KOLKATA:  From 6th to 10th January, the 15th edition of Jaipur International Film Festival ‘JIFF’ will launch 12 full-length films in various Indian languages of INDIAN PANORAMA. This is going to happen for the first time in the history of Indian Cinema when 12 films in different Indian languages are being launched on this grand scale. These films are being promoted in India through a campaign named ‘TORCH CAMPAIGN’.
Actress Rituparna Sengupta, Actor Saswata Chatterjee and Producer – Director Goutam Ghose attended the significant event
The second phase of the Torch Campaign is organized at Hindustan International Hotel [Kolkata], on Friday. Famous actress Rituparna Sengupta, famous actor Saswata Chatterjee and Producer – Director Goutam Ghose graced the event with their esteemed presence.
Rituparna Senguptak, reigning Tollywood Queen, congratulated TEAM of JIFF for ideating such a wonderful event that has gained such fame pan-India. She wished that she could go to Jaipur to watch the wonderful collections of films, to be screened during JIFF.
Veteran film director Goutam Ghose mentioned that type of films and its selection, to be screened during JIFF, is a very important part of the event. He hoped that new and experienced filmmakers will learn more from the JIFF.
Saswata Chatterjee, popular Bengali actor, remarked that such a Film Fest, in its 15th edition, such as JIFF augurs well for the Film Industry. He hoped to see sone Bengali Films within the panorama of films
An open dialogue on ‘Cinema: Today and Tomorrow’ is also conducted.
During the dialogue, famous actress Rituparna Sengupta, Kahaani film fame Saswata Chatterjee and Gautam Ghose shared their worthwhile views and opined that cinema is based on the ‘story’ nowadays. Along with cinema halls, cinema is being widely watched on OTT as well. We should keep this changing trend in mind and think about it.

Appreciating JIFF, Rituparna Sengupta asserted that this wide campaign to promote regional cinema will impart our cinema, a new identity. Goutam Ghose happily shared that he had attended JIFF in the year 2013. “This festival has become our country’s identity, and voice of our cinema on a global scale”, Ghose asserted. With a gesture of delight, Saswata Chatterjee said that in a way, JIFF is telling film enthusiasts across the globe to get connected with their regional cinema, and it’s saying to all that here, such great films are being made on wonderful stories.
There should be a category for the Best Foreign Film in National Film Awards – Hanu Roj
At the program, festival founder–director Hanu Roj stated that more efforts are required for Indian Cinema to be taken to the world level. For this purpose, the category of ‘The Best Foreign Film’ should be added for foreign films in National Film Awards. It would definitely help Indian Cinema to be global, and the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting should pay special attention to it.
The Torch Campaign initiated from Guwahati, on 15th November
Previously, on 15th November, the Torch Campaign kicked off from Guwahati. The Launching Ceremony was organized at Vivanta Taj Hotel, in a magnificent manner. Chief Guests of the Launching Ceremony were Assam’s Chief Minister’s wife, noted filmmaker and entrepreneur Rinki Bhuyan Sarma, and Partha Sarathi Mahanta, Guwahati’s Joint Commissioner of police. Mahanta is a documentary filmmaker himself.
Establishment of JIFF Indian Cinema Fund
“With the motto of promotion and global dialogue of Indian Cinema, JIFF will create Indian Cinema Fund, where well-known personalities from the film industry will be added and involved”, festival founder–director Hanu Roj asserts. Agreeing with this aspect, Rinki Bhuyan Sarma stated that she would be on the board of directors as well. More than one thousand filmmakers, directors, actors, actresses, and film professionals will participate in this campaign, Hanu Roj informs.
Campaign to continue in these cities
After launching in Guwahati on 15th November, and the second phase happening in Kolkata on 18th November, the TORCH CAMPAIGN events will be organized in Chennai [26th November], Mumbai [1st December], Chandigarh [16th December], Rohtak [17th December], and Jodhpur [26th December]. Next to the event in Jodhpur, the torch will be handed over to the filmmakers of Delhi, who will bring it to Jaipur on 5th January.
During the Launching Ceremony, film trailers were shown and that’s how the film enthusiasts were made aware of these absolutely special films.
Awarded films to be screened in 4 cities of 4 states
“After 12 films’ screening during the film festival in Jaipur, awarded films would be shown in four cities Srinagar, Trivandrum, Hyderabad, and Bangalore, and the dates for the screening would be declared in February 2023”, festival founder–director Hanu Roj informs.
 These 12 Indian full-length films are to be screened for all
The selected films include the Assamese film Bokul Phulor Dore directed by Sanjeev Hazarika and Produced by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the Tamil film Maamanithan [The Great Man] by Seenu Ramasamy, the Malayalam film The One and The Many within by Chidambara Palaniappan L, the Bengali film #Homecoming by Soumyajit Majumdar, the Tamil film Visithiran by M Padmakumar, the Tamil film Gargi by Gautham Ramachandran, the Marathi film Taath Kana by Girish Mohite, the Tamil, the Telugu film Shadow of the Night by Radhakrishnan Parthiban, the Malayalam film Nest of Sorrows by Joshy Mathew, the Tamil film Mugizh by Kartick Swaminathan, the Malayalam film Avanovilona By Sherry and Deepesh T and the Bengali film Jhilli by Ishaan Ghose. All these films would be screened during the festival, from 6th to 10th January 2023. All the producers and directors associated with these films will also be present on this occasion.
 On the special occasion, the trailer of Ranjan Ghosh's directed film Mahishasur Mardini is shown and discussed as well.
 12 Awards for 12 Films
 “One film may receive more than one award and one film may not get any award, as each film needs to fulfill the parameters decided by Jury”, informs festival spokesperson Rajendra Boda.
 Noted five filmmakers to choose awards for 12 films
The prestigious jury includes Jim Rygiel, who has won 3 Academy Awards [Oscars] and 3 BAFTAs for Best Visual Effects for the very popular film THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY. 
Stephen Castor from Hollywood is on the Jury, who has partnered in business with Jim Rygiel, three-time Oscar winner for Best Visual Effects for THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY.
 Marc Baschet is a big producer and cinematographer, known for No Man's Land [2001, Oscar-winning film], Before the Rain [1994] and The Adopted Son [1998] is also a Jury member, who has participated in JIFF twice.
 Two Indian filmmakers have nodded to be on the Jury including renowned play writer Kamlesh Pandey, who has an enriched experience of writing of more than 30 years in the advertising world, more than 20 years in films, and 14 years in the television world. It’s interesting to know that Pandey has won the Filmfare Award for Tejaab, Star Screen Award for Saudagar, and IIFA Award for Rang De Basanti. 
 Shaji N Karun is an Indian film director and cinematographer, who would be the Chairperson of this jury. His debut film Piravi [1988] won the Caméra d'Or – Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival.