IIFA 2022 postponed following UAE President's demise

New Delhi [India], May 15: In the wake of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan's death, the International Indian Film Academy Awards 2022 (IIFA), which was earlier scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi from May 18 to May 22, has been postponed.

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Pic Courtesy: Logo of IIFA Awards - Twitter

As per a source, the star-studded affair will now be held on July 14, July 15 and July 16 in Abu Dhabi. The IIFA organisers decided to re-schedule the event after the UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced a 40-day mourning period across the country starting Friday, May 13, over the demise of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. However, an official confirmation is not out yet. The official Twitter handle of IIFA also mourned the death of the President of the United Arab Emirates. "With the sad news of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE, passing away we share our deepest condolences with his family and the people of UAE. May God have mercy on him and grant him eternal peace," read the tweet.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ailing for a long time, died on Friday. He was 73. He was the eldest son of the UAE's founder President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

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17th Mumbai International Film Festival will be in hybrid mode: Festival Director

Mumbai [India], May 14: 17th MIFF receives 808 entries from 30 countries

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Presenting a kaleidoscope of World Cinema, Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) for Documentary, Short Fiction and Animation films is back with its 17th edition. MIFF 2022 will kick-start from 29th May with the inaugural ceremony at Nehru Centre Auditorium, Worli, Mumbai and will conclude with the award distribution ceremony on 4th June 2022. The delegates of 17th MIFF will experience qualitative as well as diverse content in the current edition. For delegate registration and details log on to www.miff.in

“Media Registration begins today. I invite you all to register and be a part of this festival,” DG, Films Division and Director, MIFF, Ravinder Bhakar invited the media while addressing the curtain raiser press conference, in Mumbai, today. He also informed that the Student registration fee has been made free for all students above 18 years of age in order to encourage them to take part in the festival. The Director also informed that the 17th MIFF will be in hybrid and the hybrid component is being facilitated by National Film Development Corporation (NFDC).

Keeping its fame intact, MIFF 2022 has got an overwhelming response from filmmakers across the world, receiving a whopping 808 film-entries from 30 countries. Apart from screening of 120 Films in ‘Competition’ and ‘MIFF Prism’ category, an array of special film packages, masterclasses and workshops has been curated for the film lovers.

Netflix original series "Mighty Little Bheem: I love Taj Mahal" episode will make its World Premiere at MIFF 2022. The first animation film co-produced by India and Japan ‘Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama’, will also have its special screening at MIFF. The film is celebrating 30 years since its first launch.

The Festival Director spoke about the initiatives being taken by Films Division this MIFF. “We wanted to professionally promote this art form so we are collaborating with leading National and International players. The B2B opportunities will open the doors of infinite success to Filmmakers.”

Highlights

• In commemoration of Bangladesh’s 50 years of Independence the country has been chosen as the ‘Country of Focus’ this year. A special package of 11 films from Bangladesh including critically acclaimed film Hasina- A Daughter’s Tale will be presented at MIFF 2022.

• Contribution of Films Division in documentary culture in India will be showcased through a specially curated package, Image-Nation.

• Special packages like Oscar Film package, curated by Shorts TV, Special film packages from Italy and Japan, Indian Panorama- from the recent editions of IFFI will be a point of attraction for film buffs.

• Students Film packages from reputed institutions like, National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata, Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) Pune, K R Narayanan Film Institute, Kerala will showcase the spirit of young talent. Also Students’ Animation Documentary Films from Myanmar and films from Students’ Animation Film Festival Brazil will be a unique curation.

• Similarly, curated films from North-East India, best of short fiction from Pocket Films Platform and special screening of restored version of Satyajit Ray’s film Sukumar Ray will be showcased.

• Other highlights include Open Forum by Indian Documentary Producers Association and cultural events by India Tourism.

Masterclasses

MIFF 2022 will have a series of Masterclasses & Workshops by Industry experts and resource persons. ‘Aesthetics of Sound In Cinema’ by Padma Shri Resul Pookutty, 'Expanded Cinema from Screens to OTT Platforms- Cinema in Post Covid era by Media Professional Rizwan Ahmad are some of the Masterclasses at MIFF-2022.

Oscar and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Jury Mr. Carter Pilcher will share his knowledge on ‘Qualifying Films for the Oscars’ .

Animation Film designer P C Sanath’s workshop on ‘VFX: The Ever-Evolving Tool For Storytelling’ will also be top on the list for film enthusiasts.

Retrospectives & Homages

Animation lovers will be delighted to savour retrospective packages from three countries - Portugal, Russia and Canada. Films of Portuguese animator Regina Pessoa; Russian animation director, Aleksandr Petrov; Canadian animator and illustrator Janet Perlman will be a treat to animation lovers.

Filmmakers from documentary and animation genre, who left us in the recent times, will be remembered with special screenings under ‘Homage’ section: legendary Pin screen Animator from Canada, Jacques Drouin; first female documentary filmmaker of Italy, Cecilia Mangini; Indian veteran Buddhadeb Dasgupta; multi-faceted Sumitra Bhave; famous national award-winning cinematographer from Manipur, Irom Maipak are some among others.

Golden Conch for Best Film; Special Award for film themed on ‘India@75’

The most prestigious award in the 17th MIFF, Golden Conch will be awarded to the Best Film of the Festival. It carries a cash prize of 10 Lakh. Other awards carry cash awards varying from five to one lakh along with Silver Conch, trophy and certificate.

IDPA award carrying Rs. One lakh and trophy for the Best student film and Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari Award for the Best Debut Director will also be presented on the closing day.

The coveted Dr. V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award that carries a cash award of Rs 10 lakh, trophy and a citation is presented to a filmmaker for seminal contribution to documentary films and its movement in India in every edition of the festival. Awards in various competition categories will be presented on 4th June at the closing ceremony.

Speaking about the special award category added this year, DG, Films Division informed that, “A special award for the best short film on the theme ‘India@75” carrying one lakh cash and trophy has been instituted in the current edition of the festival.”

The Festival Directorate can be approached at miffindia@gmail.com for queries related to the festival.

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Sidharth Malhotra, Karan Johar spotted at the launch of book 'Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery'

Mumbai [India], May 13: Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra and filmmaker Karan Johar were spotted at an event held for the launch of the book 'Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery' in New Delhi recently.

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Pic Courtesy: Instagram

On Wednesday, the book was launched at a grand event by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The book is written by intellectuals and eminent citizens on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 20 years in public life. At the event, Sidharth and Karan could be seen greeting Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Union Minister of Minority Affairs.

The event was graced by Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur. Along with other dignitaries boAt Ceo, Aman Gupta marked his presence at the event.

For the unversed, Sidharth has a lot of projects in his kitty including 'Mission Majnu' and 'Yodha'. Helmed by Shantanu Bagchi, 'Mission Majnu' set in the 1970s has Sidharth essaying the role of a RAW agent who led a covert operation on Pakistani soil. The film also marks the Hindi debut of Rashmika Mandanna. Speaking of 'Yodha', it is touted as an action film. Disha Patani and Raashii Khanna will share screen space with Sidharth in the project.

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