Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; October 23, 2021)

For the first time ever, the 52nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which will be held in Goa from November 20-28, will feature screenings and masterclasses by OTT players. Not only will stars from shows and films on streaming platforms feature prominently at the fest, it will also see premieres of major OTT content.

Anurag Thakur, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, says, “For the first time ever, IFFI has invited major OTT players to participate at the film festival. The trend of watching movies on OTT is on the rise and IFFI is embracing new technology and providing a platform for industry artistes to interact with OTT players.” Here are the major highlights from this year’s edition of the fest:

‘IFFI IS PROVIDING A PLATFORM FOR INDUSTRY ARTISTES TO INTERACT WITH OTT PLAYERS’
As cinemas were shut during the pandemic, film releases shifted to OTT platforms, which have thrived in the last two years, and even won major film awards across the globe. I&B officials say that the audience’s interest is shifting to streaming platforms that are also releasing films and web series by major Indian directors, and the festival’s program was designed keeping this in mind. Besides, as IFFI offers a platform to makers, artistes, and the audience to come together and discuss cinema, the presence of streaming platforms is important as well. Manoj Bajpayee and Samantha Ruth Prabhu – lead actors of The Family Man 2 – are expected to attend the opening ceremony of the festival.

PREMIERES, SPECIAL SCREENINGS AND MASTERCLASSES INVOLVING STREAMING PLATFORMS AT IFFI
Streaming platforms have been participating at major film festivals across the world, including the Venice and Berlin film festivals. At IFFI, they will be participating in a hybrid format. A three-day virtual masterclass will be organised by the Paris-based school of image and arts, Gobelins – School L’image. The Power Of The Dog, which had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film, will also see its India premiere at the fest.

A preview of the first episode of the Indian series Aranyak is also scheduled. Kartik Aaryan will most likely introduce his film Dhamaka at the festival, which has also lined up masterclasses by makers and writers of some of the most popular series on OTT platforms. including Scam 1992 screenplay writers Sumit Purohit and Saurav Dey, Maharani screenplay writer Nandan Jha, and The Family Man makers Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK.
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FILMMAKERS MARTIN SCORSESE AND ISTVAN SZABO TO BE HONOURED

American filmmaker Martin Scorsese and Hungarian filmmaker Istvan Szabo will be conferred the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award this year. I&B officials have not yet confirmed whether Scorsese himself will be present during the screenings. An I&B official says, “We have no confirmation yet as to whether Istvan Szabo and Martin Scorsese will be attending the film festival.” Sources speculated that Martin Scorsese is most likely to send a recorded message for the audience. His films Taxi Driver (1976), Goodfellas (1990) and The Wolf Of Wall Street (2014) will be screened at the fest.