How IFFI 2015 is tapping technology to enhance biz

IFFI 2015
The organizers of IFFI 2015 will be tapping technology to improve visibility and business.

The 46th International Film Festival of India, the country’s largest state-sponsored film event, will get under way in Goa on Friday.

IFFI 2015 will be showcasing 187 films from 89 countries, 26 of which are official Academy Award entries, while a rare Sanskrit film will open the 26-film strong Indian Panorama section.

There will be a fresh section for new world directors, food festivals, cinema on mobile trailers and public screenings. “The festival plans to catch up on technology,” said Ira Joshi, additional director general of the Press Information Bureau.

IFFI 2015 organizers are implementing a range of innovations to increase the reach of the mega event, Joshi said.

“We have a dedicated YouTube channel which will screen festival events, including the opening and closing ceremonies. Celebrities who address the media will also be posed questions based on queries we get on Twitter from media as well as film critics,” Joshi said, adding that new media technology would be used to conduct talkathons with celebrities and guests attending IFFI.

“In order to enhance the viewership of the much sought after Master-Classes at IFFI, they too will be streamed live,” Joshi said. Master-Classes are conducted by cinema greats at the IFFI venue on various aspects of cinema and mostly run to a packed house.

A large chunk of the films screened at the festival will also be available on a specially designated cloud, from where delegates can download and play the film on a WiFi network within the festival campus.

The 11-day festival will open with “The Man Who Knew Infinity”, directed by Mathew Brown. It’s a film on the 1913 self-taught Indian mathematical genius Ramanujan and his friendship with G.H. Hardy who helped reveal the genius to the world.

The festival will be brought to a close by A.R. Rahman on November 30.

More than 7,000 delegates from 38 countries, mostly from India, have registered for the festival which will also be accompanied by the ninth edition of the Film Bazaar, a networking event aimed at facilitating collaboration in the realm of production and distribution.

Anil Kapoor will be the chief guest at the opening ceremony and music maestro Rahman will be the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the event.

Argentina’s Oscar entry and this year’s biggest Argentinean box office hit, “El Clan” (The Clan) will be the closing film of the festival, while Academy Award winner director Tom Hooper’s film “The Danish Girl” will be the gala’s mid-fest film.

Movies from the Kingdom of Spain will feature in the Focus Country segment.

Mayabhushan Nagvenkar / IANS

Related News

Latest News

Latest News