The 23rd Chennai International Film Festival, organized by the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF) with the support of the Tamil Nadu Government and NFDC, commenced today.
The event, held at the Sathyam Theatre complex in Chennai, was presided over by the organization’s president, Sivan Kannan.
Vice President Anand Rangasamy and General Secretary Thangaraj were also present.
Tamil Nadu Government’s Minister for Information and Tamil Development, M. P. Saminathan, participated as the special guest.
Actress Simran and director Aishwarya Rajinikanth were among those who attended.
At the festival, a special award was announced for Rajinikanth, who has completed 50 years in cinema.
Rajinikanth’s daughter, Aishwarya, received the award from Minister M. P. Saminathan.
Speaking at the event, Minister M. P. Saminathan said:
“The 23rd International Film Festival being held in Chennai is a remarkable one. I extend my birthday wishes to Rajinikanth, whose birthday is tomorrow (December 12, 2025). May he live long and continue to guide the film industry. I am happy that the Chennai Film Festival stands majestically alongside renowned film festivals like Cannes, Venice, Germany, and Toronto, which have carved a unique place for themselves in the global film arena. They have brought 122 outstanding films selected from approximately 51 countries for the audience. This festival is on par with global festivals in terms of quality. Our goal is to elevate this festival in Chennai to be one of the best festivals in Southeast Asia.”
“A Long-Cherished Dream”
“In 2008, former Chief Minister Karunanidhi initiated this festival by providing Rs. 25 lakhs. Following in his footsteps, our Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, understanding the importance of the festival, increased this fund to Rs. 85 lakhs from 2023. This year, he has granted permission to increase it to Rs. 95 lakhs.” Similarly, he has ordered an increase in the grant for the Goa International Film Festival to Rs. 15 lakhs. The relationship between the film industry and the Dravidian movement is inseparable.
Owning a house is a long-cherished dream for those in the film industry. To make that dream a reality, Karunanidhi allocated about 90 acres of land in Payyanur in 2019. Recently, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin renewed that government order, removing the obstacles that had arisen in the interim. The very next day, he issued orders allocating 50 acres to FEFSI workers, 10 acres to the Producers’ Association, 7 acres to the Actors’ Association, and 8 acres to television artists.
The relationship between the film industry and the Dravidian movement is etched in the pages of history. The Film Workers’ Welfare Board, created by Karunanidhi in 2009 to protect the livelihoods of artists, is currently functioning effectively with 27,000 members. After the DMK government came to power, educational scholarships, marriage assistance, and other benefits are being provided to members of the Workers’ Welfare Board. Preliminary work has begun on establishing a state-of-the-art film city with VFX and animation facilities on approximately 150 acres of land near Kuthambakkam in Chennai, at a cost of Rs. 500 crore. Three new state-of-the-art shooting floors are being constructed at the Tamil Nadu Government MGR Film and Television Training Institute at a cost of approximately Rs. 40 crore. Regarding the film awards given by the Tamil Nadu government, since this government came to power, all the awards that were pending since approximately 2009 have been given. Awards for the years 2016 to 2022 will be presented soon. This government will continue to be a strong support for the film industry.
Thus he said. 12 Tamil Films Selected:
In this international film festival, which will be held until the 18th of this month, 12 films from Tamil cinema will be screened, including ‘3 BHK’, ‘Maman’, ‘Madras Matinee’, ‘Alangu’, ‘Pidimann’, ‘Kadhal Enbathu Podhuvudamai’, ‘Mayakkoothu’, ‘Marutham’, ‘Once Upon a Time in Madras’, ‘Paranthu Po’, ‘Tourist Family’, and ‘Vembu’.
To commemorate Rajinikanth’s 75th birthday and to honor his 50 years of service to the arts, the film ‘Baasha’ will be screened tomorrow (Friday).