The opening ceremony of52nd IFFI at Goa saw the graceful presence of Governor of Goa Shri P S Sreedharan Pillai, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur; Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant; and Union Minister of State, Information and Broadcasting, Shri L. Murugan. The galaxy of stars who infused creative vibrancy and artistic splendor to the opening ceremony included towering personalities of Indian cinema including Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Ritesh Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh and Shraddha Kapoor, amongst others.
Karan Johar & Manish Paul were the hosts of the evening.
On this occasion, Hungarian film director Istevan Szabo and American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor Martin Scorsese, two giants of international cinema, have been conferred the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for their excellence in international cinema.
Conveying his acceptance through a video message, Istvan Szabo said, “I am deeply moved to realize the fact that Indians know my films and some of them even love it.”
In yet another highlight, celebrated actor and two-time Member of Parliament Hema Malini has been presented the Indian Film Personality of the Year Award 2021.
Receiving the award, the actor who has enthralled generations of film lovers across wide sections of society, thanked the festival for bestowing her with such a prestigious award. “I am very happy to receive the Indian Film Personality of the Year Award 2021.
The veteran actor complimented IFFI for recognizing young and budding cinematic talent, through the “75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow” competition. “IFFI is doing a great job in encouraging our creative youngsters through this international platform.”
Acclaimed lyricist and chairperson, CBFC, Prasoon Joshi, who also has been conferred the Indian Film Personality of the Year Award 2021 will be presented the award at the closing ceremony of the festival, on November 28, 2021.
As the country celebrates the 75th year of our hard-earned freedom, with the fervour of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav diffusing across the length and breadth of the country, 75 young aspiring film makers have been handpicked from across the country to attend IFFI as special guests. The names of the winners have been announced at the opening ceremony today.
The 75 youngsters comprising 7 female and 68 male artists, all below 35 years of age, have been chosen based on their exquisite skills in different fields of film making including direction, editing, singing and screenplay, among others. The youngsters have been invited as special guests at the 52nd IFFI, providing them a great platform to explore their creativity.
Speaking about the novel initiative, the I&B Minister Shri Anurag Thakur said: “For the first time ever, we are recognizing and mentoring promising 75 young minds, as we celebrate 75 years of India’s independence. They have been chosen by the grand jury and selection jury after a meticulous selection process.”
The international Jury for 52nd IFFI led by Jury Chairperson, Iranian film maker Rakhshān Banietemad and other members including film producer and director Stephen Woolley, film makers Ciro Guerra, Vimukthi Jayasundara and Nila Madhab Panda were felicitated during the ceremony.
Apart from this, the ceremony also witnessed the introduction of the Jury of Indian Panorama and BRICS Film festival, which will be held alongside IFFI 52, through a picture collage on stage.
Galaxy of Starts Salaman Khan , Ranveer Singh , Cute Copules Ritesh & Genelia , Raashi Khaana , Sharaddha Kapoor etc stage performances were highlights of the ceremony which was curated by Wizcraft Event Management.
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Ajay KR
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