International jury announced for 54th International Film Festival of India, Goa

Renowned Filmmakers, Cinematographers, Film producers from across the globe have been invited as the International Jury of 54th IFFI to judge the International Competition and Best Debut Feature Film of a Director Award at the Festival. This year the Festival received a record breaking 2926 entries from 105 countries.

‘INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION’ is a selection of 15 acclaimed feature films of important genres, representing the emerging trends in the aesthetics sense and politics of film as envisioned by masters and young voices alike. The International Jury will select the winner of the coveted Best Film Award which includes the Golden Peacock, 40 L INR monetary component and Certificates for the Director and Producer.

Apart from the Best Film, the Jury will also determine winners in the Best Director, Best Actor (Male), Best Actor (Female) and Special Jury Prize categories.

‘COMPETITION FOR BEST DEBUT FEATURE FILM OF A DIRECTOR’ is a collection of fiction feature debuts that exemplify what the next generation of filmmakers are envisioning onscreen. 7 debutants will compete for the coveted Silver Peacock, 10L INR and Certificate.

The Members of the International Jury are renowned industry veterans representing the essential facets of filmmaking:

Mr. Shekhar Kapur (Filmmaker) – Chairman, Jury – Shekhar Kapur is an acclaimed filmmaker, actor, narrator and producer. He is recipient of several accolades, including Padma Shri, National Film Award, BAFTA Award, a National Board of Review Award and three Filmfare Awards, in addition to nomination for a Golden Globe and Oscars award. He is a former member of Cannes International Jury (2010) & IFFI Jury Chairman (2015). He has also served as the president of Film and Television Institute of India.

Mr. José Luis Alcaine (Cinematographer) – José Luis Alcaine is the first cinematographer to use a fluorescent tube as key lighting in the 1970s. Worked on films such as Belle Époque (Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, 1993), Two Much (1995), Blast from the Past (1999), and The Skin I Live In (2011). Multi-award winner José Luis is known for his collaborations with Pedro Almodóvar.

Mr. Jerome Paillard (Film Producer & Ex-head of Film Market) – After successively working as a classical musician, artistic director and CFO for a classical record label, Jérôme Paillard produced alongside Daniel Toscan du Plantier at Erato Films over a dozen feature films by such famous directors as Satyajit Ray, Mehdi Charef, Souleymane Cissé, Maurice Pialat, Jean-Charles Tachella etc. He then served the Festival de Cannes from 1995 to 2022 as Executive Director of the Marché du Film overseeing the development and management of what is now heralded the world’s leading film market.

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Ms. Catherine Dussart (Film Producer) – Catherine Dussart has produced or co-produced nearly 100 films in around 15 countries. Known for Huahua shijie linghun ke (2017), The Missing Picture (2013) and Exil (2016). Her recent productions include Laila in Haifa by Amos Gitai (in competition at the 2020 Venice Film Festival); Les Irradiés (Irradiated) by Rithy Panh (Best Documentary award at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival); Catherine Dussart is a consultant for the Doha Film Institute.

Ms. Helen Leake (Film Producer) – Helen Leake AM is one of Australia’s respected creative producers. Her feature credits include CARNIFEX with Alexandra Park, Sisi Stringer and Harry Greenwood, SWERVE with Jason Clarke, WOLF CREEK 2, HEAVEN’S BURNING with Russell Crowe and BLACK AND WHITE starring Robert Carlyle, David Ngoombujarra and Charles Dance.

IFFI will take place from November 20 – 28, 2023 in the picturesque state of Goa where international and national film industry talents and thousands of cinephiles will gather for the largest celebration of world cinema in South Asia.