Chinese Movie Opens Indian Film Fest

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GOA: From China's rapidly expanding film industry - let's check in on what's happening with the World's largest film industry.

The 39th International Film Festival of India - IFFI 2008 - kicked off in Goa on Saturday. Chinese director Peter Chan's "The Warlords" opened the festival.

One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Goa has been the host city for the festival since 2004.

Legendary Bollywood actress Rekha inaugurated the event by lighting a ceremonial lamp. The evening's hostess was Amrita Rao, an upcoming Bollywood actress.

Festival Jury members include Hong Kong director Peter Chan, Lav Diaz from the Philippines, Indian actor Tabu, Iranian actress-director Niki Karimi and Venice film festival director Marco Muller.

In the "Cinema of the World" category, 65 films from more than 40 countries are being screened.

A specialized competition for feature films from Asia, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Africa is also part of the itinerary.

Three countries are given special notice at this year's festival, - Russia, Switzerland and Iran.

In the Film Heritage section 8 restored heritage film classics are being shown. One of the classic categories is dedicated to films about "Women" - including a special tribute to Niki Karimi.

The Indian Panorama features 26 feature films and 21 non-features.

There's more than just film screenings. Leading film makers are gathered for a summit on the state of the film industry. There are exhibitions and Film Bazaar projects organized by the National Film Development Corporation.

The Indian film industry is believed to be the largest in the world - producing over a thousand films a year in different languages.

This year, Goa has also formed "Cinephile", a club of cinema lovers, who hope to promote the movie business in the state.

The festival ends on December 2nd. It will close with Majid Majidi's Berlin Silver Bear winner "The Song Of Sparrows."


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