<span style="color: #222222;">The 52nd edition of the International Film Festival of India, IFFI, will be held in Goa from 20th to 28th November. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, this mega event will be held in a hybrid format, that combines online and face-to-face participation. The festival is conducted jointly by the Directorate of Film Festivals and the state government of Goa in collaboration with the Indian Film Industry.<br />''<br />''AIR correspondent reports, that IFFI is considered one of Asia's oldest and India's biggest international film festival. Founded in 1952, IFFI aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of film art. It contributes to the understanding and appreciation of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos. The 1st edition of IFFI was held in Mumbai in 1952. The first edition was non-competitive which had 23 countries including the United States participating with 40 feature films and about a hundred short films. This was the first International Film Festival held anywhere in Asia. From the 3rd edition in January 1965, IFFI became competitive. It was chaired by noted Filmmaker Satyajit Ray then. It was graded 'A' category by the Paris – based Federation International de Producers de Films. With this recognition, the festival in India came on par with Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Karlovy Vary, and Moscow International film festivals. Following this recognition, India adopted, at its fifth festival in 1975, a permanent insignia. This comprises a representation of the peacock, India's national bird, with a permanent motto of the festival 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (The whole world is a family). Since its 35th edition in 2004, IFFI became globally competitive and moved its permanent venue to Goa. </span><br />