Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur to head IFFI as Festival Director
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur to head IFFI as Festival Director
Information and Broadcasting Ministry in a notification said that veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, acknowledged for films “Mr India”, “Bandit Queen” and “Elizabeth”, has been inducted as festival director for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). Shekarwill head the festival, held annually in Goa, for the 55th and 56th editions,
Embarking on his career
Kapur forayed into filmmaking in 1983 with family drama Masoom in 1983, garnering further acclaim with Mr. India in 1987. His international assignment came in 1994 with Bandit Queen, which premiered in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 1994, before making UK royal drama Elizabeth, featuring Cate Blanchett and was nominated for seven Oscars. Further credits include sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Four Feathers and UK romantic comedy What’s Love Got To Do With It, which premiered at Toronto in 2022.
For the filmmaker, the appointment marks a return to IFFI. He had led the international competition jury at last year’s festival, awarding the Golden Peacock for best film to Abbas Amini’s Endless Borders.
He also headed the Film and Television Institute of India from 2020-2023. Last year’s IFFI screened around 250 films from 78 countries and hosted 23 masterclasses and in conversation events.
Film Bazaar, South Asia’s largest content market, will take place this year from November 20-24, organised by India’s National Film Development Corporation (NFDC).
News Edit K.V.Raman
