The 37th IFFI is being held from November 23 to December 3 2006, in the coastal state of Goa. This festival's top prize -- the Golden Peacock -- will also carry along with it a cash prize of a million rupees, and goes to the director of the prize-winning film

The 'most promising director' gets a silver peacock and a cash prize of half-a-million rupees (Rs 500,000). There's also a special jury award, of a silver peacock and a cash prize of half-a-million rupees for an individual's artistic contribution.

Categories:--
In 2006, this festival is being divided into the following categories -- competition (feature films by directors from Asia, Africa and Latin America); cinema of the world; retrospectives, tributes, focus; Indian panorama; mainstream Indian cinema. There will also be a film bazaar, an intiative of recent years to promote and sell Indian film.

Since 1952, India has hosted 36 International Film Festivals, both competitive and non-competitive. These festivals became annual events from 1975 onwards.

Indian government, Goa government and film industry:--
As usual, this festival is being organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals, of the Government of India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in collaboration with the State Government of Goa and the Indian film industry.

This festival is recognised by the International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations (FIAPF). The FIAPF (the French acronym for the International Federation of Film Producers Associations) was created in 1977. It is an organization composed with 31 member associations from 25 of the leading audiovisual production countries. FIAPF is also in charge of supervising international film festivals, including some of the world's most important ones.

Organisers said the festival -- being held for the third time in Goa, after moving out of New Delhi -- "aims at providing a common platform for the cinematographies of the world to project the excellence of the film art".

It's goal also includes "contributing to the understanding and appreciation of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos", and "promoting friendship and co-operation among peoples of the world".