By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Acclaimed Hungarian film director Istvan Szabo, American filmmaker and actor Martin Scorsese will be conferred with the first Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at 52nd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Goa next month.
While Szabo is known for his masterpieces like Mephisto (1981) and Father (1966), Scorsese is one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential directors in film history.
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur made an announcement in this regard on Friday. The Ministry in April announced to organise year-long celebrations across India and abroad to mark his 100th birth anniversary. To recognise his legacy, the ministry also instituted ‘Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Cinema’ starting this year.
The ministry has made changes in the format of the festival. For the first time ever, IFFI has invited major OTT players to participate in the festival. The minister has informed that platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5, Voot and Sony Liv are participating this year.
Speaking about the development, Thakur said that the trend of watching movies on OTT is on the rise and IFFI is embracing new technology and providing a platform for the industry artists to interact with OTT players. The minister further announced that for the first time ever, films from five BRICS nations will be showcased through the BRICS Film Festival alongside IFFI.
Around 30 films have been shortlisted for screening from prominent international film festivals in the festival kaleidoscope and world panorama section at the event. One of the attractions of the festival this year will be recognition to 75 ‘creative minds of tomorrow’, which is to mark 75 years celebration of India’s independence –Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
