Swantantrya Veer Savarkar achieves yet another milestone, to be the opening feature film at IFFI 2024

The Indian Panorama’s feature film section saw an impressive 384 contemporary Indian films submitted for consideration, with 25 exceptional films ultimately selected. Notably, five of these belong to mainstream cinema. Leading the feature lineup, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar (Hindi), directed by Randeep Hooda, has been chosen as the opening film.

Randeep Hooda and Producer Sandeep Singh has added yet another feather to his golden hat. Swantantrya Veer Savarkar has been selected as the opening feature film in Indian Panorama.

Sharing about this achievement, Sandeep added, "I used to visit studio to studio with the story but each time the studio backed out stating that 'Veer Savarkar' is a controversial figure and that this story will never be made. But I reinstated my faith, reaffirmed my conviction about making a film which nobody wanted to make and approached Randeep Hooda. Randeep agreed to come on board as an actor but as the film progressed, he became the writer then the director and then finally collaborated with me as the producer. We have given our best and Now that it will be premiering as the opening film at IFFI definitely adds to the delight and I am thankful to the jury for this honour."

Acclaimed Jury

Feature Film Jury for IFFI was chaired by the celebrated director, actor, and screenwriter Chandraprakash Dwivedi. This twelve-member jury comprises distinguished film professionals and representatives from acclaimed films, embodying the rich diversity of India’s film fraternity.

Australia to take the centre stage in the "Country Focus" Segment

This year’s festival brings a special highlight with Australia taking center stage in the 'Country Focus' segment. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting announced this exciting update, following the recent signing of an Audio Visual Co-production Treaty between India and Australia. This treaty enables co-produced films to qualify for grants from both nations, fostering new collaborations between Indian and Australian filmmakers.

As per media reports, The 55th International Film Festival of India is set to showcase a vibrant lineup of films, celebrating global cinema and deepening the bond between the Indian and Australian film industries.