Officials familiar with the situation indicated that the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to filmmakers Martin Scorsese and István Szabó at the 52nd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which will be held in Goa from November 20 to 28 in a hybrid format.

Taxi Driver and Goodfellas are two of Scorsese’s Oscar-winning films. Szabo, a Hungarian film director, is best known for directing the Academy Award-winning film Mephisto. There will be numerous firsts at this year’s IFFI, according to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur. His ministry has organised a masterclass in direction, acting, cinematography, editing, and production for young people. The event will also include over-the-top (OTT) platforms.

ÂAs India is celebrating 75 years of independence, we have started a new initiative for training 75 creative minds of tomorrow. These young talented people will be offered an opportunity to apply for a masterclass with the experts. The participants will be shortlisted by a jury and get an opportunity to interact with industry leaders, said Thakur.

A competition to attend the class will be held this year as well as the next. ÂIt is difficult for the young to reach out to these experts otherwise, he said. According to HT on September 23, IIFI is in talks with Netflix to screen an original during the festival and offer a masterclass with Netflix executives.

An official said this is the first time the festival is tying up with OTT platforms. ÂCinema and movies are being viewed on OTTs. Series and films are made specifically for OTT platforms. In Covid-19 times, they are earning a higher revenue than traditional mediums. The official added that by tying up with the platforms such as Netflix, IFFI is embracing new tech and giving a platform for artists to interact with OTT players. ÂIFFI will give a platform to budding talent across India, the official said. Â75 creative minds (under 35 years) will be invited (to)… interact with Industry leaders and attend masterclasses.Â

Continue Reading on The India Saga