23rd Pune International Film Festival Rescheduled; Now Set For February 13 To 20

The 23rd edition of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) has been rescheduled; it will now be held from February 13 to 20. Earlier, it was scheduled to be held from January 16 to 23. This announcement was made by PIFF Director Dr Jabbar Patel at a press conference.

More than 150 films from 81 countries will be screened at PIFF this year, which has been organised jointly by the Pune Film Foundation and the Cultural Department of the Government of Maharashtra in association with Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari Mumbai, Patel added.

Chairman of Film Selection Committee Samar Nakhate, Trustee Dr Mohan Agashe, Trustee Dr Satish Alekar, Member of the Film Selection Committee Abhijeet Ranadive, Deputy Director Vishal Shinde (Programme and Film), Deputy Director Aditi Akkalkotkar (International Communication and Coordination) were also present on the occasion.

The theme of this year's film festival is the hundredth birth anniversary of Raj Kapoor and the symbol of the theme was also released on the occasion.

The films will be screened on 11 screens at PVR Icon (6 screens) in Pavilion Mall on Senapati Bapat Road, Inox (3 screens) in Camp and Cinepolis cinema (2 screens) at Westend Mall in Aundh.

Patel said that this year 1059 films from 107 countries had sent entries to PIFF and more than 150 of them have been selected for the festival.

The online registration process for the festival will start on January 15 on the official website of the festival www.piffindia.com and the spot registration process at theatres will start on February 3. The registration fee for the entire festival is just ₹800 for everyone.

An international jury will adjudicate the 14 finalist films to select the best international film, which will be honoured with the prestigious 'Maharashtra Govt Sant Tukaram Best International Film Award,' accompanied by a prize of ₹10 lakhs, at the festival's closing ceremony.

The following is the list of the 14 films selected for this year's World Cinema Competition section:

1. Darkest Miriam, Director - Naomi Jaye, Canada

2. On the Invention of Spieces, Director - Tania Hermida, Ecuador, Cuba

3. To A Land Unknown, Director - Mahdi Fleifel, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestine

4. Grand Tour, Director - Miguel Gomes, Portugal, Italy, France

5. Armand, Director - Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden

6. Sex, Director - Dag Johan Haugerud, Norway

7. Electric Fields, Director - Lisa Gertsch, Switzerland

8. Under the Volcano, Director - Damian Kocur, Poland

9. A Traveler’s Needs, Director - Hong Sangsoo, South Korea

10. Black Tea, Director - Abderrahmane Sissako, France, Mauritania, Luxembourg, Taiwan, Ivory Coast

11. Some Rain Must Fall, Director - Yang Qiu, China, USA, France, Singapore

12. April, Director - Dea Kulumbegashvili, France, Italy, Georgia

13. Three Kilometres to the End of the World, Director - Emanuel Parvu, Romania

14. In Retreat, Director - Maisam Ali, India