Volver and Babel at IFFI

Panaji (UNI): Award winning films - Volver and Babel - that were screened in the last Cannes Festival in France have been selected as the opening and closing films, respectively, for the 37th edition of the International Film festival of India (IFFI) beginning here on November 23. Disclosing this while briefing mediapersons on the outcome of the IFFI's organising committee meeting today, chief executive officer Ms Nandini Paliwal of the Entertainment Society of Goa, the nodal agency for holding the festival, said noted film director Rolf de Heer was also chosen chairman of the five-member international jury for the festival.

Pedro Almador, a Spanish director directed the film Volber and Mexican director Ajendro the film Babel. One of the Indian films to be screened was Yatra. The memorandum of understanding between the Centre and the government of Goa, approved today by Union minister for information and broadcasting Priyaranjan Das Munshi at the meeting here would be formally signed shortly. According to the MOU, the directorate of Film Festivals under the Information&Broadcasting ministry would deal with the selection of the films and the special invitees while the rest of the work including logistics, transport, administration and hospitality would be taken care of by the Government of Goa.

A special team representing the DFF would visit Goa in the first week of next month to supervise the arrangements for the festival beginning from November 23. Meanwhile, the Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) which was entrusted with the task of organising the annual film bazaar to probe film trading on the sidelines of the IFFI, had plans to open ad-ons with five longues.