IIFA Set to Celebrate a Magical Decade at The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel, June 11th - 13th, 2009

(Mumbai, 29th April 2009) -- The much awaited announcement about the 10th annual International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend celebration was made yesterday at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. The IIFA will host its VIDEOCON IIFA Weekend and IDEA IIFA Awards at the spectacular The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel.

Nominations for the IDEA IIFA Awards 2009 were also announced at the event by IIFA Brand Ambassador and renowned Indian Bollywood star Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. The IDEA IIFA Awards will be held at the CotaiArena at The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel as the finale of the VIDEOCON IIFA Weekend.

The announcement of the Nominations was done as a result of the industry voting for the IDEA IIFA Awards in March. Results of the industry voting were audited by PriceWaterhouse Coopers, the auditing firm for the IIFAs and Oscars. It was also announced that the voting for the IDEA IIFA Awards would be open to audiences of Indian Cinema all across the world. The IDEA Voting by fans and supporters of Indian Cinema will soon open on www.iifabuzz.com in May and would continue till the end of May 2008. The results of the online voting would determine the winners, which would be announced on stage at the IDEA IIFA Awards presentation ceremony in Macau.
In its tenth year, IIFA steers forth to strengthen its vision of building bridges across businesses, communities, nations and cinemas creating ‘One People. One World.’ Having taken the Weekend and Awards to various beau locales world over, from London to Amsterdam, Dubai to Johannesburg, IIFA has created lasting experiences in these countries, opening new markets for Indian Cinema and its varied cultures.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, IIFA Brand Ambassador said, “2009 celebrates a decade of IIFA Magic and promises to be yet another enthralling experience to be held at The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel. Macau is an excellent choice for IIFA’s celebrations and we are excited to bring IIFA’s magic to that fabulous city.”
The highlight of the VIDEOCON IIFA Weekend is the spectacular IIFA Awards, which is the biggest South Asian media event, considered among the most-watched global annual events. In its tenth year, IIFA continues its association with Idea Cellular, India’s leading cellular service provider. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pradeep Shrivastava, Chief Marketing Officer, IDEA Cellular, said, “IDEA’s continued association with IIFA for another 3 years is built on a long and successful alliance for IDEA IIFA Awards. Through this partnership, IDEA will look forward to adding the strength of Mobile technology to the magic of Indian film stars and Cinema. IDEA subscribers will experience many new and innovative value added services which connects cinema lovers to their favorite stars designed on the theme of globally popular IIFA awards”.
With the dawn of the tenth year celebrations, IIFA promises to be huger than ever before with a whole set of surprises at the Weekend. The VIDEOCON IIFA Weekend that is being held from June 11 -13th in Macau at the Venetian® Macao Resort-Hotel is conceptualized and promoted across the world by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Speaking on their first association as the VIDEOCON IIFA Weekend title sponsor, Mr. P. N. Dhoot, Director Videocon Industries said, “Videocon, an Indian Multinational with a global presence, is India’s largest Consumer Electronic & Home Appliances Company. Videocon, over the years, has continuously set trends in every sphere of its activities. It is great to be associated, as together Videocon and IIFA have taken India to its rightful place in the world. Videocon IIFA Weekend promises an exciting opportunity to a path-breaking celebration.”

The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel, like its sister-property in Las Vegas, is a renaissance Venice-themed property featuring stunning replicas of Venice landmarks. The hotel offers 3,000 all-suite guest rooms, a one-million square feet of retail space, the largest casino in the world, a 1.2 million square feet of meeting, convention and exhibition space, and an arena that can host up to 15,000 seats.

“We are very proud to be the host of this great event and playing a role in bringing IIFA to Macao for the first time,” said Mr. Stephen Weaver, President of Asian Region, Las Vegas Sands Corp., parent company of The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel, “With so many world-class sporting and entertainment events having already taken place in our property, combined with all the amazing offerings of shopping, dining, leisure, and recreation, The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel is truly living up to its promise. It is a place where anything is possible!”

Macao is a city on the move that has retained its unique blend of European and Chinese cultures that are over four centuries old. Ms. Helena de Senna Fernandes, Deputy Director of the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) said, “The Macau Government Tourist Office is pleased to have the tenth IIFA celebrations held in Macau this year which also coincide with the 10th Anniversary of the establishment of the Macau Special Administrative Region. While giving our full support to The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel, our local host, we take this as an opportunity to showcase Macao as a destination where the glamour of India’s film industry meets Macao’s very own blend of culture and excitement.”

IIFA also stressed that it will continue its pledge to environmental causes, by yet again hosting an eco-friendly awards function and teaming up with electronics magnate Panasonic to keep greening the IIFA’s. Speaking on its first association with IIFA, Mr Daizo Ito, CEO Panasonic India, “It is an honor for us to be associated with an international award like IIFA which is known to recognize excellence in the field of cinema. Our association as the green sponsor provides us the platform to communicate our philosophy of ‘Eco Ideas’ that champions the cause of a greener environment. As Bollywood is creating global footprint, we aim to partner with the industry stalwarts and create awareness about the issue of climate change. We look forward to a healthy and greener partnership with IIFA”.

Mr. Sabbas Joseph, Director, IIFA said, “We are proud of IIFA’s progression over the last 10 years. It is heartening to see IIFA’s achievements over the years and we are glad to see IIFA celebrating a decade of Magic at The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel in June 2009. Our viewership of IIFA has already crossed 600 million. Each of the host destinations have reported growth in tourism, film shootings in their region and growth in Indian investments.”

He adds, “IIFA is also committed to addressing the very pertinent issue of Global Warming, which is affecting every human being. This campaign started at IIFA Yorkshire in 2007 and, taking it forward, this year IIFA partners with several global organizations to use this credible global platform to address these issues and make people aware that climate change is a reality and we have the power to preserve our planet. Be a Planet Saver Today for a better tomorrow!”

The events of the VIDEOCON IIFA Weekend are expected to boost tourism in the host region of Macau and attract extra visitors from all over the world. More than 500 luminaries from the Indian film industry will travel to the region for this spectacular event along with some of the world’s best-known international celebrities. The event will be broadcast globally by STAR TV to reach nearly 500 million viewers in 110 countries.

About IIFA

The International Indian Film Academy, conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. is supported by the key members of the Indian film fraternity. IIFA is the most respected South Asian film academy and its main highlight, the IIFA Awards is India's biggest media event. With a viewership of almost 600 million worldwide, the IIFAs are among the world's most-watched annual entertainment events.
From a one night celebration in 2000 at the Millennium Dome, London, the last nine years have seen the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) movement grow into a cine-packed weekend of film-festivals, workshops, exhibitions, film-showcases, global business forums and sporting events, all of which climaxes into the IIFA Awards. The IIFAs have been celebrated in London, Sun City, Johannesburg, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Amsterdam, Yorkshire and the last edition was hosted by Thailand in the amazing city of Bangkok. This year, IIFA celebrates its 10th anniversary scheduled for June 2009 at The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel in China. IIFA 2009 vows to be a virtuoso, enthralling Weekend; while the IIFA Awards will seek celebrate A Golden Decade in Indian Cinema.