The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa is taking cinema to the streets — quite literally. India’s National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) have partnered with Picturetime Digiplex to screen a selection of films in inflatable theaters at the festival’s 55th edition. These include S.S. Rajamouli‘s global phenomenon “RRR” alongside works from acclaimed filmmakers Satyajit Ray, Mani Ratnam and Imtiaz Ali.
The mobile theater initiative will feature two 120-seat inflatable venues at the main festival grounds, complemented by a traveling open-air screen that will move between North and South Goa during the festival’s run from Nov. 20-28.
The programming slate combines contemporary Indian cinema with classic titles. Recent selections include Pa. Ranjith’s “Thangalaan” and Mani Ratnam’s two-part epic “Ponniyin Selvan.” The festival will also screen films from its Indian Panorama and National Film Award sections, including Malayalam drama “Aattam,” Rishab Shetty’s “Kantara” and the Ray-inspired biographical drama “Aparajito.”
Classic films getting the inflatable theater treatment include Ray’s “Agantuk,” Kundan Shah’s “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro” and Raj Kapoor’s “Bobby.”
The initiative comes fresh off Picturetime’s partnership with the Dharamshala International Film Festival, where it screened Cannes winner “All We Imagine as Light,” Dibakar Banerjee’s “Tees” and Sundance winner “Girls Will Be Girls” at an altitude of 5,000 feet.
“Our mission is to democratize the big-screen experience,” said Sushil Chaudhary, founder and CEO of Picturetime Digiplex. The company has previously brought mobile cinema experiences to remote locations including the Himalayan Film Festival in Ladakh at 11,562 feet elevation and the Tribal Film Festival in Arunachal Pradesh. This, Chaudhary added, is an attempt to bridge the urban-rural divide with “technology and innovation,” giving people in remote areas access to the “big-screen magic they deserve.”
The festival is organized by the NFDC and ESG under India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
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