KL Report
SRINAGAR
Two Kashmir films will be screened at International Film Festival of India-2013 which will begin on Nov 20 at Goa.
As per a local news agency, CNS, Additional Director General (Media and Communication) Press Information Bureau (PIB) Srinagar Obaidur Rahman Tuesday said that two Kashmiri films in the non-feature category will be screened at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) which will begin on November 20 in Goa.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Rahman said that a total of 15 films from around the world will vie for the coveted Peacock Awards at the festival, with the International Competition features with prize money amounting to a total of Rs 13.2 Crore approximately. Sixteen non-feature films, covering various regional languages have been selected for screening at IFFI 2013. Besides these, 26 feature films will be shown in the Indian Panorama section during the 11 day festival.
“The two Kashmiri films are “23 Winters” (Kashmiri/Hindi) by Rajesh S Jala and “Shepherds of Paradise” (Kashmiri/Gojri/Urdu) by Raja Shabir Khan,” he said adding that IFFI 2013, under the aegis of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, in collaboration with the Government of Goa, Directorate of Film Festival (GoI) and the Indian Film Industry, will bring cinema from around the world to the country and present a boutique of contemporary and classic cinema from India to the world, through a variety of film screening programmes, academic sessions and cultural exchange programmes. He said that around 160 foreign films are scheduled to be showcased in this edition of IFFI under various categories.
Replying to queries, Rahman said that the festival will be attended by Academy Award winning Hollywood actor Susan Sarandon, critically acclaimed Iranian producer, director and screen writer Majid Majidi and Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland along with luminaries from Indian cinema including actor Rekha and singer Asha Bhosle. He added that legendary actor Manoj Kumar will officially flag-off the Indian Panorama Film section during the inaugural ceremony of the festival.
“The Don Juans”, a comedy with drama by Czech filmmaker, theatre director, actor and scenarist Jiri Menzel will be the opening film of the festival, while “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” directed by Justin Chadwick and written by William Nicholson will be the closing film of IFFI 2013, the ADG added. During the festival, the Indian Cinema Centenary Award will be bestowed on a film with artistic merit and technical excellence, while Jiri Menzel will be bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement Award-2012.
Rahman told the gathering that during the ICFFI, popularly known as The Golden Elephant, 200 films from 48 countries shall be showcased across 10 screens in the city of Hyderabad with 30 daily shows. Around 1.5 lakh children are expected to watch the films during the festival. He further informed that the festival will also see 16 awards being presented in 4 categories namely International Live Action, International Animation, Competition Shorts and Competition Little Directors. A total of 111 children delegates from all over the country, including Jammu, shall take part in the festival, he added.
Assistant Director (M&C) PIB Ghulam Abbas and Media & Communication Officer PIB Tariq A Rather were also present at the briefing.
