IFFI 2019 highlights: Amitabh, Rajinikanth felicitated; Particles, Jallikattu win big at 50th edition of festival

The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa concluded on Thursday. With an eight-day extravaganza, the ceremony saw major talking points. Here are the highlights of the festival. Rajinikanth receives the Icon of Golden Jubilee award  The opening ceremony saw the South Indian superstar receive the award for his contribution to arts and cinema. In a much-hyped affair, Karan Johar was brought in as the host, and Amitabh Bachchan (who himself was honoured at the ceremony) was on stage during the presentation. “Rajinikanth is a part of my family. There is lot of back and forth between us. Sometimes, I advise Rajinikanth, and at times, he advises me. It is a different matter that we don’t listen to each other’s advice. I feel relationships are made of this. Sometimes, I tell him not to do something but he goes ahead, and does it. Sometimes, he tells me to do something but I go ahead, and do it. Thank you so much Rajini for being with me, and being an incredible source of inspiration,” Bachchan said while presenting the award. Check out the tweet here

#IFFI50 Live

One of the most acclaimed and influential actors in India, Shri @rajinikanth was honoured with a special award "Icon of the Golden Jubilee of IFFI"#IFFI2019@satija_amit @MIB_India @PIB_India @esg_goa pic.twitter.com/u2aa1uFKhT

— International Film Festival of India (@IFFIGoa) November 20, 2019

French actress Isabelle Huppert honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award Isabelle Huppert has famously been part of iconic cinema with 120 features in her filmography since her debut in 1971. She is also the most nominated actress for the César Award, with 16 nominations. Special stamp released in honour of IFFI’s 50 years The government issued a special stamp in order to mark the completion of 50 years of the festival. Amitabh Bachchan inaugurates the Dada Saheb Phalke Retrospective Six of Amitabh Bachchan’s films ( Badla , Paa, and Sholay among others) were categorized in the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Winner Retrospective. Check out the tweet

Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) inaugurates the Dadasaheb Phalke Award retrospective organised at Kala Academy in connection with the 50th International Film Festival of India in Goa.#IFFI2019 #IFFI50 #IFFIGoldenJubilee

Read here: https://t.co/3eT6r7tA0p

— PIB India (@PIB_India) November 21, 2019

Russia in the spotlight Russia was selected as the country of choice this year, with a package of eight films, such as Abigail by Aleksandr Boguslavski, Acid by Alexander Gorchili, Andrei Tarkovsky: A Cinema Prayer by Andrei Tarkovsky Jr, and _Beanpole_ by Kantemir Balagov. Blaise Harrison’s Particles wins Golden Peacock Award Produced by Estelle Fialon, the French feature won a cash prize of Rs 40 lakh as the award along with a trophy and a citation. Particles is an “ambitious yet modest film about the mysteries of being a teenager,” the jury said. Lijo Jose Pellissery wins Best Director for _Jallikattu_ , Seu Jorge bags Best Actor for Marighella, and Usha Jadhav wins Best Actress for Prabha Mai The IFFI jury said they honoured the “intricate and complex choreography of this very original and anarchic film” while taking into account the exceptional brilliance of Jallikattu. They also described Jadhav’s act as a “powerful performance of a mother defending her child’s honour against the injustice of a corrupt system.” Prem Chopra, Kathak maestro Birju Maharaj, and music composer Ilaiyaraaja receive special felicitations at closing ceremony The hosts of the evening, actors Kunal Kapoor and Sonali Kulkarni, called on stage Pramod Sawant, Goa Chief Minister, Satya Pal Malik, Governor of Goa, Union Minister Babul Supriyo, actor turned-politician Ravi Kishan, Member of Parliament Roopa Ganguly, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Amit Khare, and Parimal Rai, Goa Chief Secretary to felicitate the legends with a shawl and a memento. Pandit Birju, who was not in attendance physically, said in a video message played at the ceremony, “I am receiving this award for my contribution to the film industry, and I wish to continue the same.” (With inputs from Asian News International)