Better Man, a semi-autobiographical film about British pop singer Robbie Williams, will open the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), where Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce will be presented the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award.

The annual film gala, which will run through November 20-November 28 in Goa, will present over 180 international films from 81 countries, including 15 world premieres, three international premieres, 40 Asian premieres and 106 Indian premieres.

The curtain raiser press conference for IFFI 2024 was held on Monday at the National Media Centre here. The event was attended by L Murugan, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Sanjay Jaju, Secretary Information and Broadcasting ministry, Shekhar Kapur, Festival Director and Prasoon Joshi, Chairman, CBFC.

The IFFI is "not less than the Cannes Film Festival", said Murugan.  "You can compare our IFFI with Cannes and some of the other festivals... We are giving the same festivals in IFFI. The response that we are getting from the international audience and delegates is great... There are roadshows about the festival in Mumbai and Chennai. Another roadshow will happen in Hyderabad. We are seeing how the industry is owning the festival, taking responsibility," the minister told reporters.

The festival will open with the Asia premiere of Michael Gracey's "Better Man", an Australian film that offers a captivating glimpse into the life of popstar Robbie Williams, portrayed as a chimpanzee by Jonno Davies in a groundbreaking motion-capture performance.

Noyce, known for films such as the Angelina Jolie-starrer "Salt", "Patriot Game" starring Harrison Ford, and "The Bone Collector" featuring Denzel Washington and Jolie, will receive the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at IFFF 2024.

The upcoming gala will have 47 films directed by women and 66 works by young and debut filmmakers, reflecting "the festival's commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices".

Jaju said the team behind IFFI is excited to be charting a new path.  "This is the first time in the history of the film festival that we have started this tradition of handing over the festival to the industry. Now, Shekhar Kapur has taken over as the festival director. This is the festival of the industry being completely led and run by the industry.

"We look at the festival as the biggest because we are the world's biggest filmmaking nation. The content we make in our country is made at one-millionth of the cost at which the content is made outside," he added.

The theme of this year's festival is 'Young Filmmakers - The Future is Now', following which the Creative Minds of Tomorrow initiative has been enhanced to support 100 young talents from 75 in the previous editions. Kapur said that theatrical films are becoming less and less important. "But we need to nurture this idea of theatricals without saying that it's the only important medium. Because storytelling can be anything. I can give you a 30-second video and tell you a story. If I can't tell you a story in 30 seconds, 1 minute or 5 minutes, then nobody is going to remember you. We took a Western technology from 'Raja Harishchandra' and we made the biggest film industry in the world," the filmmaker said.

A new award of Best Debut Indian Director has been instituted to recognise the young filmmaking talent across India. The winner will be awarded a certificate and cash prize of Rs 5 lakh at the closing ceremony.

India is a country of "restless dreams and storytellers", added Joshi. "If we want our stories to be diverse, we need the courage to tell stories that come from our roots. Filmmaking has become more about courage than talent. It's become a property of those who are courageous. Now, why should that be? Many stories face story infanticide because they don't have resources. In such a case, IFFI is a national stage that platforms those who don't have sufficient funds or facilities," he said.

Australia will be the Country of Focus for IFFI 2024, with a dedicated package of Australian films and a strong presence at the festival.

The film festival will mark the centenary of four icons of Indian cinema Raj Kapoor, Tapan Sinha, Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR), and Mohammed Rafi at its upcoming 55th edition, honouring them with in-conversation series, exhibitions, and screenings of the restored versions of their timeless classics.