IIFA – The three-day Bollywood extravaganza kicks off in New York City
On Thursday, July 13th, members of the press gathered at the Metropolitan Ballroom at the Sheraton Times Square Hotel for the opening night of the highly anticipated three-day Bollywood extravaganza, which kicks off in New York City on July 13 and will go until the 16th.
The conference room was packed with more than 500 media representatives from all over the world beaming with upbeat energy. The organizers provided an array of delicious snacks and drinks for the press who was doing a pre set-up in expectation of Bollywood celebrities.
Actor and producer Anupam Kher, widely known for the Silver Linings Playbook, was the first movie star to arrive. After what seemed to be a long wait, the security guards rushed suddenly to the door, followed by continuous camera flashes. All of which were directly pointed at the actor, Salman Khan. Other Bollywood stars who joined him were Katrina Kaif, Aliya Bhat, Kirti Sanon, Sushant Singh Rajput, and many others.
The President of the festival, Sabbas Joseph, opened the press conference by stating that the 18th edition of IIFA Weekend and Awards is going to be one of the biggest film festivals to date.
” We are bringing together the very best in music, fashion, dance extravaganza and celebration of Indian Film and we can’t wait for IIFA to take over the City of New York and America. The multi-faceted nature of festival also presents a great opportunity through FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum, with which we aim to create a business networking platform to further trade & policy relations between India and America,” said Sabbas Joseph.
IIFA is building cultural bridges
Sharing her excitement for the festival, Kriti Sanon said that the festival is “ a great platform where everyone from the industry travels globally and celebrates the glory of Indian Cinema. The IIFA Awards has always been held in the most beautiful destinations and this time it’s being held in New York. I am looking forward to my first performance at the festival and my first visit to New York City.”
According to the organizers, the Indian Film Festival is dedicated to building bridges across cinemas, businesses, communities, and nations as it welcomes its first ever IIFA in the City of New York.
Over the weekend fans of Indian cinema can look forward to many industry events, as well as visiting the Indian film festival, Stomp, at Times Square.