Panaji: The 49th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began with glittering ceremony at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium here in Goa on Tuesday evening.
Governor Mridula Sinha, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore, Goa Cabinet Minister Sudin Dhavlikar and Information and Broadcasting Secretary Amit Khare were present on the occasion.
A host of celebrities from Bollywood including Akshay Kumar, Subhash Ghai, Karan Johar, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, Prasoon Joshi and Hrishita Bhatt also graced the occasion.
Veteran Israeli filmmaker Dan Wolman was presented this year’s lifetime achievement award.
Speaking on the occasion, Wolman said the award is special for him because it was given in India, which has a vibrant film culture and industry.
Scintillating performances by Sonu Sood and Shilpa Rao mesmerised the audience during the opening ceremony.The opening film The Aspern Papers was screened after the opening ceremony.
This year’s IFFI will showcase 212 films, including 16 Oscar-nominated fims, from over 68 countries. It also showcase six Indian sports biopics as an extension of Khelo India initiative.
While Israel is the focus country, Jharkhand is the focus state this year. The mega event will end on November 28.
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