Odisha Channel Bureau
Bhubaneswar: International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2015 will open with ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ by Matthew Brown in Goa on November 20.The film was a true story of friendship between Indian Mathematician Ramanujan and Professor GH Hardy that forever changed the world of mathematics.As many as 187 films from 89 countries will be showcased at IFFI 2015 in international section, while 26 feature and 21 non-feature films will be screened in the Indian panorama section.Anil Kapoor will be the chief guest at the opening ceremony for IFFI 2015.
The festival will continue till November 30.Giving details about IFFI 2015 in New Delhi today, Arun Jaitley, Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and I&B said that IFFI held a special significance and had become a global brand in the world of cinema.IFFI promoted excellence and provided an opportunity to showcase the best domestic and international talent, said Jaitley.On the focus country for the film festival, Jaitley said that the ‘Kingdom of Spain’ would be the focus country for IFFI 2015.The films of master Spanish filmmakers Carlos Saura and Pedro Almadovar along with contemporary filmmakers like Alejandro Amenabar would be screened at the festival, according to a PIB release.
The section would also feature Spanish actress Leticia Dolera’s directorial debut ‘Requirements to Be a Normal Person.’ The IFFI 2015 in the International Competition would include 15 films from across the globe, he said.He said this year IFFI would feature a special section on ‘World Cinema Restored Classics’ to highlight the idea of film restoration.This would feature a package of classics to put spotlight on National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM). The Minister further said that the film festival would also introduce a new segment- ‘First Cut’ to recognise the young talent in the field of cinema and would screen some of the outstanding directorial debuts of 2015.The festival in association with the Oscar Academy would also promote skill development in film making through master classes on varied topics like sound designing, film archive and film editing.
The Minister said that IFFI 2015 would also include special award – “ICFT- UNESCO Fellini Prize” in collaboration with the International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication (ICFT), Paris and UNESCO.The award would be presented to a film which reflects the ideals of peace, tolerance, non-violence and friendship promoted by UNESCO.Goa had been the perfect venue for past 11 years for the film festival.
The festival would also have a special focus on North East Cinema and would showcase the best of films and filmmakers from the region to the world.IFFI 2015 would also organise a special seminar on film and cultural diversity.
