Goa, 19^th November 2018: The 49^th edition of the International Film Festival of India will open tomorrow with the gala opening ceremony that will showcase the theme of New India through a variety of genres of cinema. This would entail a 90-minute power-packed programme incorporating elements and narratives of the rich and diverse kaleidoscope of the Indian film heritage and industry.

The colourful opening ceremony will showcase the themes of history, action and romance. Audiences will get to watch an array of on-stage scintillating performances by mainstream Bollywood artists – with Sonu Sood doing an action packed set, Shilpa Rao doing a romantic bit and dancers opening the ceremony with a mesmerising act.

The ceremony will be graced by Governor of Goa, Smt. Mridula Sinha; Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore; PWD Minister Shri Sudin Madhav Dhavalikar; and Chairperson, Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, Shri Prasoon Joshi.

Apart from this, a host of celebrities will walk the red carpet, giving added colour to the ceremony. Amongst the big personalities, we will have Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Julien Landais, Hrishita Bhatt, Madhur Bhandarkar, Subhash Ghai, Arijit Singh, Ramesh Sippy and Chin Han.

The ceremony is being held at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Goa, from 4.30 pm onwards. The opening ceremony will go live on DD National at 4.30pm, and will also be streamed LIVE on the YouTube channel of PIB youtube.com/pibindia

The show will witness the launch of the Film Facilitation Office, an initiative by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.

Glimpses of the festival opening film “The Aspern Papers”, which tells a story of obsession, grandeur lost and dreams of Byronic adventureswill be screened for the audience and the Director of the Film, Julien Landaiswill address the audience on the occasion.

Chairman, International CompetitionJury and Polish Director Robert Glinski will also share his thoughts. Other jury members, namely Adrian Sitaru, Anna Ferraioli Ravel, Tom Fitz Patrick and Indian member Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra will also be present.

What to Expect from IFFI 2018

26 feature and 21 non – feature Indian films are selected by the Indian Panorama Jury to be screened as part of this section out of the hundreds of entries sent by filmmakers from various parts of the country. The feature film jury selected the film OLU directed by Shaji N Karun as the opening feature film of Indian Panorama 2018. The Non-Feature film Jury selected the film Kharvas directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale as the Opening non-feature film of Indian Panorama 2018.

This edition of the festival will showcase 212 films from over 68 countries which reflects diversity of taste. International Competition section has 15 films out of which 3 are Indian. Competition section itself represents films produced and co-produced by 22 countries.

In its 49th edition of IFFI, the Country of Focus will be Israel. Ten films in collaboration with the Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai, have been selected for the country focus package. The opening film for the Country Focus Section is ‘The Other Story’ by Avi Nesher.

A State focus section has been proposed for the 49th IFFI, 2018. This section will focus on the films of one of the Indian States, thus shedding light on the art and culture of that particular state. Jharkhand has been selected as the State of Focus for 49th IFFI 2018 and Jharkhand Day will be celebrated on 24th November,2018 as part of the festival. Movies in the Jharkhand Package include Death in the Gunj, Ranchi Diaries, Begum Jaan with others.

Sketch on Screen (Animation Film Package) is a section which has been proposed for the 49th IFFI, 2018. This section will screen around 3 International Feature Length Films done in collaboration with Indian studios.

Open Air Screenings are organized during the festival where a large screen is put up in a vast open area. This year as an extension of the Khelo India Branding, Indian Sports Biopics will be screened at the 49th IFFI.Films .Included in the section are Gold, Mary Kom, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, 1983, MSD: The untold story and Soorma.

Masterclasses and In-conversation section will feature several renowned celebrities from the Film Industry including Prasoon Joshi, Dan Wolman, Sreekar Prasad, Anil Kapoor, Sumit Israni, Boney Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Jahnvi Kapoor, David Dhawan, Varun Dhawan , Rohit Dhawan, Jairaj, Kaushik Ganguly,Shaji Karun, Srijit Mukhrjee, Sridhar and Sreeram Raghvan, Anupama Chopra, Rajiv masand, Bhawana Somaaya, Jason Hafford, Meghna Gulzar, Leena Yadav, Gauri Shinde.

‘Homages’ section pays tribute to the film personalities of our country who has taken refuge in the abode of God. This year homage will be paid to Late Sh. Shashi Kapoor, Late Smt. Sridevi, Late Sh. M.Karunanidhi and Late Ms. Kalpana Lajmi. In the International Homages this year we will pay tribute to Terence Marsh, Milos Forman, and Anne V Coates.

