The Information & Broadcasting Ministry on Friday said that the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award will be conferred on Hollywood director Martin Scorsese and Hungarian film maker Istvan Szabo at the 52nd International Film Festival of India. The festival is slated to be held from November 20 to 28 in Goa.
In a statement, I&B Minister Anurag Thakur said, “India is a land of story tellers; our tales have captured the imagination of the world. India’s wide variety of stories rightly makes us the ‘Content Subcontinent’.”
OTT platforms
Thakur added that watching movies on OTT is on the rise and IFFI is embracing new technology and for the first time major OTT players have been invited to participate in the festival, in a bid to provide a platform for the industry artists to interact with OTT players.
Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5, Voot and Sony Liv will be participating through exclusive Masterclasses, content launches and previews, curated film package screenings, and various other on-ground and virtual events, the statement added.
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The Ministry said that IFFI will also provide a platform to young budding talent from across India to connect with mainstream cinema filmmakers and the industry.
“75 creative minds (under 35 years) will be invited to interact with industry leaders and attend Masterclasses at the Festival. These youngsters will be selected through a competition for young filmmakers from around the country,” the statement added.
BRICS Film Festival
Thakur also announced that for the first time, films from BRICS nations will be showcased through the BRICS Film Festival alongside IFFI. The five focus countries include Brazil, Russia, South Africa, China and India.
The Opening film of this edition of IFFI, will be ‘The King of all the World’ (El Rey de Todo El Mundo) directed by Carlos Saura . Around 30 films have been shortlisted for screening at IFFI from prominent International Film Festivals in the Festival Kaleidoscope and World Panorama Section, the statement added.