NEW DELHI: A total of 179 films from 75 countries across different categories would be screened and China will be the focus country for the forthcoming International Film Festival of India in Panaji, later this month.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan will inaugurate the annual filmfest to be held from 20 to 30 November.
Popular star Rajnikant would be bestowed with the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year, and Chinese filmmaker Wong Kar Wai would receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
This information was given by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who said the first meeting of the “Indo-China Joint Working Group” would be held on the sidelines of the festival. The Minister added that this partnership provided a platform opening new avenues for film makers from both the countries by sharing best practices and technologies.
Referring to the opening ceremony, the Minister stated Chinese film actress Zhang Ziyi, Swedish filmmaker Jan Troell, and Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi would be the Guests of Honour.
The President directed by renowned filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf from Iran will be the opening film on 20 November and The Grandmaster by Wong Kar Wai would be the closing film of the festival on 30 November.
The international films include World Cinema (61 films), Master-strokes (11 films), Festival Kaleidoscope (20 films), Soul of Asia (7 films), Documentaries (6 films), and Animated Films (6 films).
In addition, the Indian Panorama section would include 41 feature and non-feature films. The North-East being the focus region of the festival, IFFI 2014 would be showcasing seven films from that region.
Retrospectives will be held on Gulzar and Jahnu Baruah and a special tribute to Farooq Sheikh. One film each of eminent film personalities who passed away in the past year would be screened. These are Richard Attenborough, Robin Williams, Zohra Sehgal, and Suchitra Sen.
A special section of films that focus on dance, personality based retrospectives, and Masterclasses and workshops would also form part of IFFI 2014.