A Special Package for Visually Impaired Children will be organised with special screenings with audio description. The festival will showcase the movies ‘Sholay’ and ‘Hichki’ under this section. This year there will be a special presentation of Tunisian films.

GOA, 19 ^th NOVEMBER 2018:  As India is celebrating the 150^th Birth Anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, IFFI ‘2018 will pay a befitting tribute in the soon to be held festival.

The National Film Archives (NFAI) of India in collaboration with the Bureau of Outreach and Communication is organizing a multi-media digital exhibition as a tribute to the Mahatma, who inspired countries around the world with his philosophy of Truth and Non-Violence (Satyagraha and Ahimsa).

Titled “Mahatma on Celluloid”, the exhibition provides a state-of-the-art digital experience to the viewers who can relive the life and times of Mahatma, and draw inspiration from his ideals and work. 

The exhibition will be inaugurated by Col. RajyavardhanRathore, Minister of State, (I/C), Information& Broadcasting in presence of Secretary, Mr. Amit Khare.The exhibition will showcase films on Gandhi such as Making of Mahatma and Gandhi on 35 mm screens installed at the venue. The exhibition will also host quizzes, games and interactive events, which will provide the visitors the patriotic fervor by transporting them into the bygone era of freedom movement of India.

The exhibition will run throughout the festival. The launch of the exhibition is scheduled for 10:15 am on 21st November’18 at the Kala Academy and is open for public.

GOA, 19^th NOVEMBER 2018: Superstars of South – Rana Daggubati, Venkatesh and Suresh Babu to come together to ‘Decode the Daggubatis.

Daughter Rhea Kapoor to moderate a Masterclass with Mr India, Anil Kapoor.

Character Actors will be unmasked in an In-Conversation session with Chitrangada Singh and Jim Sarbh.

Ace lyricist Prasoon Joshi to ‘unleash his lyrical imagination’ in an In-Conversation session.

Boney Kapoor to have a ‘Konversation’ with his children Janhvi and Arjun Kapoor.

Kriti Sanon, Diana Penty and Rakul Preet Singh to grace IFFI 2018 as a part of their respective In-Conversation sessions.

The Audiences will also get to tune into Tunisian cinema in an In-Conversation session at IFFI 2018.

Arijit Singh to ‘hit the right note’ in an In-Conversation session

Rahul Bose, Pankaj Tripathi, Nila Madhab Panda, Rajshri Deshpande, Divya Dutta to discuss what redefines stories.

~An In-Conversation session featuring a candid chat between David Dhawan and Varun Dhawan.

Women Directors in Indian Cinema – Meghna Gulzar, Leena Yadav and Gauri Balki to have an In-Conversation session.

Shoojit Sircar, best known for his ‘out of the box’ films like Vicky Donor, Pihu and many others, to have an In-Conversation session at Black Box.

With barely a few hours to go for the opening of the 49^th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) the confirmed schedule of multiple Masterclass and In-Conversation sessions at IFFI 2018 looks heavy on star power, promise engaging conversations and exchange of knowledge. These sessions will be held across the eight-day duration of the coveted film festival.

The agenda at Masterclass and In-Conversation sessions will begin with Bergman ‘Wild At Heart, Master At Craft’- In Conversation Session that will be moderated by Sunit Tandon and feature Mr. Mikael Timm, Ms. Jannike Ahlund and Ms. Ulrika. For the uninitiated, 2018 marks the 100-year anniversary of Ingmar Bergman‘s birth, and to commemorate the occasion IFFI 2018 will be showcasing 7 best films of his career at the festival.

Celebrated lyricist, poet, screenwriter and the chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Prasoon Joshi will reveal the secret behind his soulful lyrics at a masterclass titled, ‘Lyrical Imagination Unleashed’.

Critically acclaimed actors such as Rahul Bose, Pankaj Tripathi, Rajshri Deshpande, Divya Dutta and film producer Nila Madhab Panda will come together for an In-Conversation session to discuss what redefines stories.

One of Bollywood’s most popular singers today, Arijit Singh will speak about ‘Hitting the right notes’ at IFFI 2018. The singer is also debuting as a film director at IFFI 2018 with his film Sa.

The Kapoors – Boney Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor and Jhanvi Kapoor will come together for a candid ‘konversation’ at IFFI 2018.

Similarly, papa David Dhawan will engage his son Varun Dhawan in a conversation titled, ‘Dha-One’. The session will be moderated by Rumi Jaffery.

