IFFI to pay homage to actor Nedumudi Venu among others

Panaji: The 52nd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) starting on November 20 will pay homage to recently deceased Malayalam actor Nedumudi Venu among other film stalwarts.

According to the media release issued by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, IFFI will pay homage to Indian film stalwarts Buddhadeb Das Gupta (Director), Dilip Kumar (Actor), Nedumudi Venu (Actor), Puneeth Rajkumar (Actor), Sanchari Vijay (Actor), Sumitra Bhave (Director), Surekha Sikri (Actress) and Waman Bhonsle (Film Editor).

Nedumudi Venu, who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram passed away on October 11 this year at the age of 73. The actor, who in a career spanning four decades had acted in more than 500 films, including a few Tamil films. He was suffering from liver-related ailments.

Meanwhile, 25 films including Malayalam Films 'Sunny' (Directed by Ranjith Sankar) and 'Niraye Thathakalulla Maram' (Directed by Jayaraj) will be screened in the Indian Panorama category.

The festival is jointly conducted by the Directorate of Film Festivals (under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and the Entertainment Society of Goa, Government of Goa. The festival provides the perfect platform for understanding and appreciating the film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos.

Founded in 1952, the film festival is held annually, currently in the state of Goa, to celebrate the excellence of world cinema and is Asia's oldest and India's biggest film festival. It will be held from November 20 to November 28 this year.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, IFFI this year will be hybrid and festival delegates will have the option to participate and watch films and other events virtually, sitting in the comforts of their homes. IFFI will feature 148 films from about 73 countries in the International Section with about 12 world premieres, about 7 international premieres, 26 Asia premieres and about 64 India premieres.