On a dull and cloudy day, Goa brightened up with the closing ceremony of the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI), when the stars walked the red carpet before entering the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium, Dona Paula, to attend the glittering event.
STARS AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF IFFI
Actors Ayushmann Khurrana, Akshay Kumar, Esha Gupta, Sharman Joshi, Manushi Chillar, Telugu stars Chiranjeevi and Rana Dagubatti were some of the top names who walked the red carpet for the closing ceremony of the 53rd International Film Festival of India.
INDIA, IFFI & FILMS
Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur, spoke about the highlights of the 53rd IFFI, and said that this year, around 282 films were screened, which amounts to nearly 3,500 minutes of viewing time.
“We featured 183 international and 97 Indian films in 65 international and 15 Indian languages from 78 countries worldwide,” he said.
Thakur further said that, "be it creating a technology hub or joining innovations, we have dived into new and deeper waters."
“India is a technology hub and incorporating this into films is something that we should work on. I think that the '75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow' is an excellent initiative. The effort that was put into those 53 hours speaks for itself on how it is only going to get better," he continued.
The minister said that they have worked hard to showcase the culture of India while celebrating 76 years of India's Independence.
He added, “There was enough opportunity at this festival for individual performances, and everybody has said that regional cinema is doing a great job. This is the strength in our regional content. This year is the golden jubilee of Manipur and we have showcased Manipuri films and hope to continue to do so in future.”
INDIAN FILM PERSONALITY AWARD OF THE YEAR
Inside the auditorium, during the closing ceremony of IFFI 2022, Telugu star, Chiranjeevi, received the biggest round of applause for his 40-year contribution to the film industry. For this, he received the Indian Film Personality of the Year award.
Chiranjeevi expressed his gratitude to the film festival and the government of India. He also said that he was grateful to his parents for giving birth to Konidela Siva Sankara Vara Prasad, and to the film industry and his fans for giving birth to ‘Sharman Joshi’.
“I was here for more than 45 years. I missed by one decade, that is when I went into politics. But, after 10 years when I came back I was not sure if I would get the same amount of affection. But, after that one movie, I saw the love and affection of my friends was intact and strong,” said Chiranjeevi.
The Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant, congratulated the award winners and said that the State government would always add more dimensions to enhance the engagement of the film fraternity in Goa.
He said that IFFI had achieved total participation across all segments. IFFI has now become a great ambassador of India, and the world is taking note. The world has started acknowledging us. Goa is the most desired destination for big events and very soon it will host the World Ayurveda Congress, he added.
IFFI awards highlights
Renowned Iranian writer-director, Nader Saiwar, won the Silver Peacock Award for Best Director for his film No End.
The Silver Peacock Award for Best Actor: Vahid Mobusseri, the lead actor of No End.
The Silver Peacock Award for Best Actress: Daniela Marin Navarro.
Special Jury Award: Filipino filmmaker Love Diaz for When the Waves are Gone / (Kapag wala nang mga alon).
Best Debut Director Award: Asimina Prodrew for Behind the Haystacks.
Special Mention Award: Praveen Kandregula for the Telugu film Cinemabandi.
Indian Personality of the Year Award: Chiranjeevi.
