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Journalism of Courage
Written by Prajwal Jayaraj
The 21st Pune International Film Festival (PIFF), jointly organised by the Pune Film Foundation and the Government of Maharashtra, will be held between February 2 and 9, at three venues in the city.
The festival was to be held in the second week of January but was postponed earlier. The organisers have now clarified that the postponement was done as the dates clashed with a scheduled G20 meet in the city and the state government had requested that the film festival be postponed.
The 21st PIFF received a total of 1,574 entries from 72 countries, of which 140 movies will be screened during the festival, PIFF director Jabbar Patel said in a press conference Tuesday.
Dr Avinash Dhakane, managing director, Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation Limited; Samar Nakhate, chairman, selection committee, PIFF; Pune Film Foundation trustees Satish Alekar, Dr Mohan Agashe, Sabina Sanghvi and PIFF selection committee member Abhijit Randive were present at the press conference.
The festival will be held at PVR Icon, Pavillion Mall (six screens) on the Senapati Bapat Road, Inox (two screens) at Bundgarden, and the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) (one screen) on the Law College Road. The online registration for delegate passes will start on January 5 through the official website http://www.piffindia.com.
Spot registrations can also be done at all three venues from January 19. The cost of a delegate pass for senior citizens, film club members and students is Rs 600, while the fee for the general public is Rs 800.
Dr Patel said the festival dates initially were from January 12-19, 2023.
Patel further said the PIFF was growing quality-wise and was recognized by the Cannes Film Festival.
“This year, we have films in the A+ grade in large numbers. All the 14 films short-listed in the world competition are kept in the top grade,” said Dr Patel.
Dr Dhakane said since the PIFF is a festival of the Government of Maharashtra, the administration will extend all support to the festival, including financial.
“The Maharashtra government has decided to support the festival in every possible way,” he added.
