Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday announced the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Goa from November 20 to 28.

He said India’s media and entertainment industry, ranked the fifth largest in the world, is a force to reckon with. This market is growing every year with an average annual growth of 20 per cent in the last three years, he said.

“Movies made in India have been screened in every corner of the country and are now reaching distant corners of the world,” a statement quoted him as saying.

Thakur said the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award this year will be conferred on Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas, a shining star of world cinema who is known for his immense contribution in the cinematic universe.

Speaking about the newly introduced OTT awards, the minister said since the COVID-19 pandemic, OTT industry has seen a boom in India and original content created here is employing thousands of people.

“In response to the dynamic landscape of this sector, which is growing at the rate of 28 per cent annually, the ministry has introduced this award to honour outstanding content creators on OTT (over-the-top) platforms,” the statement said.

He said 32 entries across 10 languages from 15 OTT platforms have been received this time and the winner will be awarded Rs 10 lakh.

Thakur also spoke about the booming start-up ecosystem in the country and the government’s focus on creating a support system to nurture such entities. He said to bolster the start-up ecosystem in film sector and recognise talent from the remotest corners of the country, the government has started the ‘Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ initiative.

He added that all venues for this year’s IFFI will be inclusive with facilities and access for the specially-abled. Audio description for visually impaired, sign language for hearing impaired, dubbing of content in multiple languages will be symbolic of the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’, he asserted.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said IFFI is one of the biggest film and cultural extravaganzas of the world. He said the international jury is being headed by acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.

More than 270 films will be showcased during the festival at four venues. The international section of the 54th IFFI will have 198 films, 18 more than the 53rd IFFI.

The Indian Panorama section will showcase 25 feature films and 20 non-feature films. The opening film in the feature section is Malayalam film “Aattam”, and in the non-feature section, is “Andro Dreams” from Manipur, the statement added.