Veteran Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce will receive the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

The festival will take place from 20-28 November in Goa, with Australia as this year’s Country of Focus.

Phillip Noyce’s filmography includes iconic films like Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, Salt, The Saint and The Bone Collector. He has collaborated with celebrated super stars like Harrison Ford, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, Denzel Washington and Michael Caine.

Since Australia will be the Country of Focus for IFFI 2024, there will be a dedicated package of Australian films and a strong presence of leading Australian filmmakers in the Festival and the Film Bazaar and a showcase by AusFilm, promoting Australia’s unique filming locations & co-productions.

The Festival opens with the Asia premiere of Michael Gracey’s film “Better Man”, an Australian film that offers a captivating glimpse into the life of the iconic British pop star Robbie Williams, portrayed as a chimpanzee by Jonno Davies.

The International Competition Section of IFFI this year has 15 feature films (12 International and 3 Indian) which compete for the coveted Best Film Award, a Golden Peacock and Rs 40 lakhs.

Apart from the Best Film, the jury will also decide the winners in the best director, best actor (male), best actor (female) and special jury prize category.

The jury for the International competition is headed by Bollywood  director Ashutosh Gowariker and comprise Anthony Chen, a renowned Singaporean writer, director, and producer, Elizabeth Karlsen, UK producer, Fran Borgia, a distinguished producer based in Asia and Jill Bilcock a renowned Australian film editor.

In the Masterclasses, Panels, and Industry Engagement section, film aficionados can look forward to 25+ masterclasses and panel discussions led by industry luminaries such as A R Rahman, Shabana Azmi, Mani Ratnam, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and international guests like Philip Noyce and John Seale.

Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Sanjay Jaju, referring to Shekhar Kapur as the Festival Director, said “for the first time in the history of the IFFI, we have started the tradition of handing over the festival to the industry which is at the helm of this entire initiative.”