French actress Isabelle Huppert will be conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming International Film Festival of India, which is set to run Wednesday-Nov. 28 and take place in Goa. Organized by the Indian government, IFFI marks its 50th anniversary this year.
Huppert has appeared in over 120 films, winning numerous awards including two Cannes best actress trophies (for Violette and The Piano Teacher) while her performance in Elle won her a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. The IFFI lifetime honor carries a cash prize of 1 million rupees ($14,285). Huppert will also address a master class at the festival titled The Actor's Connect.
IFFI is set to open with Serbian director Goran Paskaljevic's Italy-set immigration drama Despite the Fog, while Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Marghe and Her Mother, which revolves around the challenges faced by a single Italian mother, will be the closing film.
The festival lineup includes over 200 films from 76 countries, with Russia as the country of focus. A special section introduced to mark the event's golden jubilee will feature selected Oscar classics including such titles as Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia and The Godfather, among others.
The international competition jury will be headed by cinematographer and former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences John Bailey, while fellow jurors include French director Robin Campillo (120 BPM), Chinese helmer Zhang Yang (Soul on a String), Scottish director Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here) and Indian helmer Ramesh Sippy (Sholay).
The international competition section will see 15 pics vying for the festival's Golden Peacock prize, which carries a cash prize of 4 million rupees ($55,821). The competing films include Pema Tseden's Balloon from China, Norwegian drama Out Stealing Horses by Hans Petter Moland, Sophie Derasp's Antigone from Canada and Indian helmer Lijo Jose Pellissery's Jallikattu, among others.
Retrospective sections will include pics by Ken Loach and Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, who was recently named as the recipient of India's highest cinematic honor, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
A specially instituted award titled the Icon of Golden Jubilee of IFFI will be presented to South Indian film legend Rajnikanth. The festival also will throw the spotlight on acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike (First Love), who will address a master class.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Bend It Like Beckham, The Tudors) and Wagner Moura, best known for his portrayal of Pablo Escobar on Netflix's Narcos, will have a discussion about their careers in a session titled The Magnificent Artists.
IFFI's golden jubilee will be marked with a special section showcasing 50 women filmmakers and will include such titles as Japanese director Hikari's debut feature 37 Seconds and Celine Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which snagged the Queer Palm at Cannes.
Similarly, another section will honor Indian films marking their 50th anniversary, including such titles as Satyajit Ray's Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, Bhalji Pendharkar's Tambdi Mati and Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai by Ram Maheshwary, among others.
The annual Film Bazaar, organized by the Indian government's National Film Development Corporation, will run alongside the festival from Wednesday-Sunday as a platform and workshop to incubate upcoming projects.
Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/