Shekhar Kapur: “India has unparalleled content and technological prowess that enriches global cinema”

The International Jury Members (IFFI) shared their profound experiences and insights on watching the films nominated for the Golden Peacock Award at the 54^th International Film Festival of India being held in Goa. Eminent filmmakers from across the globe, the jury members deliberated on the ‘International Competition’ and the awards to be announced and presented in this section at the closing ceremony of the festival tomorrow.

The Jury unanimously articulated that it has been a great personal experience for them to be a part of the international jury and to select from a diverse and compelling list of stories. They expressed that the International Film Festival of India has grown tremendously since its inception, given the diversity of the entries received and selections made.

Internal Jury members speaking during a Press Conference

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Renowned filmmaker Shekhar Kapur who is also the Jury Chairperson said that the selection committee has done a remarkable curation of films; he also emphasized on India’s unparalleled content and technological prowess that enriches global cinema. “India has the world’s largest base of content and technology and festivals like IFFI help the rest of the world understand the culture of India”, Shri Shekhar added. Speaking about the growing use of Artificial Intelligence in film making in India, he said “there is no final authority in a creative work.”

Jury Chairperson Shekhar Kapur speaking during the Press Conference

Emphasizing the pivotal role of film festivals in facilitating collaborations, Jerome Paillard said, “discovering diverse films and networking for collaborations is the biggest benefit of going to a film festival.  Hailing initiatives like the Film Bazaar for catalyzing impactful partnerships, Jerome said, “marketing initiatives like film bazaar make a big difference about making collaborative projects.” He also praised the Creative Minds of Tomorrow (CMOT) initiative, saying it is a really wonderful initiative to nurture the young talent in film making.

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Catharine Dussart, echoing the sentiments of Jerome, also lauded the plethora of films in competition and the Film Bazaar’s instrumental role in connecting distributors and producers. She said, “it is very helpful for distributors and producers who come to discover new projects for co-production,” adding that the festival had a great selection of films for the competition this year from different parts of the world.

Jury members Catharine Dussart and Helen Leake during Press Conference

Helen Leake highlighted the festival’s role in uniting disparate film industries. Emphasizing the growing global recognition of Indian cinema through IFFI’s expansive platform, Helen said, “the partnership of different film industries has become much connected through IFFI”, acknowledging that awareness about Indian films is growing throughout the world through this festival.

In her remarks, José Luis Alcaine said, “watching and judging films of diverse stories, cultures and styles was a great experience,” adding that the response of the audience at the festival venues was phenomenal.

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Jury members Jerome Paillard & José Luis Alcaine along with DG, PIB Monideepa Mukerjee at the Press Conference

The Jury effusively praised the warmth and generosity of the festival’s hospitality, acknowledging its invaluable contribution to their experience.

The International Jury will select the winner of the coveted Best Film Award which includes the ‘Golden Peacock’ 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.

In IFFI 54, the ‘International Competition’ is a selection of 15 acclaimed feature films of important genres, representing the emerging trends in film making. This year, the festival received a record breaking 2,926 entries from 105 countries.