GRACEFUL KHAJURAHO
- The common date palm – Kharjur- has given Khajuraho its name
- The famous erotic sculptures of Khajuraho account for only 10% of all sculptures
- The Khajuraho temples belong to the Hindu as well as the Jain religion
- Of the original 85 temples, only 20 have survived destruction and ravages of time
Khajuraho is an ancient city known for its magnificent temples and intricate sculptures. The city is located in the Chattarpur district of Madhya Pradesh and holds spellbinding historical tales and architectural grandeurs. As per the historical archives, the Khajuraho temple site had 85 temples during the 12th century spread over 20 square kilometres. Among these, only 25 temples have survived the course of time, spread over six square kilometres.
The Khajuraho Group of Monuments have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986 and is considered one of the “seven wonders” of India. The town’s name, anciently “Kharjuravahaka”, is derived from the Sanskrit word kharjur meaning “date palm”.
ABOUT KIFF
KIFF is the brainchild or rather a dream-in-realization of Raja Bundela at Prayaas Production in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Govt., with a firm belief that cinema is not just for entertainment but is a very vital tool for social change, exploration, and documentation of our cultural identity.
Objective:
- To raise awareness about cinema in the region.
- Bring World cinema to the people sitting in the heartland away from metropolises.
- Platform to the youth of Madhya Pradesh who are deprived of opportunities due to a lack of exposure.
- Broaden the vision about cinema than what is prevalent in the region.
- Bring the World and Indian cinema to the regional level to bridge the gap, and act as a lens through which a layperson can see what is happening globally.
- Promote a healthy culture in a World gone berserk.
- Promote the scenic locales of Madhya Pradesh for shooting of films which would make the State feature on the global map of filmmaking.
- Generate employment opportunities for the locals by promoting art, culture and tourism.
In the previous editions, KIFF hosted eminent Producers, Directors, Actors, TV artists, Story Writers, Lyricists from India and Abroad.
In a span of 8 editions, over 600 films were screened from across the globe. Professionals in the field of film pedagogy and film-making have moderated workshops and seminars for the participating students, delegates, and guests.
When you share your story with the world, the world shares its story with you, which results in a great leap of consciousness. A festival like this is a great meeting point for people and ideas.
RAMESH SIPPY
Director, Producer
BONEY KAPOOR
Producer
MARIANNE BORGO
French Actress
CHANDRAPRAKASH DWIVEDI
Actor, Director
MANMOHAN SHETTY
Producer, Entrepreneur
GOVIND NIHALANI
Director, Cinematographer, Screen Writer
NITIN NANDA
Lawyer, Entrepreneur
Sanjay Srivastava
Senior Advocate
RAJA BUNDELA
Founder and Chairperson
Raja Bundela, the Festival Director and Chairperson of KIFF, is a notable actor, producer, politician and civil activist. He launched KIFF in the year 2015. By and by he is the VP of Bundelkhand Vikas Board, Uttar Pradesh. He is a dedicated social activist, who aims to make and promote good meaningful cinema. Through this festival, he endeavors to carry films nearer to every single individual of Bundelkhand and who likewise long to make a career in movies and media industry. To take his energy forward, he has a committed group of experts who help him plan and execute KIFF every year.
SUSMITA MUKHERJEE
Co-Chairperson
Susmita Mukherjee is an Indian actress, Author, Screenwriter and Playwright. She has starred in several Hindi movies and television shows. An alumnus of National School of Drama, 1983 batch, Susmita is famous for her role of ‘Kitty’ in the detective serial ‘Karamchand’. Mukherjee has worked in more than 60 films. She manages ‘Prayaas Production’ and also runs an NGO ‘Rudrani Kalagram’, an art village in Orchha. She marked her entry in the Hollywood movie, ‘The Other End of The Line’. Susmita is the recipient of NFDC award for writing the scripts of ‘Kalashri’ and ‘Nati’.
OTHER TEAM MEMBERS
RAM BUNDELA
Film Director
ARIF SAHDOLI
Writer, Actor & Director
MAJOR VINAY MARKS
Creative Head
RAKESH SAHU
Creative Head
ATUL MALIKRAM
Head PR
MUKESH RAJAK
Head Hospitality Management
ONKAR PATKAR
Film Curator
The festival is organized by Prayaas Production Pvt. Ltd. in collaboration with the Government of MP. Prayaas is a full-fledged production house contributing to the Hindi film industry and also producing various TV series.This festival has been successfully connecting cinema and art with the local populace of Madhya Pradesh for the past seven years. The festival will be attended by dignitaries from Indian and International film fraternities. It has been an ongoing success year-on-year and is keenly awaited by the youth of the region. It is pertinent to mention that the success of the festival in the previous editions was only possible with the due support of the Ministry of Tourism of the Government of India.