41st International Film Festival of India opens at Goa

The 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) opened on Monday at Panaji, Goa. This festival, also called the Indian Cannes, will screen 300 movies from around the world in a 10-day event. Some of the notable Indian movies to be screened are the Hindi movies: Tere Bin Laden, I am Kalam, Wake Up Sid, Paa and 3 Idiots; Tamil movies: Athma Kadha and Angadi Theru; Telugu movie: Prasthanam; Kannada movies: Kanasemba Kudureyaneri, Aidu Ondola Aidu and Shabari; Malayalam movies: Mummy & Me, Makaramanju, Kaal Chilambu and Elektra.

Apart from the movie screenings, this edition of IFFI is special as it has created the Short Film Centre, an initiative to bring together short film makers and funders. Speaking about the 41st IFFI, festival director S.M. Khan said the 41st edition of IFFI will be grander than the earlier versions. He also mentioned about the $2,00,000 prize money awaiting film makers who display exceptional talent.

Inaugurating the film festival, Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said that movies as a medium are very powerful in influencing people, so powerful that even politicians and the judiciary is afraid to oppose them. Veteran film maker Yash Chopra and actor Ajay Devgn lit the ceremonial lamp with Mamata Banerjee, formally inaugurating the film festival.