The festival has been conceptualised by the department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) in collaboration with National Film Development Corporation to honour the contributions of differently-abled people on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3).
In total 40 films including 10 feature films, 16 short films and 14 documentaries in different languages will be screened during the three-day festival.
"We are trying to touch upon the problems faced by persons with disabilities, their never-say-die spirit and also how they overcome challenges that are thrown at them on daily basis. Cinema is not only watched by a great number of people but there is retention power of the themes which are created in such films. There will also be discussions on the similar issues and it is our firm belief that it will bring awareness and changes in mindset," Verma said.
IFFPD will felicitate the Best Director and Best Film in each of the three categories including feature, documentary and short film with cash awards while the first and second runner-up will receive trophies and citations from the Department.
The condition for the festival entries specified that all films should be by and about people with disabilities, that explore their lives and encourages discussion on the diversity of human experiences. The list of entries was then further pruned to a shortlist of 110 movies including 19 feature, 64 short and 27 documentaries.