MUMBAI: The Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) will be held from 7 to 14 January. With this edition is set to become the state‘s official festival.

Screenings will be at E-Square, Inox, Fame multiplex in Fatimanagar, City Pride in Kothrud, National Film Archives of India (NFAI) and NFAI‘s new auditorium on Paud Road.

The PIFF was first held in 2002 and now with the backdrop seven eventful editions, the 8th version of PIFF promises more variety, more movies and greater insight and entertainment into the international cinematic world.

Every year, PIFF attracts dignitaries from the national and international film fraternity. The festival that attracts worldwide attention, will screen films under the Country Focus, World Cinema, Retrospectives, Indian Panorama, Music ‘n‘ sound, NFAI, Tributes categories.

The fest will be presided over by Suresh Kalmadi, MP, and director-PIFF and eminent filmmaker, Jabbar Patel.

For the first time, the Sachin Dev Burman International Award for creative music and sound is being introduced this time and so will be a scriptwriting workshop.

The PIFF, organised jointly by the Pune Film Foundation and the Government of Maharashtra will feature 150 films from 42 countries.

The festival will be inaugurated at the Balgandharva Rangmandir on 7 January
and the concluding ceremony will also be at the same venue.

The Pune International Film Festival was launched in 2002, with an idea of attracting the best in celluloid to Pune. The first "International Film Festival" received a response brimming with success. Slowly, event by event, PIFF has evolved into a major annual event.

Delegates can register their films from December 25.