The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is an annual film festival currently held in Goa, on the western coast of India. The festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of the film art; contributing to the understanding and appreciation of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos, and promoting friendship and cooperation among people of the world. The festival is conducted jointly by the National Film Development Corporation of India and the state Government of Goa.
Mahesh Narayanan is an Indian film director, screenwriter, editor and cinematographer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, he has also worked in Tamil and Hindi films. He is a recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Debut Director (2017) and Kerala State Film Award for Best Director (2022).
The 45th International Film Festival of India was held on 20 to 30 November 2014 in Goa. China is the focus country for the festival.
The 44th International Film Festival of India was held on 20 to 30 November 2013 in Goa.
The 37th International Film Festival of India was held from November 23 – December 3 2006 in Goa. The jury, headed by Australian director Rolf de Heer, consisted of French director Olivier Assayas, Polish actress Grażyna Szapołowska, Argentinian actress Leticia Bredice and India's Jahnu Barua.
The 40th International Film Festival of India was held from November 23 - December 3, 2009 in Goa. Veteran actors Waheeda Rahman and Mammootty were the Chief guests for the edition. The 75 years of Assamese Cinema was celebrated by a special section featuring five films. Assamese film personalities Jahnu Barua, Gyanada Kakoti, Bidya Rao and Manju Bora were present on the occasion. For the first time, Malegaon industry of remakes received an international platform with the screening of two of their films.
The 41st International Film Festival of India was held from 22 November – 2 December 2010 in Goa. Veteran director Yash Chopra was the chief guest for this edition. The "Cannes Kaleidoscope 2010" was the highlight of the 41st edition. The "Best Actress" and "Best Actor" awards were re-instituted from this edition. The 41st edition paid homage to veteran French filmmaker Eric Rohmer. Six of his feature films were part of the festival. The platinum jubilee of Oriya Cinema was Commemorated and 26 Feature Films were screened. The edition also marked the commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the Film & Television Institute of India.
The IFFI Award for Best Actress (officially known as the Silver Peacock for the Best Actor Award (Female)) is an honor presented annually at the International Film Festival of India since 2010 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role in World cinema. Earlier the award was presented on various occasions at the 3rd IFFI for ensemble cast in "Nirjan Saikate", and Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres at 11th IFFI.
The IFFI Award for Best Actor (officially known as the Silver Peacock for the Best Actor Award (Male)) is an honor presented annually at the International Film Festival of India since 2010 to an actor for the best performance in a leading role in World cinema. Earlier the award was presented on two occasions at the 7th and 11th IFFI for two Indian actors.
The 50th International Film Festival of India was held from 20 to 28 November 2019 in Goa. Russia is the country of focus with eight Russian language films being screened.
The 52nd International Film Festival of India opened on 20 November 2021 with The King of All the World by Carlos Saura in Goa. Like the 51st edition, this edition was held in a hybrid format which combined online and face-to-face participation. The BRICS Film Festival was held alongside main festival, in which films from BRICS nations, namely Brazil, Russia, South Africa, China and India were showcased. These five countries were 'the 'countries of focus' in the 52nd edition of the festival.
The 53rd International Film Festival of India was an event held from 20 to 28 November 2022 with Alma & Oskar by Dieter Berner as the opening feature film, and Perfect Number by Krzysztof Zanussi as the closing feature film. France was the country of focus in the festival with eight films of the country included in the 'country of focus' section.
The IFFI Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award is an international honor instituted by the International Film Festival of India. The recipient is honored for their "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of World cinema.
The IFFI Award for Best Director is an honor presented annually at the International Film Festival of India since the 40th IFFI 2009 for the best direction in World cinema. Earlier the award was presented as the "Silver Peacock for the Most Promising Asian Director" during "31st IFFI 2000" to "39th IFFI 2008"
The IFFI Award for Best Debut Director is an honor presented annually at the International Film Festival of India since the 47th IFFI 2016 for the best debut film direction in World cinema. The IFFI Award for Best Indian Debut Director was instituted since the 55th IFFI 2024 for the best debut film direction in Indian cinema.
The IFFI Special Jury Award and Special Mention are the two honors presented annually at the International Film Festival of India for excellency in Film Art in World cinema. It was first presented during the 4th IFFI 1969. The award was later re-instated since 29th IFFI 1998. On the occasion of 100 years of Indian cinema, centenary awards were conferred during 2012, 2013, and 2014. The special mention is being awarded since the 46th IFFI 2015.
The 54th International Film Festival of India opened on 20 November 2023 with Catching Dust by Stuart Gatt in Goa. Shekhar Kapur an Indian filmmaker served as chairperson of the international jury. This year a new award category Best Web Series Award was introduced in the festival. 32 entries in 10 languages from 15 Over-the-top media service platforms were selected to compete for this award.
The 55th International Film Festival of India took place from 20 to 28 November, 2024 at Panaji, Goa. The theme of this year's festival is 'Young Filmmakers – The Future is Now', so this year a new section and award category 'Best Debut Director of Indian Feature Film' has been introduced in the festival to encourage young blood. The award constitutes of a certificate and cash prize of ₹5 lakh in recognition of young directorial talent from India. The festival screened over 180 international films from 81 countries, including 15 world premieres.
