It's our vision to use Delhi’s rich heritage, infrastructure to develop a vibrant film industry: Diorama festival director

On 14 January 2019, Delhi hosted the grand opening of the first Diorama International Film Festival and Market (DIFF) at the Siri Fort Auditorium.

The star-studded launch of the six-day festival began with an elaborate red carpet event for chief guest, yesteryear actor Randhir Kapoor, besides other film personalities like Rajiv Kapoor, Rahul Rawail, Neetu Chandra, Siddhant Kapoor and Arjan Bajwa.

Chief guest Randhir Kapoor inaugurated the festival, along with other guests, by lighting a lamp and congratulated DIFF on its unique format that includes a retrospective (on his father, director Raj Kapoor's films), market sessions with industry experts, as well as film screenings.

The event that runs from 14 through 20 January, explores multi-genre films and formats with a vast selection of over 130 feature length films, short films, documentary films, as well as four international competition sections.

Among a plethora of film festivals across India, Diorama International Film Festival and Market seeks to challenge the binary between art and commerce, entertainment and value-laden subjects, regional/national cinemas and global cinema, commercial networks and festival circuits, with a focus on all aspects of filmmaking — the art, craft, and commerce of the film industry.

Manoj Srivastava, director of the festival and former CEO of the International Film Festival of India, addressed the audience and laid out his vision in the opening remarks.

Srivastava asserted that DIFF aims to distinguish itself by introducing a unique hybrid model that entails film screenings, discussions, jury events, masterclasses, as well as the business of cinema and education. He said the festival is envisioned as a foundational event to develop a potential film industry in Delhi.

In his opening remarks, Srivastava said, “A new birth is taking place today. This festival is a root for our vision to use Delhi’s rich heritage and infrastructure to develop a vibrant film industry.”

The opening day ceremony of DIFF concluded with the world premiere of Pia Sukanya’s Bombairiya (2019) that will be released in theatres across India on 18 January. The cast and crew of the film, including stars Shilpa Shukla, Akshay Oberoi and Siddhant Kapoor, were present at the premiere.