International Film Festival of India felicitates Zeenat Aman, Ravi Kishan at closing ceremony

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The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) honored the creme de la creme of World Cinema during the closing ceremony of the first-ever hybrid version of the festival that took place at Panaji on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021.

The epic World War II film ‘Into the Darkness (De forbandede ar)’ which portrays the story of a Danish electronics factory owner who is forced to produce for the occupying Nazi forces, won the coveted Golden Peacock Award at the just-concluded 51st edition of the International Film Festival of India.

The golden Peacock Award consists of a cash prize of Rs 40 lakhs or approximately $54,800 (according to the exchange rate Jan. 24) which is shared equally between Director Anders Refn and Producer Lene Borglum. The director and producer of the were also been presented with a certificate.

The Silver Peacock for the Best Director on the other hand went to Taiwanese director, writer, and producer Chen-Nien Ko, for her 2020 Mandarin drama film ‘The Silent Forest.’
According to a release from the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the Silver Peacock for Best Director carries a certificate and cash award of 15 lakh rupees.

The Silver Peacock for Best Actor – Male has been awarded to 17-year-old Tzu-Chuan Liu while the award in the female category has been given to Polish actor Zofia Stafiej, for her role in Piotr Domalewski’s ‘I Never Cry / Jak najdalej stad.’

The IFFI 51 Special Jury Award for a film has been given to Bulgarian Director Kamin Kalev for his 2020 film February. Kalev receives a Silver Peacock, a certificate and cash award of 15 lakh rupees.

The IFFI 51 Special Mention Award has been presented to Indian director Kripal Kalita for his Assamese film ‘Bridge.’ Kalita receives a certificate for the Award.

The Award for Best Debut Director has been presented to Brazilian director Cassio Pereira dos Santos, for his 2020 Portuguese film ‘Valentina,’ which is an eponymous film that tells the story of a 17-year-old transgender Brazilian girl, whose sole aim is to lead a normal life with her mother.

The prestigious ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Award which is given to a film that best reflects Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of peace, tolerance, and non-violence, has been awarded to Ameen Nayfeh’s 2020 Arabic film ‘200 Meters.’

The Award consists of a certificate and a medal and is given as part of IFFI’s collaboration with the International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication (ICFT) Paris.

The Awards have been decided by the IFFI 51 International Jury comprising eminent filmmakers from across the world, with Argentine Director Pablo Cesar as Chairman.
Prasanna Vithanage (Sri Lanka), Abu Bakr Shawky (Austria), Priyadarshan (India), and Rubaiyat Hossain (Bangladesh) were the other members of the Jury.

In a video message, Jury Chairman Pablo Cesar thanked the festival for the opportunity given to the Jury to evaluate the films in the International Competition category.

Veteran Bollywood actor Ms. Zeenat Aman, and MP and actor Shri Ravi Kishan were the Guests of Honour at the colorfully cultural closing ceremony held at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, in Talegaon, Goa today.

Veteran actor, director, and producer Biswajit Chatterjee has been presented with the Indian Personality of the Year Award on the occasion.

Governor of Goa Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Babul Supriyo too graced the closing ceremony, along with a host of dignitaries from various spheres of life.

Member of International Jury, Director Priyadarshan Nair; IFFI Steering Committee members Shaji N. Karun, Rahul Rawail, Manju Borah, and Ravi Kottarakkara; and celebrities from India and abroad walked the red carpet and attended the ceremony.

In a video message, celebrated actor Amitabh Bachchan thanked the Government of India for keeping cinema alive during these difficult times, saying that the festival is a great example of transforming challenges into opportunities.

Zeenat Aman and actor Ravi Kishan were felicitated at the closing ceremony of the festival. Aman was felicitated by Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant; Kishan was honored by the Secretary of Higher Education Amit Khare. Khare presented a stole and an IFFI trophy to Kishan during the closing ceremony.

The pictures were shared on the official Twitter handle of the Press Information Bureau (PIB).
“Actor @ravikishann being felicitated at the Closing Ceremony of #IFFI51 #IFFIGoa,” PIB tweeted along with the pictures.

Aman was presented with a bouquet of flowers, and an IFFI trophy by lawmaker and singer Babul Supriyo and the chief minister of Goa.

“Chief Guest of the #IFFI51 Closing Ceremony, Zeenat Aman being felicitated by Chief Minister of Goa, @DrPramodPSawant #IFFIGoa,” PIB tweeted.

The 51st edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began in Goa on January 16 and was closed on Sunday Jan. 24. The nine-day film festival featured various remarkable movies directed by renowned filmmakers worldwide.

As per reports, the festival also honored 28 prominent artists who passed away in 2020, including Irrfan Khan, Sushant Singh Rajput, Rishi Kapoor, Soumitra Chatterjee, and Chadwick Boseman by screening their movies, ‘Paan Singh Tomar’, ‘Kedarnath’, ‘Bobby’, ‘Charulata’ and ’42’, respectively.

Nearly 224 films were lined-up for screening under different sections this year. Director Tushar Hiranandani’s female-centric film ‘Saand Ki Aankh’, starring Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar in the lead roles was the opening film at the Panorama section of the revered film festival.

The IFFI, which takes place in Goa from November 20-28 annually, was postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Theaters worldwide were forced to shut down last year, which marked a major change in the entertainment industry due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. With theaters and other public places being shut, various streaming platforms gained more viewers.