Chhichhore, Asuran, Avijatrik, Gatham are among some of the films that will be showcased at the 51st edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) that will be held in Goa from January 16 to 24, 2021.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, the publicity manager of IFFI said that some events would be virtual while some would happen in person.
“Taking into account the ongoing Pandemic, International Film Festival of India is holding its first ever ‘hybrid’ Film festival. This year IFFI will organize a few of its events on the OTT platform for its audience,” said a press release issued by IFFI.
This year, Bangladesh is the country in focus. The festival includes nine South Indian films, 23 feature films, and 20 non-feature films. Six iconic Marathi films will be screened under the Indian Panorama section and 15 acclaimed films will compete for the Golden Peacock Award at IFFI’s International Competition section.
Founded in 1952, IFFI is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Initially held in different parts of the country, the film festival has finally found its permanent home in Goa since its 35th edition in 2004, conducted jointly by the Directorate of Film Festivals under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Goa government.
This year, international jury members include Pablo Cesar (Argentina), Prasanna Vithanage (Sri Lanka), Abu Bakr Shawky (Austria), Priyadarshan (India) and Rubaiyat Hossain (Bangladesh).
The festival will premier Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round as the opening film, while the historical drama Wife of a Spy by Kiyoshi Kurosawa will bring the 51st IFFI to a close.
Films that are competing for the Golden Peacock include The Domain by Tiago Guedes (Portugal), Into The Darkness by Anders Refn (Denmark), February by Kamen Kalev (Bulgaria, France), My Best Part by Nicolas Maury (France), I Never Cry by Piotr Domalewski (Poland, Ireland), La Veronica by Leonardo Medel (Chile), Light For The Youth by Shin Su-won (South Korea), Red Moon Tide by Lois Patiño (Spain), Dream About Sohrab by Ali Ghavitan (Iran), The Dogs Didn’t Sleep Last Night by Ramin Rasouli (Afghanistan, Iran), The Silent Forest by KO Chen-Nien (Taiwan), The Forgotten by Daria Onyshchenko (Ukraine, Switzerland). The Indian films lined-up for the competition are Bridge by Kripal Kalita, A Dog And His Man by Siddharth Tripathy, and Thaen by Ganesh Vinayakan.
Along with the Dhanush-starrer Asuran and Kiran Kondamadugula’s directorial Gatham, there are seven other South Indian films in the feature as well as non-feature categories including Pinki Elli?, Safe, Trance, Kettiyolaanu Ente Malakha, Kappela, Thahira, Thaen, Oru Paathiraa Swapnam Pole.
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Bengali films in both the feature and non-feature categories include Avijatrik and Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti, while films in other Indian languages include A Dog And His Man (Chhattisgarh), Aavartan (Assam), Saand Ki Aankh (Hindi), Chhichhore (both in Hindi), June, Karkhanisanchi Waari, Khisa, Pandhara Chivda, Still Alive in Marathi, Bridge, Up Up & Up, Eigi Kona, Prawaas, Kalira Atita, and Namo.
100 Years Of Chrysotom – A Biographical Film, Ahimsa- Gandhi: The Power Of The Powerless, Catdog, Drama Queens, Green Blackberries, Highways Of Life, Holy Rights, In Our World, Investing Life, Jaadoo, Jhat Aayi Basant, Justice Delayed But Delivered, Khisa, Oru Paathiraa Swapnam Pole, Paanchika, Pandhara Chivda, Radha, Shantabai, Still Alive, The 14th February & Beyond are some of the films in the non-feature category.