The 19th edition of Maharashtra’s official film festival was postponed by the pandemic
After being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF), the official film festival of Maharashtra, is finally scheduled to be held in its physical form from December 2 to December 9, 2021.
The 19th edition of the popular film festival was earlier scheduled to be held in March this year (instead of its traditional start date in January), but had to be called off again in the wake of the deadly second wave of the pandemic, which hit Pune district in particular. Difficult. The film festival was then held in an online format in March under the shadow of the pandemic, with only a select few films available for viewing.
Filmmakers, distributors, film festival organizers and cinema lovers heaved a sigh of relief when the Maharashtra government gave a green signal for the reopening of cinema halls, theaters and auditoriums on October 22 this year.
“Now that the state government has given permission to open cinema halls, PIFF can finally be held in its physical format with due appreciation by the public. Viewers will get the opportunity to watch over 150 curated national and international movies. However, the standard operating procedure given by the state government regarding the functioning of the cinema halls will be strictly followed,” said Dr. Jabbar Patel, director of PIFF and noted filmmaker.
Cinest can visit cinema halls in Pune to capture the rich cinematic bonanza from across the globe while enjoying the finest works in regional cinema by young talent from the cinematic world.
The ‘World Competition’ category shows films from other countries including Armenia, Romania, Argentina, Iran, Peru, Russia and Lithuania. These include films such as classic, minimalist should the wind fall (2020), Armenia’s submission for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars; Dear friends! (2020), a Russian historical drama about the 1962 Novocherkassk massacre by renowned director Andrei Konchalovsky; And elusive, by renowned Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, among others.
Earlier this year, Dr. Patel had announced that PIFF 2021 would be dedicated to the “frontline warriors” who fought the pandemic valiantly.
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