44th International Film Festival of India
The 44th International Film Festival of India (Iffi) will kick off today , Wednesday in Goa.
There were many firsts in the 44th edition of the festival which include screening of 15 Oscar-nominated films among the 326 films from 76 countries being screened at the festival. “The participation of films on digital platform this year is as high as 80% in comparison to 50% last year.
The festival is also screening cinema from Afghanistan, Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East. The ‘Country Focus’ this year
The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia, held every year. It aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of the film art, contributing to the understanding and appreciation of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos, and promoting friendship and cooperation among people of the world.
History
The first edition of IFFI was organized by the Films Division, Government of India at Mumbai 1952. In all, it had about 40 features and 100 short films. The festival was subsequently taken to Chennai, Delhi & Kolkata. The festival was non-competitive in nature and 24 countries participated. The main festival which opened in Mumbai was inaugurated by Shri K.K. Diwaker, Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting. The Delhi session was inaugurated by Prime Minster Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru on February 21, 1952.
Since its beginnings in 1952 the IFFI has been the biggest event of its type in India. Subsequent IFFIs were held in New Delhi. From the 3rd edition in January 1965, IFFI became competitive. It was then moved to Trivandrum, capital of Kerala. In 1975 the Filmotsav, non-competitive and to be held in other filmmaking cities in alternate years, was introduced. Later, Filmotsavs were merged in IFFI. In 2004 the IFFI was moved to Goa from Trivandrum. Since then IFFI has been an annual event and competitive.