NRI segment to make debut at Goa film fest

Panaji, Oct 30 (IANS) A special non-resident Indian (NRI) film segment will make its debut at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), due to be held in Goa from Nov 22.

The organisers have short-listed six of the 25 films received till date, said Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) director S.M.Khan, at a press conference in Panaji Thursday morning.

'The films include those either with predominantly NRI-related content or those made by NRIs,' Khan told the media.

Khan was in Goa to oversee the arrangements for the IFFI, which is being co-hosted by the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) along with the DFF.

He said many film personalities like Rajesh Khanna, Asha Parekh, Aamir Khan and Nana Patekar have been shortlisted for inaugurating the festival.

'We arrived at these names after discussions with the film industry in Mumbai. We will finalise one of them after due consultation,' Khan said.

Khan added that 26 feature films and 21 non-feature films have been chosen for the Indian Panorama category by a jury headed by K.N. Shastri and Anjan Bose respectively.

'The jury took three weeks to select these films from the many entries which came in,' he said.

The IFFI will also pay a cinematic tribute to three stalwarts of the Indian film industry - Dilip Kumar, B. Saroja Devi and Lata Mangeshkar.

Speaking about the international cinema composition at the festival, Khan said that 104 films had already been selected and that short-listing of more films was on.

'Cinema from Iran, Russia and Switzerland will be showcased,' Khan said, adding that a special segment on internationally classics from the pre 1950 era had also been created.

The IFFI opens in Goa Nov 22 and will conclude on Dec 2.