Only cinema can bring people from all over the world under one umbrella. The 54th edition of IFFI began in Goa from November 20 and concluded on November 28.
On the last day of the event, renowned Hollywood star Michael Douglas was honored with the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
About Michael Douglas
The “Wall Street” hero Michael Douglas is a living legend. He is Best known for his intense portrayal of flawed movie characters.
At the age of 31, Douglas further established himself in the entertainment industry when he produced a screen rendering of Ken kesey’s novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). He won the Academy Award not once, but twice. This victory led Douglas to produce and act in some of the biggest box-office hits of the later 70s and 80s.
Veteran Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas and his wife, Catherine Zeta Jones have arrived in India along with their son. They visited to this country to attend the 54th International Film Festival of India. The video of their arrival in the country has now gone viral.
After arriving here, they attended a discussion meeting with National Award winning producer Shailendra Singh. High security arrangements are made for them. he told about the popularity and influence of Indian films in the world.
About International Film Festival of India
Since 1952, India has started the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The festival has been an annual event since 1975. This year, the festival was organized in collaboration with the National Film Development Corporation of India Limited (NFDC), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Goa State Government, the Government of India, and the Indian Film Industry.
According to the authority, the aim of the festival is to provide a common platform for filmmakers around the world to showcase their excellence in the film industry.
After screening 270 international and Indian films, including 25 feature films and 20 non-feature films, the International Film Festival (IFFI) came to an end on Tuesday.
Endless Borders won the Best Film award at the event’s closing ceremony, while Panchayat Season 2 won the Best Web Series award.
What is the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award?
The Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award was first launched in 1999 for its 30th edition. During the edition of the 52nd IFFI in 2021 to mark Satyajit Ray’s birth centenary, the “IFFI Lifetime Achievement Award” was renamed to the “IFFI-Satyajit Ray Lifetime achievement Award”. Every year, a filmmaker, film technician, or film personality is invited for this award at this festival.
Chief minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant felicitated Mr. Douglas with the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony. During the event, his actor-wife Catherine Zeta Jones was also felicitated by the Chief Minister of Goa.
Speech of Michael Douglas
After receiving the award, Michael Douglas said that Satyajit Ray was a world-class filmmaker who represented not only the triumph of the Indian film industry but also “cross-cultural artistic expression.”He has expressed her sincere thanks to the people who laid the foundations of her career, including his late father, Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas. Mr. Douglas thanked all the audiences around the world for pushing the filmmakers to explore the boundaries of new filmmaking.
The true life partner of Douglas and one of the timeless beauties, actress Catherine Zeta Jones, said, “I just want to say thank you, India, for welcoming us. We thought we were going to eat different foods. It’s going to be a different culture that we all will enjoy, but one thing that remains constant is the kindness, welcoming nature, and hospitality of all Indians, be it in Goa, Mumbai, New Delhi, or Jaipur.”
This Hollywood power couple arrived in India in early 2020. At the 17th “Hindustan Times Leadership Summit,” they confessed their obsession with India and Bollywood. They showed their happiness this year as well.
Catherine Zeta Jones has already posted a video of herself and her husband enjoying themselves with Indian songs on her Instagram account.
World-wide celebrated Hollywood actor and film producer Michael Douglas performed an unexpected dance to the Oscar-winning mega-hit song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from ‘RRR’. On the IFFI stage, Douglas was joined by producer Shailendra Singh.
Michael Douglas’s comments on Indian Cinema
Michael talked about the popularity and power of Indian films around the world. In his words, ‘Indian cinema is appreciated all over the world for its own skill and mastery.’ He also said that India and Indian films are in ‘capable hands’.
Michael Douglas praised the Union Minister Anurag Tagore and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi by attending the event. He also talked about their contribution to the Indian entertainment industry. He also appealed to increase investment in Indian cinema. In an interview given to ANI, Michael Douglas said, ‘Whatever language we speak, pictures speak only one language. No matter which part of the world the viewer is in, he can understand what is happening there by looking at a picture. Cinema brings us closer. That’s the best part of the movie.’
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