IFFI 2019: Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth to open golden jubilee edition of film festival

Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth, along with Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar will be among the eminent personalities to kick off the golden jubilee edition of the International Film Festival of India in Goa on Wednesday, reports Hindustan Times. The eight-day festival is often considered one of the better-curated film festivals in India, often called the nation's answer to Cannes Film Festival.

Amitabh Bachchan (left) with Rajinikanth. Image from Twitter

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told the media at a press conference that the highlight of the golden jubilee section in the festival was the fact that it aimed to showcase the complete spectrum of film cultures across the country.

In the festival, 15 films across 20 countries will compete for the Golden Peacock Award. Ananth Narayan Mahadevan's Marathi film Mai Ghat: Crime No. 103/2005, and Malayalam film Jallikattu directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, are the two Indian entrants competing in the international space.

The festival will also screen 17 films from world-renowned directors like Pedro Almodovar, Costa-Gavras, Werner Herzog and Hirokazu Kore-eda under its 'Master Frames' segment.

Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu's Commitment, which is Turkey's entry in the International Feature category at Oscars, will have its world premiere at the festival and is also a part of 'Master Frames'.

In the beginning of November, a review meeting was held for the Golden Jubilee section. "Seven Goan films will be screened under a special section during the nine-day event," Sawant told Press Trust of India.

The opposition Congress and the film fraternity from Goa had earlier expressed displeasure over the absence of Konkani language films in the Indian Panorama section of IFFI.

Sawant said a decision was also taken to have additional screens to showcase more number of films during the festival. "Also, an open air auditorium having a seating capacity of around 1,600 would be set up at the Miramar beach in Panaji," Sawant said.

The IFFI will be held in Goa from 20 to 28 November.

The coastal state has been hosting the festival since 2004, when Manohar Parrikar was the chief minister. In 2014, Goa was declared as the permanent venue for hosting IFFI.