Actress Kriti Sanon will make her presence felt at IFFI 2018. The audiences will have a great opportunity to know the actress in an In-Conversation session titled, ‘Ms.Takens’ Identity – Getting to know Kriti Sanon’.

Shoojit Sircar, best known for his ‘Out of the box’ films like Vicky Donor, Pihu and many others, to have an In-Conversation session at Black Box in Kala Academy

The audiences will also have the golden opportunity to learn from Israeli master craftsman, Dan Wolman in a Masterclass at IFFI 2018. Dan Wolman whose films have been screened across the world at prestigious festivals will be in town to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in the field of Cinema at IFFI 2018.

The audiences will get to tune into the Tunisian cinema as an In-Conversation session with the Tunisian Ambassador and Tunisian writer, artist, storyteller, and filmmaker Nacer Khemir is scheduled to unfold at IFFI 2018.

Another session titled, ‘Saksham: The Visual made Verbal’ will see veteran filmmakers Ramesh Sippy with Dipendra Manocha and Rumi Seth have a conversation.

After enjoying a stupendous run at the Box Office with his latest release Andhadhun, Sriram Raghavan will be seen in ‘A Bromantic thriller’ with his brother Shridhar Raghvan. The latter is a National Award winning screenwriter and a film producer.

Popular film critics and film journalists Anupama Chopra, Rajeev Masand, Komal Nahata, Bhawana Somaaya will engage in a conversation with film director, Shaad Ali in an In-Conversation session titled, ‘Thinning lines between critically acclaimed and commercially viable Cinema’.

The recent past has seen women directors claim their rightful place in Bollywood – both, via critically acclaimed films they’ve directed and by the box office returns their films have generated. A few such women – Meghna Gulzar, Leena Yadav and Gauri Shinde (Balki) will be seen in an In-Conversation session at IFFI 2018.

The 49^th IFFI will also have superstars from the south – Venkatesh, Suresh Babu and Rana Daggubati (best known for his role as Bhallaladeva in the magnum opus Baahubali series) in an interesting session of conversations titled, ‘Decoding the Daggubatis’. The session will shed more light on Suresh Productions and its contribution to cinema, Venkatesh Sir’s life as a veteran and the ease with which he portrays his characters, in addition to having a splendid career spanning 29 years in Indian Cinema and becoming a Box Office King, and Rana‘s multifaceted life as an actor, producer, visual effects supervisor and pulling of versatile characters like a war lord, Indian marine officer and a super villain on main screen.

IFFI 2018 will see more participation from filmmakers from the southern part of the country – who also happen to be some of the most talented filmmakers in the country – with filmmakers and analysts of the entertainment trade from the United States of America. The session titled, ‘Roundtable Business Conference’ will focus on making Co-Productions work.

In what is sure to be a fun session, celebrated actor Anil Kapoor, best known for his role as and in Mr India, will be seen in a Masterclass moderated by daughter and popular film producer Rhea Kapoor.

Actress and film producer Chitrangada Singh will be seen with Jim Sarbh in an In- Conversation Session on Unmasking the character actors. Jim Sarbh has recently been raking in critical acclaim for his roles in Padmaavat and Sanju.

IFFI 2018 will also see model-turned actresses – Diana Penty and Rakul Preet Singh in an In-Conversation session titled, ‘Ramp to screen’.

The 49^th International Film Festival of India begins on Tuesday, 20 November 2018 and ends on Wednesday, 28 November 2018, in Panaji, Goa.

Goa, 19^thNovember, 2018: Exide Life Insurance today organized a specially designed Customer Awareness Program for the citizens of Goa, to educate them on the basics of financial preparation for their long and happy life.

Since the program’s launch in 2015, Exide Life Insurance has been engaging with people in Tier II and III cities across the country, helping them understand the importance of insurance and equipping them with the required information to make the right financial decision for their future.

The specially designed Customer Awareness Programcomprises of interactive sessions using audio-visualsaids and paper-pencilexercises.Audienceget to understand the concept of Human Life Value, which in turn helps them understand their future financial needs and hence the importance of being adequately insured. Through this initiative, Exide Life Insurance aims to contribute to the larger goal of making Indians financially independent and self-sustaining.

Commenting on this initiative, MohitGoel, Director – Marketing and Direct Channel, Exide Life Insurance, said, “At Exide Life Insurance, we believe it is important for every individual to be financially protected. ‘Starting Early’, ‘Power of Compounding’ and ‘Adequate Life Insurance’ are concepts that every Indian should understand.Given the low financial literacy that India has, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, we are encouraged to continue this initiative in helping people plan financially for their long and happy lives.”

