Ahmedabad: Gujarat will host the 69th edition of Filmfare Awards in 2024, and the state government’s tourism corporation has signed an MoU with entertainment and lifestyle content company Worldwide Media (WWM) to host the event and promote the state as a film destination, officials said.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TCGL) and WWM was signed in Gandhinagar on Wednesday in the presence of state Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Times Group Managing Director Vineet Jain.
Gujarat will host the Filmfare Awards – annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India – for the first time and through that the state will be promoted as a film destination, an official press release by the state government on Wednesday said.
Hindi film actor Tiger Shroff was also present at the MoU signing ceremony.
Hosting the Filmfare Awards 2024 will become another landmark for the state seeking to project itself as a prominent film destination, CM Patel said on the occasion.
Jain said the purpose behind organising the Filmfare Awards in Gujarat is not only to promote Gujarat tourism but also to strengthen the state’s film ecosystem.
“Gujarat has already built a reputation as a manufacturing powerhouse, and this partnership will enhance its status as a fountainhead of soft power and also elevate the state’s stature as a sought-after destination for production houses worldwide,” he said.
“Together we can harness the influential platform of the entertainment industry to drive a positive change and stimulate economic growth,” Jain said.
He said organising the film awards will also promote art, culture, and the film industry in the state, thereby leading to its holistic development.
The WWM will organise the Filmfare Awards in Gujarat at the beginning of 2024, Jain said.
The Gujarat government said the film industry has received the state’s 2022 Cinematic Tourism Policy with enthusiasm and has been attracted to the state as a destination of their choice to shoot movies.
CM Patel said hosting such a prestigious award ceremony in the state will attract a large number of celebrities, filmmakers, and industry professionals to Gujarat.
“The Gujarat government aims to promote the state as a film destination, and this event will provide the right environment for that effort. This event will boost tourism and the local economy of the state,” he said.
“The event will showcase the state’s natural beauty, cultural heritage, and infrastructure, which will attract filmmakers to use Gujarat as a venue for future film projects. I am confident that the exposure Gujarat would receive through this event will help the state in attracting filmmakers as well as new investment,” the CM said.
