Amitabh Bachchan becomes the first Indian to be honoured with FIAF award

Veteran Indian film actor Amitabh Bachchan becomes the first Indian to be honoured with the prestigious International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) award. The award is in honour of Bachchan’s dedication and contribution to the preservation of, and access to, the world’s film heritage for the benefit of present and future generations.

The award will be bestowed to Bachchan by Hollywood filmmakers and previous recipients of the FIAF Award, Martin Scorcese and Christopher Nolan on a virtual showcase scheduled to take place on March 19, 2021. The Presentation ceremony will be live-streamed from Mumbai on 19 March at 6 pm.

Bachchan’s name was nominated by the FIAF’s affiliate Film Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit organization founded by filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, dedicated to the preservation, restoration, documentation, exhibition, and study of India’s film heritage.

Frédéric Maire, President of FIAF in his statement said, “This year FIAF celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its annual Award. To mark this momentous occasion, there could be no better recipient than one of the world’s greatest movie stars, and one who has understood, embraced and publicized the cause of film preservation for years. By presenting our prestigious FIAF Award to Amitabh Bachchan, we want to show the world how rich and diverse, but also how fragile, this unique film heritage is, and we want to publicly thank Mr. Bachchan for his role as a high-profile advocate for the rescue of this heritage, in India and beyond.”

International Federation of Film Archives is dedicated to the preservation of and access to the world’s film heritage. It was founded in 1938 by the Cinémathèque française, Germany’s Reichsfilmarchiv, the British Film Institute, and the Museum of Modern Art Film Library.

FIAF award was introduced in 2001 and was conferred to Martin Scorcese. The award recognizes the commitment and contribution of cinema virtuosi towards the preservation of the world’s film heritage. The annual recipient of the FIAF Award is chosen by the FIAF Executive Committee from a shortlist of nominations from staff members of all 172 FIAF-affiliated archives worldwide.