With a tribute to women's contribution to Indian cinema, the 47th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) kichstarted here, offering movie-lovers a bouquet of films from across the globe.
The ceremony began on a sombre note as Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, M Venkaiah Naidu asked the audience to observe a one-minute silence to pay homage to the victims of UP train crash today.
14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express derailed near Pukhrayan in Uttar Pradesh, killing 116 passengers and injuring more than 200.
"More than 100 people have lost their lives. I request everyone to stand up and observe one minute silence to the people who lost their lives in the railway accident today," Naidu said before the formal inaugural function began.
The festival then commenced with a gala opening performance, choreographed by Ganesh Acharya.
Sushant Singh Rajput and veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy lit the lamp along with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Chief minister of Goa Laxmikant Parsekar, Governor of Goa Mridula Sinha among others.
"I am honoured to welcome everyone. We have come a long way since 2004 and even the years before that. The year 2004 marked a milestone for Goans as it was declared the venue for the first time. In 2014, it was declared by the government as the permanent venue for IFFI," Parsekar said.
The opening ceremony celebrated the journey and contribution of women in Indian Cinema with a special 'Ode to a Woman' performance, which showcased the changing face of women in Indian films from the 50s to today. The performance was choreographed by Acharya.
From the film industry, people like Divya Dutta, Nagesh Kukunoor, Nana Patekar, Sudhir Mishra, Mukesh among others were present. Suhasini Maniratnam and Surveen Chawla hosted the event.
Renowned Korean filmmaker Im Kwon Taek, best known for his films such as "Wife", "The Family Pedigree", "Evergreen" and Chunhyang", "Ghiwaseon" and "Low Life", was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the festival.
Acclaimed singer, S P Balasubrahmanyam, was felicitated with 'Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year-2016' by Naidu.
"I am embarrassed to know how ancient I am. But I am happy that I am still working... I dedicate this award to my mother and all those who have martyerd themselves to keep us safe here. This award is to all those at the border. I dedicate this to you, with pride and humility. We are nothing without you," the singer added.
Balasubrahmanyam has been one of the most prolific singers of the country with over 40,000 song recordings to his credit including "Ye Hasi Vaadiya", "Mere rang main rang ne waali" and "Roja".
Veteran Polish director Andrzej Wajda's last film
"Afterimage" opened the festival while Korean film "The Age of Shadows", directed by Kim Jee-Woon, will bring the curtains down on the festival as Korea is the focus country at the nine-day-long cinematic extravaganza.
The film is also Korea's official entry for the Academy Awards this year.
South Korea's Ambassador to India, Hyun Cho was "honoured" that Korea was invited as the country focus this year and said "the relationship between India and Korea is thriving".
Acclaimed work of contemporary stalwarts of Korean Cinema like, Sang-ho Yeon, Zhang Lu and Lee Joon Ik will be screened at the festival.
The Indian Panorama section will be inaugurated by Naidu on November 21 at INOX and for the second time, the section will open with a Sanskrit film "Ishti". The non-feature film section will open with the film "Ima Sabitri".
National award-winning film "Baahubali: The Beginning", "Bajirao Mastani", superstar Salman Khan-starrer "Sultan" and Akshay Kumar-led "Airlift" are also a part of Panorama section.
Under International Competition segment, awards will be given for best film, best director, best actor male, best actor female and special jury award.
15 films from across the globe, which will include two Indian films, will be part of the competition. The two Indian movies are-- "Ishti" and "Sahaj Paather Gappo" ('Colours of Innocence').
The international jury for IFFI 2016 has acclaimed writer-director Ivan Passer as the chairperson. Larry Smith, Lordan Zafranovic, Nagesh Kukunoor, Leilda Kilani are also part of the jury.
IFFI will recognize young talent under a new competition section, Centenary award for best debut feature of a director. The section will showcase some of the outstanding directorial debuts of 2016 from across the globe.
IFFI 2016, in collaboration with the International Council for Film, Television and Audio-visual Communication (ICFT), Paris and UNESCO, will also present the inaugural 'ICFT- UNESCO Gandhi Medal' to a film, which reflects the ideals of peace, tolerance and non-violence.
The special tribute section of IFFI 2016 honours Polish filmmaker Wajda and Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, both passed away early this year.
