Want to establish India as global content hub: Anurag Thakur ahead of International Film Festival of India 2022 opening ceremony

Panaji, November 20

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur on Sunday said the government aims to establish 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 is set to kickstart here 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. The festival runs till November 28.

“The IFFI is Asia’s largest film festival and we are in the 53rd edition. We want to establish India as a global content hub. Be it content creation, co-production, filmmaking or shooting,” Thakur said.

In the 75th year of India’s independence through the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative, the Union minister said the focus is not only on celebrating excellence in cinema but also creating a collaborative ecosystem for the Indian film industry to go global through its Film Bazaar (market).

The film market, which will be held for five days, aims at discovering, supporting and showcasing South Asian content and talent in filmmaking, production and distribution for collaborations with international film fraternity.

“I am sure India has all the capabilities and possibilities with the trained and skilled manpower. Also, the way technology is being used in India, now we have the power to make the regional content international,” the Union minister said.

For the first time, the Market Area will include pavillions for countries, states as well as private organisations. States participating in the market include Bihar, Punjab, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Russia and France will also have a major presence at the Film Bazaar.

Calling India the “land of stories”, Thakur said the world is still unaware of the capabilities of Indian storytelling.

The Union minister also informed that almost 40 per cent of the movies being showcased at the festival, under the in- and out-of-competition segments, are either directed or fronted by women.

Conducted jointly by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), the 53rd 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.

Austrian movie “Alma and Oskar”, directed by Dieter Berner, is the opening film this year. Total 280 films from 79 countries will be screened at the IFFI.