PANAJI: Veteran Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce, known for his work on Clear and Present Danger, Salt, and Rabbit-Proof Fence, will receive the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The festival will take place from November 20-28 in Goa, with Australia as this year’s Country of Focus.
The festival will open with the Asian premiere of Better Man, a biographical film about British pop star Robbie Williams, directed by Michael Gracey.
In the competition section, 15 feature films will compete for the Golden Peacock Award, with a jury led by Indian filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker.
This year’s Indian Panorama section will feature 25 fiction films and 20 documentaries, showcasing India’s rich linguistic diversity. A new Best Indian Debut Director award will be introduced, and the ‘Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ programme will expand to include 100 emerging talents. Over 180 international films from 81 countries will be screened, along with tributes to Indian cinema legends and masterclasses by industry veterans like A.R. Rahman and Mani Ratnam.
IFFI will also feature six new theatres and introduce “IFFiesta,” an entertainment zone along Goa’s riverfront. Tributes to iconic Indian film personalities, including Raj Kapoor, Mohammed Rafi, Tapan Sinha, and Akkineni Nageswara Rao, will be marked through restored classic screenings and exhibitions.
Masterclasses and panel discussions will be led by industry luminaries such as A.R. Rahman, Prasoon Joshi, Shabana Azmi, Mani Ratnam, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and cinematographer John Seale. During a press conference, festival director Shekhar Kapur emphasised IFFI’s role in nurturing theatrical film experiences. “Only 5% of our population uses film, so we have a responsibility to nurture this idea,” Kapur said. He acknowledged the decline in theatrical viewership but stressed that storytelling through film remains central.
