Date:06/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/06/stories/2006110604700500.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Sringaram among two Indian entries at international film fete

Staff Reporter

To be held in Goa from November 23 to December 3 To be held in Goa from November 23 to December 3

CHENNAI: Tamil film Sringaram will be one of the two competition films from India at the 37th International Film Festival of India 2006 (IFFI), to be held from November 23 to December 3 in Goa. The other one is Sonam by Ahsan Muzid in Arunachali dialect Monpa.

The festival was announced in Chennai to the media by Nikhil Desai, general manager of the organising body Entertainment Society of Goa, in the presence of film personalities Cheran and Madhu Ambat, producer and cinematographer of Sringaram.

Cheran's film Dhavamai Dhavamirunthu and Aadum Koothu in which he acts will also be screened.

This year's event will be inaugurated by actor Shashi Kapoor. The festival will feature a retrospective of his father Prithviraj Kapoor's films. A screening of Richard Attenborough's Gandhi will be held. Mr. Attenborough or Ben Kingsley (who played Gandhi in the film) is expected to attend, said Mr. Desai. IFFI opens with critically acclaimed Spanish film Volver by Pedro Almodovar. The closing film will be Babel that stars Brad Pitt.

The competition section is for films from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Sringaram and Sonam will be competing with films from these countries for the Golden Peacock and the Silver Peacock, which are awarded to the best film and best director respectively.

The website for the festival, iffigoa.org, was announced. It will be constantly updated about programme schedules and events, said Mr. Desai. It will also offer information about hotels and other places of interest to visitors to Goa during the period.

Mr. Desai said the festival is about the films; the business generated for and by the film industry; and the celebrities.

A video promo for the festival showed Salman Khan, Sohail Khan and Priyanka Chopra promising to be there for the revelry and fun in the sun by the sea. Performances will include dances by Prabhu Deva, Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka. A concert by Boney M is on the menu.

The international jury for IFFI 2006 will be headed by Rolf de Heer, an award-winning director from Australia. Others include French producer Vincent Maraval, French director Olivier Assayas and Assamese director Jahnu Barua.

There will be homage to film personalities, who died recently, including director Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Raj Kumar, Oduvil Unnikrishnan and Padmini.