Continuing to instill the moments of anticipation, International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) is back with the 7th year of Idea IIFA Awards. IIFA, which is responsible for propelling Indian cinema to glorious pinnacles beyond Indian shores, celebrates the most elaborate of all awards ceremony over the ‘IIFA Weekend’. This weekend of 2006 will create raves from 14th June to 17th June for the first time in the exotic city of Dubai after debuting to spectacular effect at the Millennium Dome in London in 2000, and spending subsequent years in equally celebrated destinations including Sun City, Johannesburg; Genting Highlands, Malaysia; Singapore and Amsterdam.

“It is a great honour for Dubai to be chosen to host the prestigious IIFA Weekend and Awards for the first time in an Arab country,” said HH Sheikh Ahmed, President of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation. “We see the hosting of this massive event as a giant stride ahead in further cementing the age-old ties between India and the UAE, and a celebration of the cultural and social harmony between the two countries”, he added.

As per Sabbas Joseph, director of IIFA organizers Wizcraft International Entertainment, “The five-day June extravaganza in Dubai will be unlike any event the city has seen before. The IIFA Weekend 2006 is being planned on a grand scale and will feature a host of events designed to not only promote Indian cinema in the GCC and the wider Arab world but also internationally. The Arab world has always been one of the strongest audiences of Indian cinema, and bringing IIFA here is our way of saying thank you.”

Nominations Unleashed

PriceWaterhouseCoopers released the Nominations for the Idea IDEA IIFA Awards 2006 as per the results of voting by the film industry. In a unique system, that involves film industry voting similar only to the Academy Awards, the nominations were derived from the IIFA Voting Weekend held in the first week of April. During the course of the week, the best talent from Indian cinema, including producers, actors, film directors, music directors, scriptwriters and singers cast their votes for the Popular and Technical awards. The nominations for the Popular Awards were then opened for public voting, using the globally accessible www.msn.com/Idea IIFA and www.indya.com platforms. The voting process is monitored and audited by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, who are also the audit firm for the Oscars. Nominees for the best film at IDEA IIFA 2006 include Bunty aur Babli, Iqbal, Parineeta, No Entry, Black and Page 3.

A peek into the IDEA IIFA Weekend

The IIFA Weekend will feature a series of glamorous high profile events including the IIFA film festival, The IDEA IIFA premiere film, FICCI- IIFA global business forum, the IIFA foundation fashion show and the extravagant awards ceremony. Tiara Residence, the AED 2.1 billion exclusive island lifestyle community developed by Zabeel Investments, will present the IIFA Weekend in Dubai.

On 22nd May 2006 IIFA announced its speakers at the Professionals Meet Professionals- IDEA IIFA Workshop to be held during the IIFA Weekend on June 15th, 2006 in Dubai. The IIFA Workshop hosted by Dubai Media City will feature two renowned international film personalities- noted Hollywood film producer, Ashok Amritraj and celebrated international theatre, television and film actor Kabir Bedi.

The IIFA Workshop will be an open forum for film students, professionals, industry stalwarts to come together and discuss international cinema. At a time when Cinema is breaking through boundaries of territory and language and coming together across cultures and continents, the IDEA IIFA Workshop brings together two Indian cinema personalities who have made a mark on global shores. Ashok Amritaj and Kabir Bedi would share and discuss their experience in international cinema and their journey from Indian to international Cinema.

Special Awards Announced

International Indian Film Academy on 26th May 2006 announced the Idea IIFA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Indian cinema for 2006. The award will be presented to well known film industry stalwart and the queen who ruled the silver screens in the 60s and 70s, Asha Parekh.

IDEA IIFA also announced that the award for ‘Outstanding contribution to Indian Cinema’ this year will be presented to the veteran film script and dialogue writer known for his patriotic zeal, Mr. O.P. Dutta and ace cinematographer K.K. Mahajan known for his spectacular work in films like Chitchor, Amrit and Akayla.

As Dubai – the leading commercial destination of the Middle East gets ready to play host to this prestigious event with the glitz and glamour of the entire Indian film industry, fans of Indian cinema across the world can look forward to exciting contests and win a lifetime opportunity to meet their favourite Indian film stars in Dubai.

Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota to be previewed in IIFA

Irfaan Khan, Konkana Sen Sharma, Aayesha Takia, Jimmy Shergill and debut actor Karran Khanna starrer Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota and a film by the noted actor Naseeruddin Shah and producer Shabbir Boxwala, will have a special screening for the international media at the IIFA Media Briefings, on the occasion of the Idea IIFA Awards in Dubai.

Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota is a simple story that throws light on the various aspects of life and also brings out the intensity, depth and trust that people have in relationships. The movie is about a newly married couple, who are madly in love with each other, and has just started a new phase of life: they are on their honeymoon.