Special Correspondent
Panaji, Nov 14 : India’s oldest film festival will screen the films from the United States of America, packaged in a special section, for the first time since its inception half a century ago.
International Film Festival of India (IFFI) organizers told reporters in Goa that the USA would be a country focus for the festival this time, when it is held in Goa from November 23 to December 3, this year.
The festival is a property of country’s Information and Broadcasting ministry, which would be hosting 42nd Edition of the event.
IFFI Director Shankar Mohan told reporters that America has been focused for such time in the festival, which was earlier restricted to the films from Asian, African and Latin American countries.
Mohan said that the country focus would showcase the disciplines of Art, Music and Cinema through the eyes of legendary filmmakers like Martin Scorsese with `Shine A Light’ Sidney Pollack with `Sketches of Frank Gehry’ and others.
The festival which is going through revival was suggested to get the global entries in its competition section by a team of experts led by renowned Indian filmmaker Kamal Hassan.
Mohan said that majority of the recommendations of the committee are being executed during this year’s edition. “That’s how you can see America as a country focus,” he said.
The festival, which is being on the banks of Mandovi River in the capital city of Panaji, will be flagged off by screening Portuguese film `The Consul of Bordeaux.’
Mohan said that the film is based on the life of Portuguese consul general Aristides de Sousa Mendes in Bordeaux, France, who helped thousands of Jewish refugees to extricate themselves from France, after Hitler's armed forces invaded Belgium and the Netherlands in May 1940.
The organizers have also curated a classic section on Russian films. Mohan said that `The Mirror’ by Andrei Tarkovsky, `Uncle Vanya’ by Andrei Mikhalov-Kochalovsky showcasing rich cultural heritage of Russia’s cinematic history would be packaged in a special section.