IIFA awards weekend extravaganza in Tampa in April

By Staff Reporter

New York:  The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards weekend is all set to make its American debut when the magic of Indian cinema casts a spell on Tampa Bay, Florida.

The 15th edition of the IIFA awards will be held this year during April 24-26. The IIFA management, along with Bollywood superstars Anil Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, is currently on a press tour in the US, having already visited Los Angeles, Tampa Bay and New York.

IIFA has announced its celebrations ahead of the film industry’s highly anticipated weekend extravaganza which is set to include film briefings, the IIFA Film Workshop, the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum, IIFA Rocks, IIFA Magic of the Movies & Technical Awards and, of course, the crown jewel of the Videocon D2H IIFA Weekend, the TATA Motors IIFA Awards.

Headlining the awards will be King Khan, Shahrukh Khan, who is said to be the biggest star offering from Bollywood in present years. Shahid Kapoor and Farhan Akthar, who last hosted the awards in 2012 in Singapore, will once again entertain the guests.

Each year, IIFA Award tickets have sold out in record-breaking time. In 2011 in Toronto, on IIFA’s debut in North America, IIFA Award tickets for a capacity of 18,000 were grabbed within 10 minutes. This year, tickets for IIFA Weekend and Awards 2014 in Tampa Bay went live on January 14 and are available on www.ticketmaster.com

Said superstar and singer Priyanka Chopra: “Year after year, IIFA brings the best of Indian cinema to a new geography across the world, providing a taste of the best that we have to offer. We are very excited to bring IIFA to Tampa Bay. With the support of representatives of Visit Tampa Bay, we have been able to conceptualize and actualize an incredible event.”
International actor Anil Kapoor said that the IIFA Weekend and Awards had grown into an iconic platform for audiences globally.

“As a friend of IIFA, I am delighted to see IIFA make its debut in the US. It has been my pleasure to be associated with IIFA and as an Ambassador of the Indian film fraternity, we are proud to give audiences a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness one of the finest celebrations of Indian culture and cinema. Tampa Bay is in for a treat.”

Having played a major role in bringing the IIFA ceremony to Tampa Bay, cardiologist, philanthropist and community leader, Dr. Kiran Patel said that he was looking forward to some extremely entertaining and memorable events.

Santiago Corrada, president and chief executive officer, Visit Tampa Bay, said: “Tampa Bay is thrilled to be welcoming the prestigious IIFA Celebration to Tampa. Tampa Bay is excited to serve as great hosts to the biggest and best International Indian Film Academy awards in history.”

Viraf Sarkari, director, Wizcraft International, said that the US was a new territory for IIFA which would have many new and extremely entertaining events leading up to the IIFA Weekend.

Adds Andre Timmins, director, Wizcraft International: “Anil Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra have been associated with the IIFA for many years and it is a pleasure to have them tour America with us as we officially announce details and ticket sales for IIFA 2014 in Tampa Bay.”

Having travelled to some phenomenal destinations across the globe over the last 14 years, IIFA has graced the shores of the UK, Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Canada.

Fans and enthusiasts of the Indian cinema from around the world can expect to see their favorite stars descend on Tampa, Florida during the weekend and witness Indian cinema’s most glorious event unfold across the city.

With world-class infrastructure and facilities and having hosted a myriad of international concerts, events and the Super Bowl four times, Tampa Bay is the ideal choice for the 15th IIFA celebrations.

IIFA is a global platform that gives the Indian film fraternity an opportunity to reach greater audiences in international territories. The alliances made via the platform of IIFA provide huge benefits to India and the host country. The aim is to establish mutual benefits for both India as well as the host destinations by boosting tourism, economic development, trade, culture, cross-border
investments and film co-productions.

Conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and supported by the key members of the Indian film fraternity, IIFA is the most appreciated South Asian film academy.

Also, 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. From a one-night celebration in 2000 at the Millennium Dome, London, the last 14 years have seen the IIFA movement grow into a cine-packed weekend of film-festivals, workshops, exhibitions, film-showcases, global business forums and sporting events, all of which climax into the highlight of the Weekend, the IIFA Awards.