Mumbai, April 1st, 2011: The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) will celebrate the12th Videocon IIFA Weekend and the Micromax IIFA Awards in Toronto, Ontario, Canada this year. The three day Weekend will be held from June 23rd-25th, 2011.
The Videocon IIFA Weekend, Toronto will be a selection of mega events that spotlights global attention on Indian cinema. The Weekend includes the high-profile IIFA World Premiere,the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum, IIFA Rocks, the first look of a number of Indian films, the IIFA Film Workshop and the spectacularMicromax IIFA Awards.
Supporting the Weekend and Awards at the conference today were Friends of IIFA, Hrithik Roshan, Anil Kapoor, Boman Irani and Dia Mirza. Longtime IIFA supporter, Indian Cinema super star, Hrithik Roshan addressed the media saying, “As always it is a great honour for me to come to IIFA and join in the revelry with the rest of the fraternity. Having witnessed so many IIFA’s, I see IIFA Toronto as a landmark for the Wizcraft team and our fraternity, confirming the reach of Indian Cinema, and I could not be more thrilled to represent this great industry and meet the fans in Canada. Let the celebrations begin.”
Known for its cultural, entertainment and metropolitan scene, Toronto is an ideal choice for IIFA 2011. As Canada's economic capital, Toronto is the most populous city in the country and is known for its large Indian diaspora. "Ontario will be putting its best foot forward during the IIFA Awards and Weekend. We can’t wait to welcome everyone to Toronto. We're very proud to be the first place in North America to host this truly global event and we look forward to providing visitors with an unforgettable experience,” – Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario
After the success of the Micromax IIFA Awards in Colombo, Riteish Deshmukh and Boman Irani will once again play hosts at the Awards in Toronto. This will be Boman’s fifth time at the Awards, while good friend and fellow-actor Riteish will co-host for the fourth time. Talking of the 12th Awards and his hosting stint, Boman Irani said, “I am honoured to host the Awards for the fifth time this year. It is always wonderful to be a part of this larger than life event and hosting is an assignment that I look forward to each year.”
The IIFA 2011 nominations were announced today with film favourites, Dabaang, Rajneeti, My Name is Khan, Band Baajaa Baraat and Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai being nominated in the Best Film category. The Leading Role Male category include Salman Khan (Dabangg), Hrithik Roshan (Guzaarish), Ranbir Kapoor (Rajneeti), Ajay Devgn (Once upon a time in Mumbaai) and Shah Rukh Khan (My name is Khan), while leading ladies, Aishwariya Rai Bachchan (Guzaarish), Katrina Kaif (Rajneeti), Anushka Sharma (Band Baajaa Baraat), Vidya Balan (Ishquiya) and Kareena Kapoor (Golmaal 3) are up for the Lead Female Role honour.
The nominations were released as a result of the industry voting for the Micromax IIFA Awards at the IIFA Voting Weekend 2011 held in March. Results of the industry voting were audited by PriceWaterhouse Coopers, the auditing firm for the IIFA’s and the Oscars. The online voting for the Awards will go live on the 15th of April, 2011 and will be open to audiences of Indian Cinema, across the world on www.iifa.com/toronto2011
“IIFA is pleased to celebrate its 12th year in Toronto and feels it is Indian Cinema’s gateway to North America. This year’s celebrations will have over 800 delegates from India, including the creme de la creme of Indian cinema and the international media. A third of the expatriate population in Toronto comprises South Asians and we intend to bring a taste of home and cinematic magic to them.” said Wiz Sabbas Joseph, Director - Wizcraft International Entertainment.
Mr. Sunil Bandhu, COO, Videocon Mobile Services, Mumbai Circle spoke on Videocon’s association saying, “It is a great honour for us to present the IIFA Weekend for the third year in a row. We are delighted with our association with IIFA as it is one of the grandest celebrations of Indian Cinema on a global platform and it presents us with the perfect opportunity to communicate the vivacity of brand Videocon. We look forward to presenting yet another enthralling Videocon IIFA Weekend this year in Canada and we are positive that the platform will bring together the film fraternity and fans in one big celebration of the Indian diaspora.”
As a platform that reaches out to millions of global television viewers, IIFA offers a phenomenal opportunity to deliver relevant messages to audiences. The event will be broadcast globally on STAR PLUS, India’s No. 1 entertainment channel, reaching viewers across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America.
Commenting on STAR Plus's seven year association with IIFA, Sanjay Gupta, COO, STAR Indiasaid, “IIFA is a magnificent celebration of Indian Cinema and over the years has become a landmark annual event for the Indian Film Industry to celebrate its success. Star Plus, the exclusive global broadcast partner of IIFA for the last seven years, enables its viewers to catch the most exciting Indian Film awards extravaganza of the year. Through Star Plus, the 2011 IIFA Awards will reach out to more than 345 million viewers spread over 65 countries across the globe. Our viewers can experience the prestigious IIFA journey through multiple programmes that cover various events and interactions in Toronto – Canada.”
Taking the Greening of the IIFAs forward in IIFA’s twelfth year, Panasonic announced the continuation of its association with IIFA. Speaking on its alliance with IIFA, Mr. Manish Sharma, Director - Marketing, Panasonic India said, "It is an honor for us to carry forward for the third successive year the association with an international cinema platform like IIFA which recognizes excellence. Our association as the Greening the IIFA’s sponsor provides us the platform to communicate our philosophy of ‘Eco Ideas' that champions the cause of a greener environment. The endorsement of the film community which influences public perception towards a greener environment is a significant contribution towards the cause. Panasonic's relationship with IIFA will facilitate its vision to become the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry to gain a celebrity tone insuring the message reaches the entire nation.”
"Air India celebrates its association with Indian Cinema. Our film industry actors are our cultural ambassadors and we, the national carrier, do take genuine pride in flying them to Toronto for the International Indian Film Academy Weekend and Awards," says Mr. Arvind Jadhav, Chairman & Managing Director, Air India Ltd.
"Air India is proud to be associated as the official travel partner of IIFA, the Oscars of Bollywood," Mr Jadhav added. Air India was the first travel associate of IIFA in 2000. Air India is proud to be the only airline which links India to Toronto by a direct non-stop, state-of-the-art technology Boeing 777 aircraft, giving the passengers the best in terms of class, comfort and convenience.
Videocon will sponsor the IIFA Weekend, while Micromax will sponsor the IIFA Awards for the second time. Rotomac Pens is the Associate Sponsor of the IIFA Weekend 2011, while Air India will partner with IIFA as the Official Airlines Partner.
The Videocon IIFA Weekend is the largest South Asian celebration event and the Micromax IIFA Awards is among the most-watched global events, annually.
