‘Lagaan’ director Ashutosh Gowariker has been appointed as festival director of the 57th Indian International Film Festival by India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Gowariker will succeed Shekhar Kapur, who served as festival director for the 55th and 56th editions for two years.
“It is with great pride and joy that I take on the role of festival director for the prestigious 57th Indian International Film Festival Goa,” said director Gowariker. “I am honored to have witnessed the evolution of this festival. I have continued the association over the years, from my participation in 1984 to 2024, when I served as president of the international film jury.”
Gowariker built a reputation as one of Bollywood’s most ambitious directors, with credits including the Oscar-nominated Lagaan, the country drama Sways, the historical epic Jodhaa Akbar, and the Indus Valley spectacle Mohenjo Daro. His films are known for their large-scale historical and social canvasses.
IFFI started in 1952 and is one of the longest running festivals in Asia. The event is a co-production between the government-backed National Film Development Corporation and the state of Goa’s entertainment fraternity, and its annual program spans competition screenings, retrospectives, masterclasses and WAVES Film Bazaar, a co-production and sales marketplace.
“It is a great honor and a new sense of responsibility to carry on a tradition that has been created, nurtured and expanded upon by countless festival teams over the decades since 1952,” Gowariker added. “We look forward to working closely with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Government of Goa.”
The festival is scheduled for November in Goa.
