IFFI is a great opportunity for young talents to learn from the icons of the industry: Anurag S Thakur

Noting that very less number of films are made for children, Joshi urged the young filmmakers to make more movies for children’s entertainment.

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Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth affairs & Sports felicitated and honoured the winners of ‘75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ competition held under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav at IFFI 52 being held in Goa, today.

The Minister said that, “There is no dearth of talent and skill in India, these young talented minds needed an opportunity and what’s better than the platform of India@75 under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, to boost their morale and lead the film industry in the coming days.”

The Union Minister noted that the 75 creative talents present at IFFI are so fortunate that they would be getting the opportunity to learn and interact with the best minds in the film industry which many aspirants do not get even after decades of strenuous efforts. “The eminent personalities of the jury have spent hours together to go through the hundreds of creative works received for selecting the 75 best among them. And here you have the opportunity to learn from the icons of the cinema industry”.

“Whatever creative work you do, it doesn’t matter what the platform is, but what matters is the content. If the content is good it will certainly leave a mark in people’s minds. Here you will be attending Masterclasses by the icons of the Indian Film industry so that you all can learn the best practices and techniques of the craft which will equip you to create powerful content,” the Minister added.

Talking about changes and improvements which have happened over the years in the Festival, the Union Minister said: “In my interaction with various delegates and participants at the venue of IFFI 52, I have gathered that ‘75 Creative Minds’ is the major welcome change that has happened in IFFI in the recent years.”

The Minister also urged the young winners to write blogs about 75 Years of India’s Independence and also to express and share their feedback and learning experiences at IFFI 52. Emphasising that learning is a never ending process, Shri Thakur urged all the young minds to build a robust career based on their learnings and contribute to the growth of the film industry.

The Minister urged the industry and the ‘young creative minds’ to strive to project the soft power of India to the world through their craft. He said that Film Facilitation Office (FFO) set up by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is making all efforts to make the country a favourite production and shooting destination. He added that with the skill and technology that we have, our country can easily become the post-production hub and the content sub-continent of the world.

Addressing the young filmmakers, Shri Prasoon Joshi, Chairman CBFC and Member of Grand Jury said, “Seeking well is very important as unless you seek right you won’t get the right information or reach the right place. As a creative young artist you should never be scared of confusion as your mind space is most fertile and rewarding in the confused state.”

Stressing on the need to practice continuously, Joshi advised the young talents that now is the time for them to practice so that whenever there is an opportunity they will be able to express their innermost feelings fully and accurately in their craft.

Noting that very less number of films are made for children, Joshi urged the young filmmakers to make more movies for children’s entertainment.

Shri Ketan Mehta, noted Filmmaker and Member of the Grand Jury, said: “Cinema is now not only confined to big screens, it is now in the air we breathe and in everyone’s pockets, thanks to OTT platforms.”

The Union Minister also felicitated the Selection Jury Members and Grand Jury Members of the competition. The Selection Jury made the selection of 150 creative talents from out of the hundreds of entries and the Grand Jury selected the final 75 Creative Minds from these 150. Among the Selection Jury Members, Yatindra Mishra (Writer), Anant Vijay (Author) and Sanjay Puran Singh (Film maker) were felicitated on the occasion.

For the first time ever, 75 creative minds representing GenNext cinema are attending the International Film Festival of India in Goa. This novel initiative under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav will encourage and recognize young creative minds and budding talents in the country.