Shimla: The 10th International Film Festival of Shimla will take place from August 16 to 18, 2024, at the historic Gaiety Theater in Shimla. Organized by Himalayan Velocity and the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, along with the Himachal Pradesh Government’s Department of Language & Culture, the festival has grown in popularity over the years.
Festival Director Pushp Raj Thakur announced that the Marathi film “Mrs. Tendulkar” will open the festival. National Award-winning actress Smt. Seema Biswas, who stars in the film, will attend the inaugural ceremony and engage with the audience. Known for her role as Phoolan Devi in “Bandit Queen” (1994), Seema Biswas also won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2000 and the Best Actress Genie Award in 2006 for her role in “Water” (2005).
Thakur highlighted the film’s poignant story. “Mrs. Tendulkar” portrays a retired widow in suburban Mumbai who faces loneliness and neglect from her grown sons and neighbors. The film explores how she finds a new family beyond traditional bonds and expectations.
This year, 27 countries and 20 Indian states will participate in the festival, celebrating diverse cultures and perspectives through cinema. International participants include filmmakers from France, Iran, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, Germany, Nepal, Greece, the United States, Portugal, Sweden, Bangladesh, Switzerland, Malaysia, Tunisia, Africa, Egypt, Italy, Turkey, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Korea, Canada, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, and China. Indian participants come from states like Telangana, Delhi, Assam, Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Meghalaya, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
The festival will feature competitions in International, National, and State categories. Additionally, there will be curated sessions on various themes, countries, and filmmakers’ works. The program includes film screenings, seminars, and workshops with film experts and critics. Sixty independent directors will showcase their films at the three-day event.
The IFFS aims to promote a vibrant movement in documentary, short films, feature films, animation films, music videos, and web series. Since its inception in 2015, the festival has been a successful annual event.
