By TIOL News Service

MUMBAI, NOV 28, 2023: THE International Jury Members (IFFI) shared their profound experiences and insights on watching the films nominated for the Golden Peacock Award at the 54th International Film Festival of India being held in Goa. Eminent filmmakers from across the globe, the jury members deliberated on the 'International Competition' and the awards to be announced and presented in this section at the closing ceremony of the festival tomorrow.

The Jury unanimously articulated that it has been a great personal experience for them to be a part of the international jury and to select from a diverse and compelling list of stories. They expressed that the International Film Festival of India has grown tremendously since its inception, given the diversity of the entries received and selections made.

Renowned filmmaker Shekhar Kapur who is also the Jury Chairperson said that the selection committee has done a remarkable curation of films; he also emphasized on India's unparalleled content and technological prowess that enriches global cinema. "India has the world's largest base of content and technology and festivals like IFFI help the rest of the world understand the culture of India", Shekhar added. Speaking about the growing use of Artificial Intelligence in film making in India, he said "there is no final authority in a creative work."

Emphasizing the pivotal role of film festivals in facilitating collaborations, Jerome Paillard said, "discovering diverse films and networking for collaborations is the biggest benefit of going to a film festival.  Hailing initiatives like the Film Bazaar for catalyzing impactful partnerships, Jerome said, "marketing initiatives like film bazaar make a big difference about making collaborative projects." He also praised the Creative Minds of Tomorrow (CMOT) initiative, saying it is a really wonderful initiative to nurture the young talent in film making.

Catharine Dussart, echoing the sentiments of Jerome, also lauded the plethora of films in competition and the Film Bazaar's instrumental role in connecting distributors and producers. She said, "it is very helpful for distributors and producers who come to discover new projects for co-production," adding that the festival had a great selection of films for the competition this year from different parts of the world.

Helen Leake highlighted the festival's role in uniting disparate film industries. Emphasizing the growing global recognition of Indian cinema through IFFI's expansive platform, Helen said, "the partnership of different film industries has become much connected through IFFI", acknowledging that awareness about Indian films is growing throughout the world through this festival.

In her remarks, Jose Luis Alcaine said, "watching and judging films of diverse stories, cultures and styles was a great experience," adding that the response of the audience at the festival venues was phenomenal. 

The Jury effusively praised the warmth and generosity of the festival's hospitality, acknowledging its invaluable contribution to their experience.

The International Jury will select the winner of the coveted Best Film Award which includes the 'Golden Peacock' and Certificates for the Director and Producer. Apart from the Best Film, the Jury will also determine winners in the Best Director, Best Actor (Male), Best Actor (Female) and Special Jury Prize categories.

In IFFI 54, the ‘International Competition' is a selection of 15 acclaimed feature films of important genres, representing the emerging trends in film making. This year, the festival received a record breaking 2,926 entries from 105 countries.

A brief Profile of the International Jury:

1. Shekhar Kapur (Jury Chairperson)

An acclaimed Filmmaker, Actor, Narrator and Producer, Shekhar Kapur is recipient of several accolades, including Padma National Film Award, BAFTA Award, National Board of Review Award, Filmfare Awards, and nominations for Golden Globe and Oscars. His Filmography includes Masoom (1983), Mr. India (1987), Bandit Queen (1994), Elizabeth (1998), The Four Feathers (2002), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), and What's Love Got to Do with It (2022). He has been Chairman, Film and Television Institute of India, 2020-2023; Member, Cannes International Jury 2010; Chairman, IFFI Jury 2015.

2. Jose Luis Alcaine

The first cinematographer to use a fluorescent tube as key lighting in 1970s, Jose Luis Alcaine has worked on Belle Époque (Academy Award, Best Foreign Language Film, 1993), Two Much (1995), Blast from the Past (1999), and The Skin I Live In (2011). The many honours to his credit include National Film Award 1989. Goya Award for Best Photography 1989, 1992, 1993, 2002, 2007. European Academy Award for Best Cinematography 2006, Gold Medal of Spanish Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences 2011. Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts (2017, 2019). Visión Award, Lausanne; and Gold Medal, Valladolid Festival.

3. Jerome Paillard

Jerome Paillard has served as a classical musician, artistic director and CFO of a classical record label. With Daniel Toscan du Plantier he co-produced feature films by Satyajit Ray, Mehdi Charef, Souleymane Cisse, Maurice Pialat, and Jean-Charles Tachella. He served the Cannes Festival from 1995 to 2022. As Executive Director, Marche du Film he developed what is now the world's leading film market. He founded cinando.com, an online resource, communication and screening platform.

4. Catharine Dussart

A Producer/ co-producer of nearly 100 films in 15 countries, Catherine Dussart is renowned for Huahua shijie linghun ke (2017), The Missing Picture (2013) and Exil (2016). Among her productions, Amos Gitai's Laila in Haifa competed at Venice 2020. Rithy Panh's Les Irradies (Irradiated) was Best Documentary at Berlin 2020. Amos Gitai's Tramway in Jerusalem and Rithy Panh's Graves Without a Name were in Venice 2018. F.J. Ossang's 9 Fingers won Best Screenplay at Locarno 2017. Gurvinder Singh's Chauthi Koot (The Fourth Direction) played in Cannes 2015. Min Bahadur Bham's (Nepal) Kalo Pothi (The Black Hen) won Critics Award at Venice 2015; Rithy Panh's The Missing Picture won Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes 2013.

5. Helen Leake

One of Australia's respected creative producers, Helen Leake's feature credits include Carnifex (2022), Swerve (2018), Wolf Creek 2 (2013), Heaven's Burning (1997), and Black and White (2002). Her films have been in 30+ festivals, including Venice, Toronto, London and Sitges (Catalonia). Since 2021 she is Director, Screen Australia Board. She is in the Council for Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS), Flinders University, Adelaide since 2022, when she was awarded as its Distinguished Alumni. She is honored with the Order of Australia (2020) for significant service to film.