Bollywood's 2014 IIFA awards to be held in US

Published July 5, 2013
Indian Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor performs during the 14th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Rocks event at The Venetian hotel in Macau on July 5, 2013. — Photo by AFP
Indian Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor performs during the 14th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Rocks event at The Venetian hotel in Macau on July 5, 2013. — Photo by AFP

TAMPA:Bollywood's version of the Oscars is coming to Florida, and it marks the first time that the multiday film event will be held in the United States.

Tampa officials announced Friday that the International Indian Film Academy's Weekend & Awards is expected to bring thousands of visitors to the area next June.

Local officials say previous IIFA events have generated up to 24,000 room nights with a local economic impact exceeding $11 million.

According to the IIFA, the awards have a worldwide viewership of approximately 600,000 people.

The term ''Bollywood'' is the nickname for the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry, but Indian cinema isn't just comprised of the song-and-dance extravaganzas mostly produced there. Indian cinema has become the largest producer of films in the world. India produced nearly 1,500 films last year, according to accounting firm KPMG.

While they have been slow to catch on in the US outside major cities, Indian films have won audiences across the world.

The group's selection of the US as the site for its 2014 awards could signal a push to gain English-speaking audiences. Indian directors also are eager to bring different kinds of films, not just the popular musicals, to a worldwide audience.

In an email, Corrada of Tampa Bay and Co. said the local Indian community was instrumental in winning the film awards bid.

''We have a very active, dedicated and supportive Indian community in Tampa Bay,'' he said. ''They have championed this bid from the beginning and of course, with all of our assets, we make the perfect host city.''

The IIFA is based in Mumbai, India.

It presents the awards to honor achievements in Indian cinema.

The awards weekend takes place in a different city around the world each year.

The 2013 event is being held this week in Macau, and Tampa officials and local organisers of the 2014 event are attending this year's festival.

Opinion

Editorial

Taxing pensions
11 May, 2024

Taxing pensions

DESPITE the state of the economy, the IMF’s demand that the cash-strapped Shehbaz Sharif administration start...
Orwellian slide
11 May, 2024

Orwellian slide

IN recent years, Pakistan has made several attempts at introducing an overarching mechanism through which to check...
Terror against girls
11 May, 2024

Terror against girls

ONCE again, the ogre of terrorism is seeking the sacrifice of schoolgirls. On Wednesday, just days after the...
Enrolment drive
Updated 10 May, 2024

Enrolment drive

The authorities should implement targeted interventions to bring out-of-school children, especially girls, into the educational system.
Gwadar outrage
10 May, 2024

Gwadar outrage

JUST two days after the president, while on a visit to Balochistan, discussed the need for a political dialogue to...
Save the witness
10 May, 2024

Save the witness

THE old affliction of failed enforcement has rendered another law lifeless. Enacted over a decade ago, the Sindh...