Actor, director, producer, writer & singer Farhan Akhtar casts his IIFA ballot. Source: IIFA
Over 1000 stalwarts, actors, directors, producers, technicians and composers participated in the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Voting Weekend (7-9 February 2014). The annual IIFA Voting Weekend is open to the individuals who form an integral part of the film industry and not to the public at large.
The IIFA Awards are also known as the "Bollywood Oscars".
On the Voting Weekend, IIFA Academy members and the film industry are invited to cast their votes for nominees in the category of the Popular Awards. This year, Indian film industry professionals such as Farhan Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Ranbir Kapoor, Mukesh Bhatt, Yo-Yo Honey Singh, Farah Khan and Nimrat Kaur participated in this past weekend's voting.
Nimrat Kaur, IIFA Voting Weekend. Source: IIFA |
The Popular Awards include Best Movie, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Performance in a Negative Role, Best Performance in a Comic Role, Star Debut of the Year-Male, Star Debut of the Year-Female, Best Music Director, Best Lyricist, Best Playback Singer-Male, and Best Playback Singer-Female.
These Popular Category nominations will be made available later on this month so the global audience can participate in the voting process.
The Technical Award winners are also derived from the IIFA Voting Weekend. Technical award categories include Best Art Direction, Best Action, Best Background Score, Best Cinematography, Best Choreography, Best Costume Design, Best Dialogue, Best Editing, Best Makeup, Best Screenplay, Best Sound Recording, Best Sound Re-Recording, Best Special Effects, and Best Story.
Founded in 2000, the IIFA Awards is India's biggest media event. With a viewership of almost 800 million, it is among the world's most-watched annual entertainment events.
This year, the IIFA Awards Weekend will be held 23-26 April 2014 in Tampa, Florida - the first time the event will be held on United States soil. The 4-day IIFA weekend celebrates Indian cinema with elements of culture, business, film, fashion, entertainment & music from India. The awards ceremony on the evening of 26 April will be hosted by Farhan Akhtar and Shahid Kapoor.
Shabana Azmi, IIFA Voting Weekend. Source: IIFA |
Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd promotes the IIFA celebrations globally each year and travels to a new locale taking the Indian film fraternity with it to amalgamate and celebrate the best of both cultures, thereby taking Indian Cinema to a wider audience.
"The IIFA Voting Weekend marks the advent of the IIFA celebrations," explains Wizcraft Executive Director and Co-Founder Andre Timmins. "The prime endeavour of the weekend is to have the Indian Film Industry - the people behind the actual magic of the movies - decide who the laurels should best be bestowed upon. We will continue to ensure that the IIFA celebrations remain the biggest and most phenomenal platform for the Indian Film Industry as we celebrate our American debut in Tampa this year."
The IIFA Voting process is a stringent and methodical procedure that is closely monitored by KPMG, the official auditors of the event. The final winners of the IIFA Awards are revealed on the night of the Awards ceremony when the envelope is opened onstage, in front of the live audience. The results are surrounded by secrecy and the credibility of the voting process is one of the key parameters of this prestigious award.
If you liked this, please visit our other IIFA posts.