IFFI 2021: All you need to know about the prestigious film festival

Goa is set to host the 51st edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) from January 16-24. IFFI which takes place in the beach state from 20-28 every year, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here is everything you need to know about the 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI):

Venue:

In 2004, IFFI venue got permanently shifted to the state of Goa, which will be hosting even the current edition of IFFI. This time, the film festival has adopted the hybrid format, with both virtual and physical experience, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Who is hosting IFFI?

The festival is jointly hosted by the Government of Goa and Directorate of Film Festivals, under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

How many films will be screening at IFFI 2021?

A total of 224 films will be screened including 21 non-feature films and 26 feature films under the Indian Panorama films section. A total of 162 film premieres will take place at the IFFI 2021.

Which film will open IFFI 2021?

Another Round by Thomas Vinterberg will open IFFI 2021 on January 16. This will also mark the film’s India premiere. Another Round was Denmark’s official entry to the Oscars in 2020. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, the Danish comedy-drama revolves around four high school teachers who are out to experiment with the liberating effects of alcohol.

Which film will close IFFI 2021?

The festival will close with the India premiere of Japanese film Wife of a Spy on January 24. Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, the historical drama bagged the Silver Lion for Best Director at Venice International Film Festival.

Other films to be screened at IFFI 2021

Sandeep Kumar’s film Mehrunisa will also have its world premiere as part of 51st IFFI’s online events’ line-up. Starring actors Farrukh Jaffar, Tulika Banerjee, Ankita Dubey and Hussain Saddam, the movie follows an 80-year-old actress, and how she takes on the male-dominated Indian film industry, ending up becoming a leading advocate for women’s rights.
The festival will commemorate Satyajit Ray’s centenary. Around five films of Satyajit Ray will be showcased for the same. These are:

1. Charulata (1964)
2. Ghare Baire (1984)
3. Pather Panchali (1955)
4. Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977)
5. Sonar Kella (1974)

Film sections

Festival Kaleidoscope: 12 foreign films to be screened in the Kaleidoscope section of the movie gala. These include:

1. Night of the Kings by Philippe Lacote (France)
2. Love Affair(s) by Emmanuel Mouret (France)
3. The Big Hit by Emmanuel Courcol (France)
4. Window Boy Would also Like to Have a Submarine by Alex Piperno (Uruguay)
5. Forgotten We’ll Be by Fernando Trueba (Columbia)
6. Haifa Street by Mohanad Hayal (Iraq)
7. We Still Have the Deep Black Night by Gustavo Galvao (Brazil, Germany)
8. Parthenon by Mantas Kvedaravicius (Lithuania)
9. Apples by Christos Nikou (Greece)
10. My Little Sister by Stephanie Chuat and Veronique Reymond (Switzerland)
11. The Death of Cinema and My Father Too by Dani Rosenberg (Israel)
12. Valley Of The Gods by Lech Majewski (Poland)

Golden Peacock Award: As part of its international section, 15 acclaimed films will compete for the Golden Peacock Award. Argentine filmmaker Pablo Cesar will head its international jury panel. Other members of the jury include filmmakers Prasanna Vithanage (Sri Lanka), Abu Bakr Shawky (Austria), Rubaiyat Hossain (Bangladesh) and Priyadarshan (India).

Films competing for the Golden Peacock Award are:

1. The Domain by Tiago Guedes (Portugal)
2. Into The Darkness by Anders Refn (Denmark)
3. February by Kamen Kalev (Bulgaria, France)
4. My Best Part by Nicolas Maury (France)
5. I Never Cry by Piotr Domalewski (Poland, Ireland)
6. La Veronica by Leonardo Medel (Chile)
7. Light For The Youth by Shin Su-won (South Korea)
8. Red Moon Tide by Lois Patiño (Spain)
9. Dream About Sohrab by Ali Ghavitan (Iran)
10. The Dogs Didn’t Sleep Last Night by Ramin Rasouli (Afghanistan, Iran)
11. The Silent Forest by KO Chen-Nien (Taiwan)
12. Bridge by Kripal Kalita (India)
13. A Dog And His Man by Siddharth Tripathy (India)
14. Thaen by Ganesh Vinayakan (India)

In memoriam: A special section will also pay homage to the artistes who passed away in 2020. These include 19 film personalities from India like Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Khan, Nishikant Kamat and Basu Chatterjee, apart from 9 from across the globe such as Chadwick Boseman and Kirk Douglas.

Which films will be screened in Indian Panorama section?

Feature Films: The feature film jury has picked Saand Ki Aankh by director Tushar Hiranandani to open the Indian Panorama 2021. Asuran (Tamil), Chhichhore (Hindi) and Kappela (Malayalam) are the other three mainstream films set to be screened under this section, that has a total of 20 feature films. Filmmaker John Mathew Matthan is heading this jury, which comprises of twelve members.

Non-Feature Films: Filmmaker Haobam Paban Kumar is heading the non-feature jury. Paanchika directed by Ankit Kothari has been chosen as the opening non-feature film of the Indian Panorama 2021 segment. A total of 20 non-feature films will be screened including Drama Queens, Holy Rights, Khisa, Radha and Shantabai

Which films will be screened in World Panorama section?

The line-up consists of 50 films from across the globe, including 8 from Germany and 6 from France. Movies from America, Italy, Greece and Netherlands are also listed.

What is the country of focus at IFFI 2021?

Bangladesh has been chosen as the focus country this year with an attempt to recognise its cinematic excellence and contributions.

Under this Country in Focus segment, four Bangladeshi films will be showcased. There are:
1. Jibondhuli by Tanvir Mokammel
2. Meghmallar by Zahidur Rahim Anjan
3. Under Construction by Rubaiyat Hossain
4. Sincerely Yours, Dhaka by Nuhash Humayun, Syed Ahmed Shawki, Rahat Rahman Joy, MD Robiul Alam, Golam Kibria Farooki, Mir Mukarram Hossain, Tanvir Ahsan, Mahmudul Islam, Abdullah Al Noor, Krishnendu Chattopadhyay, Syed Saleh Ahmed Sobhan

Which events will be held online?

IFFI is holding its first-ever ‘hybrid’ film festival. Henceforth, few events will he conducted online. These include:

Retrospective Films:

1. Live Flesh, Bad Education and Volver by Pedro Almodóvar (Spain)
2. The Square and Force Majeure by Ruben Östlund (Sweden)

Master classes: Filmmakers Shekhar Kapur, Priyadarshan, Perry Lang, Subhash Ghai and Tanvir Mokammel will hold Masterclasses at the IFFI 2021.

In-conversation Sessions: Renowned stars from the film fraternity like Madhur Bhandarkar, Anjali Menon, Prasoon Joshi, Rahul Rawail, Aditya Dhar, John Mathew Matthan, Vikram Ghosh, Hariharan and others will be a part of this section.

Other online events: Few films from across the world will be screened, apart from Q&A sessions, film appreciation sessions by FTII, and mid fest world premiere of Mehrunisa.

Who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award?

Oscar-winning Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at IFFI 2021. Storaro has three Academy Awards for Best Cinematography for Apocalypse Now (1979), Reds (1981), and The Last Emperor (1987).