28th International Film Festival of India
The 28th International Film Festival of India was held from 10 to 20 January 1997 in Thiruvananthapuram.[1] It was notably boycotted by members of the Hindi film industry after Karnataka's then Chief Minister J. H. Patel allegedly got Kannada actor Rajkumar, with who he had issues with, replaced as the chief guest through K. Karunakaran, a host of the festival.[2]
| Opening film | Michael Collins |
|---|---|
| Closing film | Secrets & Lies |
| Location | Thiruvananthapuram, India |
| Festival date | 10–20 January 1997 |
| Website | iffigoa |
The Festival was inaugurated at the Kanakakkunnu Palace by Kerala Chief Minister E. K. Nayanar. American biopic Michael Collins was chosen as the opening film.[3] Deceased Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni was paid a tribute in the screening of his last film Three Lives and Only One Death.[1] Mike Leigh drama Secrets & Lies closed the festival.[4]
Official selections
Opening film
Closing film
Indian Panorama
The Directorate of Film Festivals invited criticism after its rejection of Hindi films Daayraa and Maachis, and Bengali film, Yugant to be screened in the Indian Panorama section. Among others, the following films were subsequently screened:[5]
| Title | Director | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Daughters of This Century | Deepa Mehta | Hindi |
| Fire | Tapan Sinha | Hindi |
| Lal Darja | Buddhadeb Dasgupta | Bengali |
| Kraurya[6] | Girish Kasaravalli | Kannada |
References
- Bamzai, Kaveree (11 January 1997). "FFI boycott fails to diminish global film fest". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 14 June 1997. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- Desai, M. S. M. (21 December 1996). "Bollywood to boycott international film festival". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 April 1997. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- Bamzai, Kaveree (12 January 1997). "Lukewarm response to film on Gandhi". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 April 1997. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- "Classic end to poorly managed film festival". The Indian Express. 21 January 1997. Archived from the original on 22 April 1997. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- Bamzai, Kaveree (21 January 1997). "Pack your bags, it's all over now". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 1997-04-22. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- "Kasaravalli ploughs a lonely furrow in a commercial arena". The Indian Express. 14 January 1997. Archived from the original on 22 April 1997. Retrieved 20 November 2018.