Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani is set to lead a five-member jury for the Best Web Series (OTT) award at the upcoming 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. As per the press note, actors Divya Dutta and Prosenjit Chatterjee, along with filmmakers Krishna DK and Utpal Borpujari will be part of the jury panel for the inaugural category. This edition of IFFI introduces a new award category, recognising outstanding web series for their artistic merit, storytelling excellence, technical prowess, and overall impact. The competition features 32 entries across 10 languages from 15 OTT platforms, and the winning series will be honoured with a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.
This year, film festivals are teaming up with platforms like Prime Video, Netflix, Zee5, and others for sessions, tech showcases, and exciting premieres.
Speaking about the 54th edition of IFFI, NFDC MD and the Festival Director Prithul Kumar said, “The Best Web Series (OTT) Award has been introduced this year.” He added that this initiative is aimed at acknowledging, encouraging and honouring the flourishing content and its creators of OTT platforms. As many as 32 entries have been received in 10 languages from 15 OTT platforms. Certificates and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh will be given to the winning series, which will be announced in the closing ceremony.
The 54th International Film Festival of India is all set to start today with an inauguration ceremony at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Taleigao. The British film Catching Dust is scheduled to open the event on Monday while the American film The Featherweight is set to conclude the event on November 28. The festival will be hosted by Aparshakti Khurrana and Karishma Tanna.
It will also feature stellar performances by Bollywood stars Shriya Saran, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Pankaj Tripathi, Shantanu Moitra, Shreya Ghoshal, and Sukhwinder Singh. A star-studded affair, the event is anticipated to be graced by eminent figures from the film industry, including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Salman Khan, A R Rahman, Vidya Balan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Anupam Kher, Vicky Kaushal, Siddharth Malhotra, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Amit Trivedi.
