Mumbai 23rd December: Earlier this year the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) announced that fans of Indian Cinema could expect the 15th Annual IIFA celebrations to make its American premiere in Tampa Bay, Florida. The institution has now announced the much awaited official dates for the mega-weekend that is all set to take place from the 24th – 26th of April.
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. IIFA will now make its first foray into the United States of America where fans and enthusiasts of Indian Cinema from around the world can expect to see their favorite stars descend into Tampa Bay during the weekend and witness Indian Cinema’s most glorious event unfold in 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 Weekend & Awards.
Earlier this year, key delegates from Visit Tampa Bay, including Santiago Corrada (President and Chief Executive Officer of Visit Tampa Bay) travelled to Mumbai and New Delhi to forge crucial ties in India with IIFA before the big Weekend in April. Corrada and IIFA officials discussed a number of details ahead of IIFA’s American debut, anticipating all of the special arrangements that will need to be addressed to host India’s most celebrated dignitaries, business leaders and Bollywood’s A-list celebrities.
Speaking on the occasion Santiago Corrada, President and Chief Executive Officer of Visit Tampa Bay said, “We are extremely excited to join Wizcraft/IIFA in announcing the official dates, venues and the launch of ticket sales. Our teams have worked together diligently over the past six months to ensure a successful production in Tampa Bay. Our entire region is enthusiastically preparing to welcome tens of thousands of visitors to our destination, and we look forward to serving as great hosts to the biggest and best International Indian Film Academy awards in history.”
Having played a large hand to bring the IIFA ceremony to Tampa Bay, the cardiologist, philanthropist, community leader and strong supporter of IIFA, Dr Kiran Patel was instrumental in bringing the Indian community together in Florida and more pointedly, Tampa to support cinema and IIFA. Speaking on bringing the prestigious Weekend to Tampa Bay in 2014, Dr. Kiran Patel, said, “I am excited to lend my support in whatever way possible to IIFA and the Indian film fraternity at large. With the goodwill of our community we look forward to the grandest Indian cinema spectacle that the US has ever seen.”
Andre Timmins, Director, Wizcraft & IIFA said, “We are thrilled to be making our debut into the United States of America next year and preparations for this very special IIFA weekend are well underway. The Tampa Bay Area is a fantastic destination and will be a great host for a spectacular IIFA Weekend. We have been overwhelmed by the kind of enthusiasm and support that we have received from across the region. The unprecedented demand for IIFA has been tremendous and has created the need to take IIFA Awards to the largest possible venue in the city and bring forward the dates for the IIFA Weekend.”
IIFA is a global platform that gives the Indian film fraternity an opportunity to reach audiences in international territories. The alliances made via the platform of IIFA provide huge benefits and gain to India but an equally important objective of this prestigious brand is to create similar outcomes in its country of host. The aim is to establish a system of mutual benefit to both India as well as the host destinations by boosting tourism, economic development, trade, culture, cross-border investments and film co-productions.