GOA, 19^th NOVEMBER 2018: … IFFI 2018 to screen films that may have been shot in Jharkhand under the Jharkhand Government Film Promotion Programme or made in the language/dialect of the State … A cultural troupe of Jharkhand to showcase their cultural legacy …. IFFI 2018 will host stalls set up to promote the film promotion policy of the state, promote/sell the handicrafts of the state, and showcase the cuisines through food stalls from the State … Jharkhand Day to be celebrated on 24th November 2018, as a part of the State Focus celebrations~

IFFI 2018 is giving the international audiences a taste of Jharkhand’s vibrant culture, as a part of Special Focus on the state by screening a total of seven films that have an unmistakable Jharkhand flavour in them. Being a recipient of the special mention award for promoting filmmaking in 2016, Jharkhand is in a rightful position to collaborate with 49th IFFI to become the first state in State Focus section. Films such as Begum Jaan, MS Dhoni The Untold Story, Ranchi Diary, A Death in the Gunj, Mor Gao Mor Desh, Ajab Singh ki Gajab Kahani, and  Panchlet will be screened as a part of this segment at IFFI 2018.

In connection with this, Jharkhand Day will be celebrated on 24th November 2018 as a part of the festival.

Directorate of Film Festivals, in a statement, said, “India’s rich diversity lies in the landscapes and scenic locales and natural settings that are so different from each other as one traverses from one state to another. Of late, Jharkhand has provided the much needed ‘playground’ for films, lending them its natural beauty that has been so beautifully captured by the talented filmmakers of our country. We are featuring these films at IFFI 2018 for the audiences from across the world – for a glimpse of this beautiful Indian state.”

IFFI 2018 will have screen a special package of films that may have been shot in Jharkhand under the Jharkhand Government Film Promotion Programme, or made in the language/dialect of the State.

The movies in the Jharkhand Package include:

1. A Death in the Gunj

2. Begum Jaan

3.  Mor Gao Mor Desh

4. Ajab Singh ki Gajab Kahani

5. Ranchi Diary

6. Panchlet

7. M.S.D. The Untold Story

The festival will invite a cultural troupe from Jharkhand to showcase the rich cultural legacy of the region.

In addition to that, IFFI 2018 will host multiple stalls set up to promote the film promotion policy of the state, promote/sell the handicrafts of the state, and showcase the cuisines through food stalls from the State.

The 49^th International Film Festival of India begins on Tuesday, 20 November 2018 and ends on Wednesday, 28 November, 2018, in Panaji, Goa.

Panaji, GOA, 19^th NOVEMBER 2018: In accordance with its end motive of developing the art of cinema in the country, IFFI 2018 is hosting an In-Conversation session with some critically acclaimed and celebrated filmmakers from India and the United States of America. The session titled, ‘Round Table Business Conference’ is a producers’ pitch that aims to bring distinguished producers from India and United States to share their views on film production.

This list consists of filmmakers, artistes and professionals who have been instrumental behind the scenes of films that have earned both critical and commercial acclaim. The roster includes celebrated producers of films such as 300 and The Hangover, a development associate with Johnny Depp’s production company, a National Award winner who has co-produced Bajrangi Bhaijaan, a producer of films like Magadheera, and others who’ve years of experience launching and executing films across genres and scales.

The ‘Round Table Business Conference’ will be held on 27 November 2018 from 11 am to 1 pm at Macquinez 1.

The major points of discussion at the Round Table Business Conference will be:

– What do they look for in a script and how to select an ideal director for that script

– The challenges faced in production of a film as producers are risk-takers who catch an idea, run with it and convince others to follow the idea

– The way ahead for production scenarios in film industries in other countries

– The possibilities of collaborations with India in future

The panelists at the session are as follows:

John Hart

John Hart has been producing theatre works and movies for nearly 40 years and is best known for his work on Once (musical) (2012 winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical), The Band’s Visit (musical) (2018 winner of ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical), Boys Don’t Cry (film), You Can Count on Me and Revolutionary Road (film). His productions have garnered him five personal Tony Awards for Best Production.

William Fay

William Fay has produced global successes like 300 (2006), The Hangover (2009), and Independence Day (1996). He has been the President of Production, Legendary Pictures [June 2005] and President of Centropolis Entertainment [1998].

