BMO IFFSA Toronto Reinvents Itself as Virtual Film Festival Experience

BMO IFFSA Toronto, the largest South Asian film festival in North America, is back in an innovative new way! The cutting-edge BMO IFFSA Virtual 2020 portal is now live!

Despite the recent uncertainties, the IFFSA team has been working hard over the past few months to find an effective and secure way to bring the festival experience to its dedicated audiences. And now, through an innovative digital format, BMO IFFSA Virtual 2020 will be hosted online at iffsatoronto.com from August 6th to 16th.

The festival kicks off with a special tribute event honouring the legacy of cinema legend Irrfan Khan, who was a friend of the festival. A screening of his award-winning film Qissa will be followed by a special panel featuring the director Anup Singh and cast members of the film.

IFFSA is showcasing 100+ films in 16+ languages, and will host 50+ events over 11 days of continuous excitement.

Widely recognized as the Voice of South Asian Cinema in Canada, IFFSA's impressive program reflects the rich diversity of South Asian cinema, as well as the future of South Asian filmmaking, with cutting-edge filmmakers bringing their internationally-recognized works.

This year's massive lineup includes a cinematic cornucopia that offers viewers a vast array of segments to indulge in, with each segment featuring specially curated films that revolve around deeply profound themes that will challenge, engage, and inspire viewers. From "Love, Lament, and Rebellion", to "Pain of Prejudice", to "The Feminine Mystique", the festival's programming is as diverse and vibrant as the community it represents.

The festival will showcase the best of South Asian cinema. There's the breathtaking, hand-painted animated feature Bombay Rose, the international award-winning The Song of Scorpions, the deeply enthralling and entrancing Aamis, the Oscar-nominated documentary St. Louis Superman, and countless other world-class films such as Bitter Chestnut, Eeb Allay Ooo!, Made in Bangladesh, and Miss Man.

Alongside these films, the festival will be hosting over 50 celebrity filmmakers to participate in engaging panels, intimate discussions, and insightful masterclasses. From legends with storied careers to contemporary titans of South Asian cinematic arts, IFFSA will be hosting names like Javed Akthar, Gurinder Chadha, Anurag Kashyap, Manoj Bajpayee, Anup Singh, Golshifteh Farahani, Nandita Das, Gautam Ghose, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Shahrbanoo Sadat, Rima Das, Rajkumar Rao, Gurvinder Singh, and Konkona Sen.

"As a cinematic arts institution, IFFSA has a long history of showcasing cutting-edge cinema and thought-provoking conversations to advance the South Asian Canadian narrative. We're very proud of our highly impactful 2020 programming that will feature globally-celebrated films and internationally-acclaimed filmmakers. We're also especially proud of how our team was able to quickly innovate in the face of current challenges and develop a world-class portal to present the IFFSA experience to audiences at home. IFFSA will continue to take a leadership role in empowering South Asian voices." IFFSA Founder and President Sunny Gill.

IFFSA is grateful to it's supportive partners who allow it's vision to become a reality. The festival would like to thank it's title sponsor Bank of Montreal as well as all of it's other partners, including Insurance Bureau of Canada, Turkish Airlines, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Savour Ontario, Toronto Star, CBC, Sheridan College, and Ontario Creates. The support of these organizations is what allows IFFSA to act as a platform for South Asian voices as the largest South Asian film festival in North America. This year IFFSA is also announcing the BMO IFFSA Talent Fund, a resource for empowering young South Asian talent.

To view the full festival schedule and to partake in the festival visit iffsatoronto.com.

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