Veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, recently appointed as festival director of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), has unveiled plans to expand the 55-year-old Goa-based event’s scope. Plans include the launch of a Waves, a technology-focused companion to the main festival.
Kapur was appointed on July 24 as festival director for IFFI’s 55th and 56th editions. Kapur aims to position IFFI as a global hub for both traditional cinema and cutting-edge content technology. “We’re looking to create a festival that celebrates artistic excellence while embracing the future of content creation,” Kapur told Variety.
A major addition to this year’s IFFI will be Waves, described by Kapur as “a confluence of content and technology.” While associated with IFFI and also under the purview of India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Waves will be a separate event running concurrently.
Related Stories
VIP+Life After 'Deadpool': Summer Movies Resurrection Begs Rethink of Long-Term Box Office Outlook
Julia Ormond Can Sue Disney and CAA for Failing to Protect Her From Harvey Weinstein
“We believe that India will be driving content – it’s the biggest content nation in the world,” Kapur explained. “And because it’s the biggest content nation in the world, the technology of content is going to be very important in India.”
Popular on Variety
Waves aims to showcase new technologies and encourage investment in India’s tech sector. “What we’re actually doing is inviting people here saying, ‘You know what you’re using in the market, but you should use it here,'” Kapur said. “We’re saying to people, ‘Park IP in India, create IP in India.'”
Kapur emphasized the event’s potential significance, stating that India is the world’s second-largest content consumer after China. “It’s going to be a very sexy festival,” Kapur enthused. “It’s going to be one of the prime festivals.”
On the traditional cinema side of IFFI, Kapur stressed the importance of maintaining artistic excellence. “The art form of storytelling will always be the spearhead,” he said. “It represents the striving for excellence. The awards will go to those that strive for artistic excellence.”
Kapur also highlighted IFFI’s recently instituted OTT (streaming) awards, recognizing the platform’s contribution to discovering new talent. “We cannot ignore OTT,” he said. “It has contributed to an immense creative talent – writers, directors, actors. The discovery of new talent has all been done by OTT.”
Addressing concerns about AI’s impact on the entertainment industry, Kapur acknowledged the need for balance. “AI is too all-encompassing a technology to ignore,” he said. “We have to find a way to come to terms with the question of IP. We need to find ways where it’s not a contradiction, but a collaboration.”
Kapur warned about the potential consequences of conflict between AI and traditional industry roles. “What we can’t afford is a conflict because if there’s a conflict, AI will win. Because it’s too sexy a technology, everybody’s already using it.”
To illustrate AI’s potential, Kapur shared an anecdote about his cook using ChatGPT to write a treatment for a sequel to his 1987 smash hit “Mr. India 2.” “It was just as good as the other people,” Kapur said, adding that his cook, Nilesh, has since become interested in various AI-generated art forms.
IFFI also encompasses Film Bazaar, South Asia’s largest content market. The 55th edition of IFFI takes place Nov. 20-28. Variety understands that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could inaugurate it.
Read More About:
Jump to CommentsMore from Variety
‘Y2K’ Trailer: Rachel Zegler Faces a Homicidal Tamagotchi and More Sentient Machines in A24 Apocalyptic Comedy
2024 Live Music Business Is Driving Record Revenues, but Some Data Points Raise Concerns
Dominic Sessa to Star as Anthony Bourdain in Biopic ‘Tony’
A24’s ‘Civil War’ Sets Streaming Release Date on Max
Olympics Screenings in Movie Theaters Highlight Exhibitors’ Need for Alternative Content
‘Look Into My Eyes’ Trailer: A24-Produced Doc Explores the Strange World of New York Psychics
Most Popular
‘Inside Out 2’ Becomes First Animated Film to Hit $1 Billion at International Box Office
Channing Tatum Says Gambit Accent Was Supposed to Be ‘Unintelligible’ at Times and He Was ‘Too Scared to Ask’ Marvel for the Costume to Bring…
Box Office: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Returns to No. 1 in Fifth Weekend as ‘The Crow’ Bombs and ‘Blink Twice…
Oasis’ Liam and Noel Gallagher Drop Biggest Hint Yet That Group Is Reuniting
Ryan Reynolds Was ‘Mortified’ to Cut Rob McElhenney’s ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Cameo but the ‘Sequence Wasn’t Working’: ‘I Had to Kill a Darling…
Taylor Swift Praises Charli XCX After ‘Sympathy Is a Knife’ Reignited Feud Rumors: ‘Her Writing Is Surreal and Inventive’
‘Ted Lasso’ Eyes Season 4 Greenlight With Main Cast Members Returning
China Box Office: 'Alien: Romulus' Becomes Hollywood's Second Biggest Film of 2024
‘Super/Man’ Trailer: Christopher Reeve Doc Captures the Late Actor’s Superhero Stardom and Life After His Near-Fatal Accident
Chris Hemsworth Plays Drums in Surprise Appearance at Ed Sheeran’s Romania Concert
Must Read
- Film
‘Megalopolis’ Trailer’s Fake Critic Quotes Were AI-Generated, Lionsgate Drops Marketing Consultant Responsible For Snafu
- Music
Sabrina Carpenter Teases and Torments on the Masterful — and Devilishly NSFW — 'Short n' Sweet': Album Review
- Film
Tim Burton on Why the 'Batman' Films Have Changed and How 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Saved Him From Retirement
- Film
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Are the Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton of the 2020s
Sign Up for Variety Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Variety Confidential
ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXOAjp%2BgpaVfo7K4v46sn56jmJa%2FbrfAqayrZZmbs6p5z6WYp6tdZn90go9xbWluY2Q%3D