Bobby Deolone

Bobby Deolene is a Hollywood Entertainment Executive with over two decades of industry experience. Bobby is a development associate at Infinitum Nihil, Johnny Depp‘s production company in Los Angeles. He is also associated with CAA.

Christopher Tillman

Christopher Tillman is a SAG-AFTRA actor/producer living in the Los Angeles area. He has a BA in theatre from Vanguard University which he received in 2002. While at Vanguard he was named collegiate actor of the year by The Daily Pilot. In 2010 he created Benchwarmer Productions to produce the short film Misusing Irony which he also starred in. He went on to write and produce The Distance Between which won the jury prize for best short film at the Omaha Film Festival (2013).

Bianca Goodloe

Bianca Goodloe is an expert on entertainment law and film finance,  She is a member of the California Bar Association, the New York Bar Association and a Foreign Registered Advocate with the European Union.  As the Managing Partner of Goodloe Law, Bianca Goodloe founded the law practice in 2003. She is also an adjunct professor at New York University and University of California Los Angeles.

Rockline Venkatesh

Rockline Venkatesh is widely known for his works in Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinemas. He is the founder and owner of the production and distribution company, Rockline Entertainments which has produced over twenty five films as of 2012. In 2015 he co-produced Bajrangi Bhaijaan which earned the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the 63rd National Film Awards.

Allu Arvind

Allu Arvind, who has produced many widely watched movies including Magadheera (2009). He produces films under his production banner Geetha Arts with his brother-in-law, actor Chiranjeevi.

Kalaipuli S. Thanu

Kalaipuli S. Thanu has produced films through his two production companies, V Creations and Kalaipuli Films International. A large number of his films have been commercially successful, three of which are among the top-ten highest grossing Tamil films of all time.

The 49^th International Film Festival of India begins on Tuesday, 20 November 2018 and ends on Wednesday, 28 November 2018, in Panaji, Goa.

GOA, 17th NOVEMBER 2018: The 49^th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will come to a close with the World Premiere of ‘Sealed Lips’. It is important to note that the opening film of the festival ‘The Aspern Papers’ will also be having its World Premiere at IFFI 2018, in the presence of its’ critically and commercially acclaimed cast and crew.

The key cast and crew of the Sealed Lips will be present for the screening at the festival. This includes Bernd Böhlich (Director), Thomas Plenert (Director of Photography) and the cast of the film that includes actresses Barbara Schnitzler and Swetlana Schönfeld.

Speaking about the film, the Directorate of Film Festivals said, “Over the years, German films have carved a niche for themselves in world cinema, courtesy some stellar work produced by German filmmakers. We are ecstatic to have one such film from Germany as the Closing Film of IFFI 2018. And to have its World Premiere here, is an icing on the cake. We look forward to having the Director and the cast of the film with us for the premiere.” The statement further said, “At IFFI, we have always kept in mind the need for a healthy exchange of the cinema culture between countries. With the World Premiere of ‘Sealed Lips’ at IFFI, we are giving the audiences here a great opportunity to the audience to witness a World Premiere.”

Besides Schnitzler and Schönfeld, the film also stars Alexandra Maria Lara, Carlota von Falkenhayn, Robert Stadlober and Karoline Eichhorn. The 100-minute long film has been produced by Eva-Marie Martens, Alexander Martens.

Sealed Lips

Germany / 2018 / German / 100Min. / Colour

Director: Bernd Böhlich

Screenplay: Bernd Böhlich

Producer: Eva-Marie Martens, Alexander Martens

Director of Photography: Thomas Plenert

Cast: Alexandra Maria Lara, Carlota von Falkenhayn, Robert Stadlober, Karoline Eichhorn, Barbara Schnitzler

Synopsis of Sealed Lips:

Antonia Berger, a young German and enthusiastic Communist, goes to the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Whilst there, she is accused of spying and sent to Vorkuta’s labor camp. After being released from the gulag in 1952, she manages to return home to the new socialist East German state with her daughter Lydia. Antonia is forced by her party comrades to keep her terrible experiences secret for the common good. Antonia has to make a choice – between truth and the present.

About the Director:

Bernd Böhlich was born on 25th April, 1957. He is a German film director who’s directed more than thirty films since 1983. Bernd Böhlich began his film career as an assistant Director at the GDR television and then began a directing degree at the Film University Potsdam-Babelsberg , which he completed in 1982 with his diploma film Front leave . He then worked as a Director and screenwriter for the GDR television.

The 49^th International Film Festival of India begins on Tuesday, 20 November 2018 and ends on Wednesday, 28 November, 2018, in Panaji, Goa.