Featured Events
The travelling exhibition ‘Light Matters’ is on till December 31 at Goa Science Centre and Planetarium, Miramar. Details: 2463426.
Photography exhibition- 16th and 17th-century churches
Featured Blog
Registrations for 49th edition of IFFI gets underway
The delegate registrations for the 49th edition of IFFI will commence on October 8 from 7.00 p.m. onwards for all cine enthusiasts and professionals on payment of Rs. 1000, whereas the students will be registered free. The applications of the delegates who are registered with IFFI for the last 2 years will be approved within 24 hours and new applications will be approved within 48hours. While briefing the media about the preparations of the festival, vice–chairman of ESG, Rajendra Talak said that: “all our activities are going as per the schedule and this being my second term as the vice–chairman of ESG; I can say that we are much ahead of the schedule. The entire programme will be finalised by October 30.” There will also be a Goan section for the unreleased Goan films in this edition of IFFI, added Talak. The opening and closing ceremony of the festival will be held on November 20 and 28 respectively at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium, with the opening film being screened at Kala Academy, Panaji. While Bhupal Ramnathkar who has offered his service to assist Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) for décor finalisation of the festival is appointed as a design […]
Fashion Fusion Nite 2018
White Pepper Creations along with Senor NX will be organizing ‘Fashion Fusion Nite 2018’ on 16th November 2018 ( 7 pm), at Reis Magos Fort, Verem. Mr. Akhil Raju, Founder of White Pepper Creations, said, “This year we’re coming up with something different.” More than eight designers from different parts of India will be displaying their creations which include Western wear, traditional outfits, formal wear, and more. Those at the event will get to see a live band, celebrity showstoppers, film fraternities, and an aesthetically pleasing stage set-up. The aim of the Fashion Fusion Nite is to introduce new talents from the fashion industry to Goa and to show that it is rewarding to be environmentally responsible in terms of fashion.
Cultural marks to be introduced by 2019-20
On Monday, minister for art and culture, Govind Gaude said that the drafting of the cultural policy is underway and the final changes in the amendment will be done by the end of next week. “After these changes are done, it will be scrutinized by a selection team which will then approach the Directorate of education. After getting the nod from Directorate of education, the policy will await the approval of the cabinet and the cultural marks can only be introduced by 2019-20 academic year”, added Gaude.
Kala Academy to undergo expansion
Speaking on the sidelines of a press conference, minister for art and culture, Govind Gaude said that, the Kala academy will be undergoing an expansion process which will feature two auditoriums of 300 and 600 seating capacity in the premises of the Kala Academy. “The project of the 600 seating capacity auditorium will be done on priority basis and will be constructed in the parking lot of the academy. A tender will be floated for a consultant by the end of next week and the consultant will estimate the budget for the project within a time period of one month”, added Gaude.
Ribhav gets call-up for India U-19 football team
Salgaocar FC Midfielder, Ribhav Sardesai has been selected for the India U-19 Football National team and is the only Goan in the national team. Ribhav, who is studying in the first year of the BBA course at MES College, Zuarinagar, recently represented the country in the four-nation U- 19 international football tournament held in Croatia. Post the four-nation tournament the team traveled for an exposure trip to Serbia in the month of September. In 2013, Ribhav donned the Indian national colors when he represented India U-14 for the AFC qualifiers, in Mashaad, Iran. In 2015, he represented India U-16 for the SAAF Cup (where India emerged runners-up) in Sylhet, Bangladesh. He also represented Goa in 2012 at the National Football festival organized by AIFF in Kalyani, West Bengal and in 2015 he represented Goa at the National School Games, Telangana where they emerged Champions.
