asha Parekh and Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura, who will be honoured with the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening ceremony. In all, 280 films from 79 countries will be screened at the IFFI.