Noida: Cineaste International Film Festival of India – CIFFI was inaugurated at Nelson Mandela Auditorium, Delhi Metropolitan Education (DME), Noida on Thursday. CIFFI is the world’s First 7-Day International Film Festival organized jointly by educational institutions of 3 countries – India, Australia, and China.
Titled Cinema for Togetherness with #Millennialmovies, CIFFI 2022 is 4th year of the collaborative venture of DME Noida and Deakin University Melbourne. This year, Nottingham University China Campus has also joined hands in organizing this festival. CIFFI received a total of 3365 films from 112 countries of the world.
Dr. Ambrish Saxena, Professor and Dean, DME Media School and Festival Director of CIFFI sets an outstanding example of how consistency and perseverance can transform modest beginnings into a work of excellence. In his opening address, he explained, “This festival will witness a plethora of films from all over the globe. A combined session of students of DME Noida, Deakin University Melbourne, and Nottingham University China Campus is also scheduled. Adding to this, a unique open house session with Mr. Vinay Pathak promises fruitful learnings for all.”
Dr. Susmita Bala, Professor, and Head, of DME Media School and Festival Chief Associate Director, in her welcome address, emphasized the importance of collective hard work that goes into the making of larger-than-life festivals like CIFFI. She added, “A total of 365 films will be screened during the 7 days of the festival in three different venues including Nelson Mandela Auditorium, Studio 62, and AV Lab.”
Mr. Aman Sahni, Vice Chairman, of Delhi Metropolitan Education explained, “It is indeed a moment of great pride to be in the inauguration of CIFFI 2022. The consumption of films has changed tremendously over the past few years. CIF is a great platform to analyze films from all over the world.”
Justice Bhanwar Singh, Director General, DME praised the efforts of students and faculty members in organizing this film festival. Dr. Ravikant Swami, Director, DME emphasized the totality of CIFFI. He pinpointed that “CIFFI is the best example of institutionalization. I personally wait for CIFFI every year which provides an exceptional opportunity to witness films from around the world.”
Mr. Sabyesachi Bharti, Deputy Director, CMS Vatavaran addressed the audience and expressed his gratitude by saying that “I have seen this institution grow from scratch. This progress has been possible only because of events like CIFFI. This festival has become a name to reckon with.”
Dr. Vikrant Kishore, Associate Professor, University of Nottingham, China, and Festival Director – CIFFI talked about how partnerships between organizations can work wonders. He added that “CIFFI proves that an academic institute can do a work of great magnitude. We must become the voice of the voiceless and must help marginalized groups. This is a similar effort as it aims to bring about valuable change through films.”
Bonnie Yim, Associate Dean, Deakin University, Australia added that “The hybrid mode is not easy. It may present challenges but it also brings enormous opportunities. Cinema brings the family together and permits sharing of culture.”
The inaugural session also witnessed a screening of the film popular short film Bhaskar Bechain. Mr. Prince Shadwal, Director of Bhaskar Bechain was also present on the occasion and expressed his gratitude admits the applause of an enthralled audience. This was followed by the first-time screening of the documentary Annapurna, directed by Dr. Ambrish Saxena and produced by Cover Drive Productions.
The guests who were present at the inaugural included Mr. Amitabh Srivastava, Senior Journalist and President of New Delhi Film Foundation, Mr. Kanwar Deepak Gulati, theatre and film personality and Expert Advisory Board, CIFFI 2022 and Mr. Aditya Seth, Documentary filmmaker and Expert Advisory Board, CIFFI 2022.
Prof (Dr) Rashmi Khorana Nagpal, Dean, Law School, DME, also graced the inaugural function.
Those who joined online included Bonnie Yim Associate Dean, Deakin University Australia, Dr. Filippo Gilardi, Associate Professor, Nottingham University China Campus, Mr. Praveen Nagda, Festival Director, KidzCINEMA2022, CEO, WhiteCoffee Event Management Pvt. Ltd., Prof. Ujjwal K Chowdhury, eminent educationist, and Expert Advisory Board, CIFFI 2022 and Dr. Wajiha Raza Rizvi, Associate Professor Beaconhouse National University, Pakistan. A video message was also sent by Dr. Sean Redmond Institutional Advisory Board member, CIFFI 2022.
CIFFI 2022 inaugural ceremony culminated with cultural performances by students of DME Media School. The program was moderated by the students only. Dr. Manasvi Maheshwari, Associate Professor, and Festival Associate Director proposed a vote of thanks.
More on CIFFI 2022
CIFFI is the International Film Festival of India being organized by Delhi Metropolitan Education–DME (www.dme.ac.in) of India in association with Deakin University (www.deakin.edu.au) of Australia. DME is a premier educational institute located in Noida in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India and affiliated with Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi. Deakin University is one of the biggest public universities in Australia located in Melbourne.
CIFFI 2022 will take place from December 15- 21. CIFFI2022 is the fourth edition of the international film festival of India. Around the world, cinema has faced a flipped shift but filmmakers and viewers are still finding a way to explore new dimensions in storytelling and cinema narration. We are committed to discovering the various aspects of film and the co-existence of OTT and contemporary cinema. In the age of OTT platforms and the omnipresence of digital media, filmmaking has changed from idea to screen. So, in CIFFI 2022, we seek a change in the experience of watching films while expecting that the horizon of films will broaden and expand. In CIFFI 2022, we are striving to strengthen the spirit of togetherness. With all collaborations intact in the fourth edition of the film festival, we are looking forward to making it an enriching experience for all.
For Media Enquiries Please Contact:
Mr. Vishal Sahai
Assistant Professor
DME (9811535764)
