Offering a glimpse into the enriching experience that awaits participants and unveiling the festival’s array of cinematic treasures in a curtain raiser press conference yesterday, Mr. Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that the whole objective of organizing such festivals is not just to promote cinema, but to reflect upon topical and socio-economic issues and to guide policymakers towards solutions.
Mr. Sanjay Jaju announced that over the next week, MIFF will have 314 films from 59 countries in 61 languages, 8 world premieres, 5 international premieres, 18 Asia premieres and 21 India premieres. He said Sixty countries are participating through their films and other kinds of engagements.
Hinting at the growing market for documentary and short films, Mr. Sanjay Jaju said that the documentary is a huge industry worth 16 billion US dollars globally demonstrating the genre’s power to inform, inspire, introspect and entertain. He said therefore this year’s festival is introducing the first-ever Doc Film Bazaar, a dedicated marketplace for independent filmmakers to find buyers, sponsors and collaborators for their projects.
He also highlighted the inroads our nation has made in the Animation and VFX industry and encouraged the creators to come up with many more ideas that will capture the imagination of the world. He informed that while the Government of Srilanka is putting up a performance that brings out their cultural heritage in the opening ceremony, the Government of Argentina is showcasing their country’s talents in the closing ceremony.
Towards giving a further impetus to Inclusivity and Accessibility, he said that MIFF 2024 is making its venues fully accessible to everyone and showcasing special films for persons with disabilities in partnership with the NGO SVAYAM.
Detailing the Ministry’s efforts to encourage future filmmakers, the Secretary said that this year, the festival takes a significant step forward by inviting students from premier film institutes like FTII, SRFTI, and IIMC. This will provide them the opportunity to immerse themselves in the festival and learn from industry leaders, and network.
