The 48th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will present films by more than 30 women filmmakers, a record for the festival.
As many as 195 films from 82 countries will be screened at the nine-day festival, which kicks off on Monday, including 10 world premieres, 10 Asian and international premieres, and over 64 Indian premieres, organisers have said.
The festival will open with Beyond The Clouds by acclaimed filmmaker Majid Majidi, and close with the world premiere of the Indo-Argentine co-production Thinking of Him directed by Pablo Cesar. While actor Shah Rukh Khan will be the chief guest at the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony will be graced by actor Salman Khan.
The Indian Panaroma section will be inaugurated on Tuesday by actor Sridevi. The Country Focus on Canada will be celebrated the same day. The section has been organised in association with the Canadian government and in collaboration with Telefilm Canada, and curated by the Toronto International Film Festival.
Fifteen films will compete for the Golden and Silver Peacock awards in the international competition, which carries a cumulative cash prize of over ₹1 crore. Filmmaker Muzaffar Ali will head the international competition jury. Other jury members will be festival director Maxine Williamson from Australia, actor-director Tzahi Grad from Isreal, Russian cinematographer Vladislav Opelyants, director and production designer Roger Christian from the United Kingdom.
This edition will present a curated section of restored classics, and a nine-film package on James Bond. Additionally, the festival will present four films from young filmmakers of the Biennale College as a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the Venice International Film Festival.
IFFI will present the Lifetime Achievement award to Canadian director Atom Egoyan.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar released the official IFFI app, which will keep delegates informed about the festival. It has been created by Haztech founder Mohsin Shaikh.