Festival is inseparable from State’s identity, says Sawant on completion of 20 years
A dance troupe depicting Indian culture performs at the inaugural of the 55th IFFI at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium on Wednesday.
Photo Credits: Narayan Pissurlenkar
PANAJI
As the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) completes 20 years in Goa, the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said that the annual festival is now inseparable from the State’s identity.
Addressing the formal inaugural event at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium, Sawant said that former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s vision made Goa the home of IFFI, and today, it’s inseparable from the State’s identity.
"Former Defence Minister and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar brought IFFI to Goa in 2004 and today it completes 20 years in the State. IFFI took Goa on a global platform," he said.
Sawant thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for boosting Goa's infrastructure development to take the festival to global height.
IFFI 2024 being held amidst the vibrant culture of Goa, opened with ‘Better Man’ directed by Michael Gracey. The film is a cinematic tribute to resilience, fame, and the extraordinary life of British pop legend Robbie Williams.
Earlier Speaking, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said India was focussed on developing the content creators’ economy, showcasing the country’s rich heritage and culture, and diversity of languages and literature.
In his video address at the inaugural event, Vaishnaw said with the addition of technology and development of creators’ ecosystem, India can play a major role in the media and entertainment sector globally.
“We in India at this point in time are very much focussed on developing content creators’ economy. We have a very vibrant creators’ economy where people are coming up with very innovative content showcasing some of the very rich heritage of India, the cuisines of India, the culture of India and the gems of Indian language and literature,” he said.
IFFI 2024 will present over 180+ international films from 81 countries, including 16 world premieres, 3 international premieres, 43 Asian premieres and 109 Indian premiers.
Global spiritual master and humanitarian leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar attended the IFFI inaugural along with several other film personalities like Nagarjuna Akkineni.
Esteemed filmmakers Subhash Ghai, Dinesh Vijan, Amar Kaushik, N M Suresh, and lyricist Prasoon Joshi are among the notable attendees. The event will also witness the presence of celebrated actors, including Nagarjuna, Nithya Menon, Vikrant Massey, Rakul Preet Singh, and Rajkummar Rao.
This year, Australia takes centre stage as the “country of focus,” with cultural performances by the Australian First Nations dance group Jannavi Dance Clan, promoting international cultural exchange during the inaugural.
The ceremony also featured “90s Rewind: Dance Explosion,” recreating the magic of iconic Bollywood hits, along with a poetic tribute, Timeless Souls.
