The 46th edition of the International Film Festival of India, got off to a glittering start with actors and politicians heaping praise on Goa for the successful hosting of the festival.
A bout of rain and a protest during the function by a group of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students didn’t take away the lustre of the opening ceremony.
“It is essential to make these locations centres where creativity assembles. There can’t be a better synergy than good cinema and Goa,” Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Arun Jaitley said.
Chief Guest for the opening function veteran Actor Anil Kapoor said that Goa was just the right place as it helped him calm down.
“I dont know where to begin what do I say. I am getting very very sentimental today. Want to thank people of Goa. When I come here, it gives a certian kind of energy,” Kapoor said. Kapoor also said that he was meeting Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionnaire fame, for the first time since Oscar night.
Patel was down in the State as part of the cast to of the opening film The Man Who Knew Infinity directed by Mathew Brown a film on the 1913 self-taught Indian mathematical genius Ramanajun and his friendship with GH Hardy who helped reveal the mathematics genius to the world.
Besides Kapoor artistes who were also in attendance like the chairman of the festival’s jury Shekhar Kapur, legendary music director Ilayaraja, along with Union Finance Minister Aun Jaitley, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Union Minister of State (independent charge) I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore and Goa Chief Minister laxmikant Parsekar.
Shekhar Kapur, credited Parrikar, a former Goa chief minister, for bringing IFFI to Goa.
“I have never been a chairman of jury at home. ... I love Goa. I along with Mr. Parrikar, fought to bring this festival to Goa,” Kapur said, recounting how in 2004 the festival moved from being a travelling festival to one with a permanent location in Goa.
“Every jury is a test of fearlessness. You need to be completely fearless to be a creative person. There’s nothing more frighteneing than a blank canvas,” he added.
Music maestro Ilayaraja who was felicitated with the centenary award for lifetime achievement on the occasion implored Jaitley to make music compulsory in school to overcome social violence.
The inaugural ceremony also saw a minor disruption after two attendees raised banners and slogans demanding removal of Film and Television Institute of India director Gajendra Chauhan. The protestors were escorted out of the venue by police personnel.
More than 7,000 delegates from 38 countries, most from India, have registered for the festival which will also be accompanied simultaneously by the ninth edition of the Film Bazaar, a networking event aimed at facilitating collaboration in the realm of production and distribution.
The festival will come to a close on November 30, at a ceremony where Music maestro A.R. Rahman will be the chief guest of the closing ceremony of the event and where the best competing films will be awarded the coveted awards, the Golden and Silver peacocks.
This year, out of 15 films in International Competition, five are official Oscar entries. The list includes Colombia’s El abrazo de la serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent) directed by Ciro Guerra, France’s Mustang directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Germany’s Oscar entry Im labyrinth des Schweigens (labyrinth of lies) directed by Giulio Ricciarelli, Iceland’s Oscar entry Rams directed by Grímur Hákonarson and Serbia’s Enclave directed by Goran Radovanovic.
The list of other Oscar entries that will be screened in the festival includes Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court from India, Anna Muylaert’s Que Horas Ela VoltaIJ (The Second Mother) from Brazil, Nikita Mikhalkov’s Solnechnyy Udar from Russia, Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s Nie Yin Niang from Taiwan and Patricio Guzmán’s El botón de nácar from Chile.