>From the Deccan Herald Expanding horizons for IFFI >From Utpal Borpujari DH News Service New Delhi: For the first time the IFFI will have films from three different continents and a minimum of five films each from the three regions would comprise the competition section.
A year after moving to its permanent venue in Goa, the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is all set to expand its horizons in a major way. Till now restricted to only Asian films, the competition section of the 36th edition of IFFI, to be held from November 24 to December four in Panaji, will comprise works from directors of Asian, African and Latin American countries. This will be the first time that IFFI will hold a competition of films from three different continents instead of just Asia, thereby making it much more interesting, official sources told Deccan Herald here. The total prize money of the competition section has also been doubled to Rs 20 lakh, with the Golden Peacock Award winner for the Best Film set to take home Rs 10 lakh, while the two Silver Peacock Award winners for the most promising director and the Special Jury Award will get Rs five lakh each, according to the festival regulations approved by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry. A minimum of five films each from the three regions would comprise the competition section, the sources said. With co-productions becoming the norm in world film making in recent years, the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) have made it clear that any film which has a co-producer from any country from the three selected regions will also be eligible for entry into the competition section, provided it is selected for the section by a preview committee. Films not selected for the competition section will be considered for screening as part of the Cinema of the World section if its makers want so, the sources said. The DFF, keeping in mind the fact that a number of international film festivals have come up in the country with those in Kolkata, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram attracting a number of international films, has also made it clear that to be eligible for selection in the competition section, a film must not be previously screened anywhere in India. *** Thanks to http://www.goanvoice.org.uk for the link. -FN
