The annual IIFA Utsavam rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the

South Indian film industry The Cinema of South India refers collectively to the six distinct film industries based in Southern region of India namely Tamil, Telugu, Tulu, Kannada, Konkani, and Malayalam. Although these industries developed independently for a long ...

. The ceremony is organised by Wizcraft International, the team behind the

IIFA Awards The International Indian Film Academy Awards, popularly known as IIFA, is an annual awards ceremony for Bollywood. Produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the winners of the awards are decided by fans, who vote online for th ...

, and represents

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...

and

Kannada cinema Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film ''Sati Sulochana'' directed ...

. The ceremony was instituted in 2016, after the

2015 South Indian floods The 2015 South India floods resulted from heavy rainfall generated by the annual northeast monsoon in November–December 2015. They affected the Coromandel Coast region of the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. More than 500 ...

had delayed the event from December 2015. The Awards are presented in separate parts on two different days. On the first day the most promising upcoming South Indian film artistes from the Tamil and Malayalam film industries are honoured, while the second day honours artists & technicians of the Telugu and Kannada film industries. The Award nominees are selected by a jury of senior artistes and professionals and voted for by public polling.

History

In October 2015, the team behind the

announced that they would create a platform titled IIFA Utsavam, in order to reward the achievements of the South Indian film industry. The inaugural show was announced to be held in Hyderabad between 4 and 6 December. On 3 December 2015, Andre Timmins of the IIFA Management announced that the show would be postponed as a result of the 2015 Chennai floods and that the event would be held as a fundraiser at a later date. The show was subsequently rearranged and held from 24 to 25 January, with the proceeds of the events going on to help with recuperation efforts from the 2015 Chennai floods. As a part of the inaugural event, the makers organised the FICCI-IIFA Media & Entertainment business conclave in order to create a synthesis of business and entertainment, with

Ramesh Sippy Ramesh Sippy (born 23 January 1947) is an Indian film director and producer in Hindi cinema. He is particularly known for directing ''Sholay'' (1975), which is regarded as one of the most influential Indian film ever made. The Government of ...

, and

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (born 7 July 1963) is an Indian film director, occasional actor and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing ''Rang De Basanti'' (2006) and ''Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'' (2013). He is the writer and director of ...

being amongst the guest speakers. The organisers stated that the next two annual shows will be held in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

, before taking the show abroad.

Ceremonies

Award categories

*Best Picture *Best Director *Best Actor *Best Actor in a Supporting Role *Best Actress *Best Actress in a Supporting Role *Best Actor in a Negative Role *Best Comedian *Best Music Director *Best Story *Best Screenplay *Best Lyricist *Best Male Playback Singer *Best Female Playback Singer *Best Makeup artist

References

External links

Official website
{{Film and Television Awards in India International Indian Film Academy Awards Indian film awards Tamil film awards 2016 in Indian cinema Awards established in 2016 2016 establishments in India Telugu film awards