International Indian Film Academy Utsavam (IIFA Utsavam) 2015 Curtain Raiser and Press Meet

IIFA UTSAVAM 2015 KICKS OFF WITH A PREMIERE VOTING EVENT
South Indian Cinema Stars Prakash Raj, Rana and Venkatesh among the first to cast their vote

Hyderabad, November 3rd, 2015: December 2015 will witness IIFA celebrations, India’s biggest Cinema event, celebrating South Indian Cinema like never before. Marking a landmark event in the illustrious history of the Cinema of South India, The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) has announced Fortune Sunflower Oil IIFA UTSAVAM co-powered by Gionee smartphone- a magnificent extravaganza envisioned to honor and recognize the best of South India’s film industry.

Spanning across three days, IIFA Utsavam will debut on the 4th, 5th & 6th of December, 2015 at Gachibowli Outdoor Stadium, Hyderabad. The broadcast partner for the extravaganza is the Sun Network, while the Title sponsor is Fortune Sunflower Oil from the Adani Group.

South Indian Cinema film stars showed their support by voting for their favourite movies and talent at the IIFA Utsavam Voting Day and announcement event held at Park Hyatt, Hyderabad. Among the biggest names of South Indian cinema Prakash Raj, Rana and Venkatesh were among the first to cast their vote.

Bringing together the biggest megastars from the South Indian Film Industry including Kamal Hassan, A.R Rahman, Trisha, Venkatesh, Chiranjeevi, Mahesh Babu, Nagarjuna, Mohanlal, Kavya, Madhavan, Priyadarshan, Shivrajkumar, Puneet Rajkumar, among other superstars will all congregate for one grand Utsavam- the IIFA Utsavam.

Encompassing four massive film industries of South India, the Tamil, the Telugu, the Malayalam and the Kannada - The Cinema of South India is being celebrated as a single entity. Known for its larger-than-life movies, flamboyant superstars, immense talent pool, technologically advanced productions, loyal fan following, the Cinema of the South has created waves not only in India but also made a name for itself on the global map.

IIFA Utsavam’s illustrious Advisory Board comprises eminent personalities include A R Rahman, Kamal Hassan, Suresh Babu, KS Rama Rao, Boney Kapoor, Nagarjuna, Allu Aravind, Resul Pookutty, R B Choudhary, Ram Kumar, Mukesh, Sibi Malayil, B Unnikrishnan, Ramesh Aravind and Radikaa Sharathkumar.

A.R Rahman commented “Truly IIFA Utsavam is going to be a huge event for the Indian Film Industry and the entire fraternity is looking forward to it. With the attention it is going to receive, I am sure it will change the way how South Indian cinema is perceived not only in India but world over. I am very excited to extend my support IIFA Utsavam.”

Kamal Haasan said “IIFA Utsavam is a wonderful initiative taken by the International Indian Film Academy to help build the outreach of film industries across India. Given the global acclaim of the IIFA platform I am confident that it will become an instant opportunity for greater recognition to South Indian film industries and our work. It is great to see an endeavour such as IIFA Utsavam to help give our cinema maximum exposure to audiences and media around the world. Having participated at previous IIFA Weekends, it is a truly impressive and world class brand to be associated with. So I am excited and look forward to the prospects of bringing IIFA to India with IIFA Utsavam and the anticipated scale, glamour and presentation that they will be creating in India at the event in Hyderabad.

Suresh Babu said “IIFA Utsavam marks the beginning of an incredible journey where the diversity of South Indian Cinema can come alive onto one common stage. December will hold a very special occasion for us as the very first edition of IFA Utsavam unfolds.”

Day 1 of the event will see IIFA partnering with FICCI for the FICCI-IIFA Business Forum. The forum will feature prominent film personalities, CEOs, policy makers and industry leaders meet to discuss Cinema-tourism, infrastructure, media, cinema co-productions and investment opportunities.

On Day 2, IIFA Utsavam will felicitate and celebrate talent from Tamil & Malayalam film industries.

On the final day, IIFA Utsavam will felicitate and celebrate the best talent from Kannada and Telugu cinema. Nominees be vying for 12 popular awards; 6 special awards will be presented to winners from each region. Common across the 4 language-cinemas, technical Awards will be presented for 10 categories.

IIFA Utsavam Director Andre Timmins said “We at IIFA are committed to celebrate the excellence and dynamism of Indian cinema. With this very view in mind, IIFA Utsavam has been conceptualized to specially give due credit and honor the prolific body of work and brilliance of the Cinema of South India. We are confident the celebrations are going to be a huge success and emerge as a milestone event for the entire South film fraternity”

Mr. Angshu Mallick, COO, Adani Wilmar Ltd, commented on sponsoring the event, “Adani Wilmar Ltd. is one of India’s fastest growing food company with a turnover of more than 3 billion USD. Fortune – India’s No 1 edible oil brand, is proud to associate and present IIFA Utsavam. We have chosen Fortune Sunflower Oil, one of our most prominent brands in the South Indian market to bring forth this partnership. With our wide range of product portfolio of edible oils, basmati rice, pulses, soya chunks & besan, we look forward to being the preferred brand of every South Indian consumer by reaching out with an array of celebrity engagements as a result of our partnership with IIFA Utsavam. With the legacy of IIFA in the Indian entertainment space, we proudly look forward to the best entertainment extravaganza south of India is going to witness."

Mr. T. Narasimhaiah, Sr. Manager - Sales, AP / Telangana, commented “Gionee is proud to be associated with IIFA Utsavam, which is a great platform to recognize the efforts of the film industry who have put in their efforts to entertain the audiences in the country and the Southern part of the country in particular. Cinema as a medium cut across with our consumer base and this platform is a great place to connect with our consumers”

Mr.Kiran, Programming Head / Mr.Balakrishna, General Manager – Gemini TV, Sun TV Network commented, “Sun TV Network is proud to be associated with the Premiere edition of IIFA Utsavam 2015, a pioneering event that will present the finest among the South Indian film fraternity. Sun TV Network reaches around 58 million households in the country. Increasingly, our programming is being accessed by the South Indian diaspora across the globe. We believe in delivering consistently high quality entertainment through our unrelenting focus on premium content. Our collaboration with IIFA reiterates our commitment to be at the leading edge of broadcast media industry. Sun TV Network will be the official broadcast partner of the IIFA Utsavam event and shall telecast the Red Carpet and Nomination episodes on its flagship channels Sun TV, Gemini TV, Udaya TV and Surya TV on Jan 3, 2016. The finale of the event will be awards ceremony with star studded performances, which will be telecast on Jan 10, 2016.”

NCC Urban is an On Ground Support Partner of IIFA Utsavam 2015. Speaking on the occasion, Managing Director, Mr. Narayana Raju Alluri – for NCC Urban said, “NCC Urban, a name to reckon with in the real estate and construction sector and known for world class building techniques is proud to be associated with IIFA Utsavam. The IIFA Movement has evolved from an awards presentation ceremony to a three-day extravaganza dedicated to the world of cinema and is the grandest tribute paid to the world's largest film industry. It has attracted the stalwarts of both Indian and international cinema over the years. Wishing the best of everything at IIFA Utsavam.”

To select and felicitate the best and most deserving talent, nominees would be selected through film industry voting. A Global voting process would determine the winners of the Popular Awards and Jury Voting would determine the winners of the Technical Awards.

IIFA Utsavam promises to bring together a veritable powerhouse of talent from among the South Indian film industry and commend and recognize the best of the best.