The fifth edition of the Global Taj Film (GTF) Festival will give a big boost to film-making in Uttar Pradesh and open avenues for work to aspiring local talent.

Ten award-winning films will be screened at the fifth edition of the GTF-2023 film festival being organised at the Agra University’s JP auditorium from November 3 to 5.

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The Global Taj International Film Festival has become popular with small-budget filmmakers and aspiring actors over the years, Suraj Tiwari, the director told IANS.

Tiwari said all films screened in the past and lined up for screening this year, have powerful social messages.

A number of short films, animation films and music videos will also be screened for the viewers.

U.N. Shukla, Director of the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, said master talks and workshops will be particularly helpful and motivating for aspiring actors and filmmakers.

“Our students will benefit a lot with the kind of exposure expected,” he added.

Each year a prestigious award named after Dada Saheb Phalke’s wife Saraswati Phalke, the first female technician, is given to an eminent female artiste or technician.

The organisers said the three-day festival will draw a big crowd of producers and directors who will be shown possible shooting locations in the Agra district, full of adventure spots and natural sites, in addition to the Taj Mahal and other Mughal monuments.

This will surely help promote Agra and open new employment avenues for local talent, Ranjit Sama, a prominent member of the Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Academy and a film producer, said.

The film city project in Greater Noida will also get a boost from this festival, Sama added.

Tiwari said a number of film dignitaries and actors will be attending various sessions at the film festival. The interaction will definitely help create a better ambiance for creativity development in the Braj area (Agra, Mathura, Firozabad, Hathras, Aligarh, Bharatpur).

The festival jury includes among others: TV actor Umesh Vajpeyi, director Shashank Srivastav, Goa producer Sandeep Koteja, producer Rashid Ansari (Delhi) and producer BS Jogdand (Nasik).