Film fest kicks off in Jaipur

The eighth edition of the five-day long Jaipur International Film festival was inaugurated in Jaipur on Saturday . It was was inaugurated by noted filmmaker Prakash Jha.
Addressing a gathering at the Golecha Cinema Hall in the city, Jha recalled his association with the state. "I have an old connection with Rajasthan. I shot my third film Parinati in Dungargarh near Bikaner.Based on the story of Rajasthani writer Vijaydan Detha, who we all fondly remember as Bijji, it's one of my favourite films.“ Known for films like Damul, Mrityudand among others, Jha admits that police, politics and their role in society have always been his favourite subjects and he has always tried to portray their role through his films.
On this occasion, Jha was felicitated with JIFF's Excellence Award for his cinematic contribution to the Indian cinema. On receiving the award, he further added, "It's a big honour for me. Honestly, maine abhi tak kuch khas nahi kiya hai." Pakistani film Manto and Indian film Piku were screened for the movie buffs on the opening day. With a lot of action, drama to be seen during the next few days, the festival will bring around 35 feature films, 17 documentary feature films, 58 short films, and 15 short animation films. Along with JIFF founder Hanu Roj, Shalendra Agarwal, principal secretary tourism, art and culture, film distributor Nand Kishore Jalani, writer Kamlesh Pandey, filmmakers from Iran, Afghanistan, the US, Germany were also present on the occasion.