The third edition of the LIFFT (Literature, Illusion, Film Frame TV & Theatre) INDIA FILMOTSAV 2019 will present over 250 films in various categories from 40 countries between December 12-16 in Lonavala, Maharashtra.
The filmotsav will showcase four films of Ashish Avikunthak in the ‘Director In Focus’ segment. There will be conversation sessions with filmmakers and actors at LIFFT India, which is founded by Riju Bajaj and will take place at Fariyas Resort. There will also be a book reading, Stage play and master class and panel discussions by writer Nandita Puri, directors Ravi Rai and Abhiram Bhadkamkar, among others.
Apart from movies, there will be a fashion show too. Creations of designer Mumtaz Khan will be showcased on December 14. Screenwriter Shivani Tibrewala will conduct a theatre workshop with LIFFT India Repertory actors during the festival and will present a short play prepared during the workshop at the end of the fest.
There will be a painting exhibition of works by late painter Haku Shah. It will be a tribute to his work and a celebration of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150 years by displaying Nitya Gandhi series of paintings.
Editor Vikas Sharma will be honoured with the Life Time Achievement LIFFT INDIA Award 2019 for his overall contribution to Indian television, especially in the field of editing. He has edited over a hundred serials and various films.
LIFFT India Awards are especially dedicated and named after some of the eminent film personalities as a mark of tribute to editor Renu Saluja, producer Ismail Merchant, composer Khemchand Prakash, art director and production designer Samir Chanda, cinematographer V.K. Murthy and actor Om Puri. The Om Puri award for best actor is in conjunction with Om Puri Foundation. The opening ceremony on December 12 will have a short solo play Nari Bai by Sushmita Mukherjee. Nakkash directed by Zaigham has been chosen as the opening film.
The closing ceremony will begin with screening of the film Patnagarh directed by Rajesh Touchriver on December 16 followed by a live musical concert by Vidya Shah and a short play by Vinay Shukla and Shivani Tibrewala before the award announcement.
LIFFT India produced a short feature film The Re-bell based on the screenplay submitted to the festival. The film is directed by Riju Bajaj and written by Supriya Parulekar and features Vivaan Shah and debutant Shruti Bharadwaj.
The first short film to be produced under Lifft India Repertory Fallen in Love features Jenifer John, Sahitya Sahay, Sumit Bhardwaj and Simmi. (IANS)