3 Indian films to vie for Golden Peacock award
The 49th edition of IFFI will open with the world premiere of ‘The Aspern Papers’ directed by Julien Landais, while the world premiere of the German film, ‘Sealed Lips’ will draw curtains over the festival. Altogether 15 international films including 3 Indian films – ‘Bhayanakam’ (Malayalam), ‘To Let’ (Tamil), and ‘Ee MaYove’ (Malayalam) – will vie for the Golden Peacock award under the International Competition section of IFFI 2018. The festival director, Chaitanya Prasad said that the opening, as well as the closing ceremony of the IFFI 2018, will be entertaining and thematic. “Although we are in the process of finalising guests of honour for these ceremonies, actor Akshay Kumar will be attending the opening ceremony,” he informed, adding that Akshay Kumar will also attend the opening of the public screenings of films on the theme of sports, at the Joggers Park, at Altinho, starting from November 21 to 27, from 7 p.m onwards regularly. ESG vice-chairman Rajendra Talak said that a Goan short film, ‘Seetee’ directed by Gopinath Chandelkar has been selected to screen during the film festival under the Goan Section. The Serendipity Art Festival in association with the ESG will present ‘Football – A Beautiful Life’, a […]
49th edition of IFFI takes off
The much hyped opening ceremony of the 49th International Film Festival of India got off to a delayed start sans the glitterati at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium. After much anticipation, it began with a Bollywood dance sequence, beating of the dhols, some aerial stunts on numbers from Bajirao Mastani, Bahubali, etc. Secretary of Information and broadcasting, Amit Khare welcomed the dignitaries and cine enthusiasts present for the 49th edition of the film festival that first began in 1952. He also congratulated the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Dan Wolman. Praising Indian cinema’s progress, with films like Padman and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, he said: “films are becoming strong messages of social change. The entertainment industry is providing revenue and growth and generating employment.” It was at least half an hour into the ceremony at this point, when superstar, Akshay Kumar and producer and director Karan Johar walked in to some cheering from the audience. The cast and crew of the opening film, ‘The Aspern Papers’ were called up onto the stage after a trailer of the film – it will have its world premiere here. Playback singer, Shilpa Rao with her troupe enthralled the audience with some romantic […]
Iffi ends with the hope of a grander festival
The much loved International Film Festival of India drew to a close on 28th November 2018. The closing ceremony ended with the promise of a bigger, grander Iffi the following year. The hosts of the evening were actress, Sophie Choudry, and actor, Arjan Bajwa. Many prominent dignitaries graced the event like Anil Kapoor, Mridula Sinha (governor of Goa), and Vijai Sardesai (Minister of Town and Country Planning). Sardesai said: “There couldn’t be a better place for Iffi. Goa has usually been on the minds of filmmakers. Regional cinema has to find a place in national cinema. We would like to encourage Goan filmmakers to come forward and make films.” He also apologized to all the delegates who suffered inconvenience. Indian celebrities such as Anil Kapoor, Rakul Preet, Chitrangada Singh, Diana Penty and Keerthi Suresh walked the red carpet. The ceremony had dazzling performances by X1X and Vipin Aneja. The 8 days of Iffi 2018 had various film screenings, master classes by celebrities, and panel discussions. The number of delegates for this year had increased a lot more. Mr KJ Alphons (Tourism minister of India) said: “People today are very fond of Indian cinema.” He encouraged the audience to tour India […]
Goa Affordable Art Fest to start on 8th December ’18
Museum of Goa will be having the second edition of its Goa Affordable Art Fest (GAAF) from 8th December 2018 to 31st January 2019. It will be inaugurated by Ashok Vajpeyi which will be followed by live performances by Damini Parashar and Sound Club. While addressing a gathering, Subodh Kerkar (MOG founder), stated: “India doesn’t have a good platform for young artists. So GAAF provides a platform for young artists to show their work. Last year 30 lakh worth of art was sold.” The artworks that will be displayed have gone through a selection process by the jury- Peter Muller and Erica Plate- who are experienced curators and gallerists. There will be all kinds of media presented- paintings, drawings, photography, collages, etc. Subodh Kerkar feels that art has given tremendous impetus for tourism and therefore it is important for Goa which is a tourist destination. “Our efforts are that Goa should become an art hub,” Kerkar says. He also revealed that this year the artworks are of a much better quality. Last year, there were 700 entries while 2018 saw 800 entries. Around 400 artworks made it through the selection process to be shown at GAAF. “Contemporary art is very little […]
Reflecting on the life of St Francis Xavier
Every year on 3rd December, people flock to Old Goa for the feast of St Francis Xavier- the patron saint of Goa. He was a God-fearing man who spread the Gospel and served the sick and poor. He is dotingly hailed as ‘Goencho Saib’ as his life story inspires people even today. His relics are in the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This year, the theme of the feast is to live life according to the Beatitudes which Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount. Living according to the beatitudes means always longing to know more about God, being merciful, bringing peace wherever you go, etc. ‘Like St Francis Xavier, let us live the Beatitudes and be Holy’- those at the feast were taught that it’s not enough to just follow certain religious duties, but you have to have a loving relationship with God and obey His commandments. There were masses in Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, French, Italian, Portuguese, Marathi, Telugu, and Spanish. The feast fair was buzzing with activity and sold items like sweets, accessories, toys, etc. The St Francis Xavier 2018 feast also had a 3D stage which made the people feel like they were in an indoor cathedral […]
Rare Portraits of Goan folk on display at IMB
As a part of the Semana da Cultura Indo Portuguesa (Goa) festival, there is a photography exhibition which is currently being displayed at Institute Menezes Braganza Hall. The photos are from Pantaleao Fernandes’ coffee table book ‘Goa: Rare Portraits’. This book shows another side of Goa. The photos provide a glimpse into the lives of the people from rural areas. It shows the stark contrast between the rural and urban areas of Goa. The simplicity of these people’s lives is highlighted in the photos. These lifestyle portraits on canvases were elegantly displayed on easels. Visitors got to see different activities of these tribal people such as broom making, masala grinding, tree climbing, garland making, etc. In the middle of the hall, there were objects put on display which were shown in some of the photos. These included a basket which a village man used for shelter and a cloth for their coverage on cold days. (The exhibition will be open for public viewing till 7th December 2018)