British
film
"Catching
Dust" will
open
the
54th
International
Film
Festival
of
India
(IFFI),
to
be
held
in
Goa
from
November
20
to
28,
Union
Minister
of
Information
and
Broadcasting
Anurag
Thakur
announced
on
Monday.
American
film
"The
Featherweight"
will
be
the
closing
title,
whereas
Turkish
film
"About
Dry
Grasses"
will
be
the
midfest
movie,
the
minister
said
at
the
curtain
raiser
press
conference
of
IFFI
here.
When
it
comes
to
film
production,
India
is
recognised
as
the
biggest
producer
in
the
world,
said
Thakur.
"India
has
emerged
as
a
major
power
in
the
field
of
cinema.
India's
media
and
entertainment
industry
is
a
force
to
be
reckoned
with
the
ranking
as
the
fifth
largest
market
growth
and
this
market
is
growing
with
each
passing
year.
"In
the
last
three
years,
it
ranks
at
20
per
cent
growth
annually.
Our
industry
stands
as
a
beacon
of
innovation
and
creativity,
reaching
every
corner
of
the
country
and
now
cutting
across
the
boundaries
reaching
every
nook
and
corner
of
the
world.
If
your
content
has
power,
it
can
quickly
become
from
regional
to
national
to
international,"
the
minister
told
reporters.
This
year,
the
ministry
announced
the
addition
of
a
new
award
category
to
the
film
extravaganza
that
will
be
presented
to
a
web
series
for
its
"artistic
merit,
storytelling
excellence,
technical
prowess
and
overall
impact".
Both
the
number
of
OTT
platforms
and
the
production
of
homegrown
content
has
increased
in
the
country,
added
Thakur.
"Content
ranging
over
thousands
of
hours
is
being
produced
in
India,
which
in
turn
is
generating
employment
opportunities.
This
content
is
also
a
source
of
entertainment.
In
response
to
the
dynamic
landscape
of
the
entertainment
and
OTT
sector,
which
stands
at
28
per
cent
annually,
we
have
introduced
the
best
web
series
OTT
award,"
he
said.
A
total
of
32
entries
across
10
languages
from
15
OTT
platforms
have
been
selected
for
the
inaugural
best
web
series
award,
added
Thakur.
The
winning
series
will
receive
a
certificate
and
a
cash
prize
of
Rs
10
lakh.
Fifteen
titles
are
vying
for
the
Golden
Peacock
award,
given
to
the
best
film
award
winner
which
will
receive
Rs
40
lakh
as
cash
prize.
Hollywood
star
Michael
Douglas,
who
will
be
honoured
with
the
Satyajit
Ray
Lifetime
Achievement
Award
at
IFFI,
will
also
sit
down
for
a
masterclass
session.
IFFI
will
also
fete
world
premieres
of
seven
films
across
languages
which
have
been
restored
by
the
collective
efforts
of
the
National
Film
Development
Corporation
(NFDC)
and
National
Film
Archive
of
India
(NFAI).
These
include
Bengali
film
"Vidyapati"
(1937),
Marathi
film
"Shyamchi
Aai"
(1953),
Telugu
film
"Patala
Bhairavi"
(1951),
Hindi
films
"Haqeeqat"
(1964)
and
"Guide"
(1965)
in
the
birth
centenary
year
of
veteran
actor
Dev
Anand,
Bengali
film
"Chorus"
(1974),
and
Hindi
movie
"Bees
Saal
Baad"
(1962).
Three
international
restorations
are
also
part
of
the
segment.
A
total
of
20
films
from
11
countries
have
been
selected
for
the
17th
edition
of
the
Film
Bazaar,
the
co-production
market
event
held
on
the
sidelines
of
the
International
Film
Festival
of
India
(IFFI).
The
conclave
will
take
place
at
Marriott
Resort
in
Goa
from
November
20
to
24.
To
nurture
the
upcoming
visual
effects
industry
in
Indian
cinema,
a
special
VFX
&
Tech
Pavilion
will
be
set
up
at
the
Film
Bazaar
where
stalls
will
showcase
latest
technology
and
help
filmmakers
explore
the
possibilities
of
storytelling.
A
special
section
has
been
created
to
make
the
festival
an
inclusive
and
accessible
avenue
for
everyone
and
ensure
"Sabka
Saath,
Sabka
Vikas,
Sabka
Manoranjan".
For
the
visually
impaired,
films
"Sirf
Ek
Bandaa
Kaafi
Hai"
and
"Shershaah"
will
be
made
available
with
embedded
audio
descriptions.
Movies
"83"
and
"Bhaag
Mikha
Bhaag"
will
have
embedded
sign
language
for
the
hearing
impaired.
Option
of
multiple
language
dubs
will
be
available,
including
for
some
Indian
Panorama
Films.
The
third
edition
of
75
Creative
Minds,
an
initiative
to
identify,
encourage,
and
nurture
young
creative
talents,
will
be
held
this
year.
Around
600
applications
across
10
categories
have
been
received.
Thakur
said
nodal
officers
have
been
appointed
by
the
ministry
to
curb
online
piracy
of
movies
under
the
Cinematograph
(Amendment)
Bill
2023.
"These
nodal
officers
will
serve
at
the
ministry
and
the
Central
Board
for
Film
Certification
as
well
as
at
the
regional
centres.
The
Indian
government
is
with
the
Indian
film
industry
in
your
fight
against
piracy...
"We
are
moving
in
the
direction
to
make
India
the
'vishwaguru' in
the
sector
of
films
and
entertainment.
The
54th
IFFI
is
an
opportunity
not
only
for
the
world,
but
also
for
India
to
create
a
new
identity
for
itself,"
he
added.
Asked
if
the
ministry
would
like
to
shift
the
festival
venue
from
Goa
to
any
other
state,
say
Tamil
Nadu,
Thakur
said
they
would
"look
into"
it
if
the
state
government
shows
interest
in
future.
Also
present
were
Union
Minister
of
State
for
I&B
L
Murugan;
Prithul
Kumar,
joint
secretary
(films),
I&B
ministry,
and
IFFI
festival
director;
Neerja
Sekhar,
additional
secretary,
I&B
ministry,
and
Manish
Desai,
principal
director
general
of
Press
Information
Bureau
(PIB).