Bengaluru International Film Festival rolls out 17th edition with ‘Woman: As she is’ theme

Bengaluru: The 17th edition of Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) will take place from Jan 29 to Feb 6 at Cinepolis, Lulu Mall, in Rajajinagar, west Bengaluru. The festival, themed ‘Woman: As She Is', will feature around 225 films from nearly 70 countries.
It will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Vidhana Soudha, with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot presiding over the valedictory ceremony and distributing awards in three categories. Renowned actor Prakash Raj and popular actress Rukmini Vasanth are the festival ambassadors.Film screenings will run from Jan 30 to Feb 6 across 11 screens at the main venue, with select films also shown at the Kannada Film Artists Association in Chamarajpet and Suchitra Film Society in Banashankari. This year, the state govt decided to shift the venue from Orion Mall. Acclaimed films from countries including the USA, UK, Germany, France, Korea, and several others will be screened in the ‘World in Bengaluru' section.Organised with the tagline ‘Shared sensibilities, a collective voice for equality', the festival is inspired by the national poet GS Shivarudrappa's line ‘Woman: As She Is'. In alignment with the theme, over 60 films directed by women will be featured.GFXA Feast of Classics* Landmark Kannada films will be screened in honour of stalwarts of Sandalwood. * Films will be screened in honour of Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika and Egyptian director Youssef Chahine. * Screening of the restored film, Amarashilpi Jakanachari, featuring Abhinaya Saraswathi, Padma Bhushan, Dr B Saroja Devi. * Screening of the film, Golmal Radhakrishna, in honour of MS Umesh. * The digitised Kannada film Accident, starring Shankar Nag, in DCP format, will be screened. * Daily workshops, seminars, interactions, lectures and conferences on film production, direction, screenplay and technology by experts. * Screening of 5 restored 4K-resolution blockbuster films featuring Padma Bhushan Dr Rajkumar. * Screening of 5 popular films of renowned actress Smita Patil.