Wizcraft announces plans for IIFA Weekend 2010 in Sri Lanka

by EVENTFAQS Bureau | Marketing | May 13, 2010 | News

Identifying Sri Lanka as an obvious choice to commence the second decade of IIFA, owing to its natural beauty and the diversity of its culture and people, Sabbas Joseph, Director, Wizcraft said, "IIFA is proud to be associated with the UNICEF and Habitat for Humanity as a mark of our support and hope for the people of Sri Lanka. IIFA will be adopting a village for refugees and have received nothing but warmth and enthusiasm from the Sri Lankan people and anticipate another successful IIFA."

Videocon will sponsor the IIFA Weekend while Micromax will be first time sponsor of the IIFA Awards. Star TV will once again showcase the IIFA Awards to global audiences. Panasonic will continue the Greening of the IIFAs and Sri Lankan Airlines will be partnering IIFA as the Official Airlines Partner. The Literacy Partner for IIFA 2010 is Linc Pens.

For the first time, Shoppers Stop in association with IIFA, will present an Indian cinematic inspired exclusive line - IIFA Bling for its exclusive brands Insense, Kashish & Mario Zegnoti. This collection is available at all outlets of Shoppers Stop across the country, encapsulating the exuberance and glamour of the Indian Film Fraternity style icons.

Taking the Greening of the IIFAs forward in IIFA's eleventh year, Panasonic announced the continuation of its association with IIFA. Speaking on its alliance with IIFA, Mr. Manish Sharma, Director - Marketing, Panasonic India said, "It is an honor for us to carry forward the association with an international cinema platform like IIFA which recognizes excellence. Our association as the green sponsor provides us the platform to communicate our philosophy of ‘Eco Ideas' that champions the cause of a greener environment. Taking the Greening of the IIFAs forward, we will focus on building a movement to help protect the environment."

The Videocon IIFA Awards will be held from the 3rd to the 5th of June, 2010. Speaking on the association with the IIFA, Anirudh Dhoot, Director, Videocon Industries Limited said, "We are delighted to partner with the IIFA and present the Videocon IIFA Weekend for the second consecutive year. The Videocon brand has evolved over the past year to emerge as a vibrant convergence of next-generation entertainment, convenience and communication. The Videocon IIFA Weekend is an extravaganza that brings together and showcases Indian entertainment on a global platform and presents us the perfect opportunity to celebrate our brand evolution amidst India's colourful cultural diaspora."

Sponsoring the Micromax IIFA Awards for the first time, Rahul Sharma, Executive Director, Micromax Mobile, said, "Micromax is delighted about its association with the IIFA Awards - a platform that is synonymous with innovation and appeal, as is Micromax. Our relationship with IIFA will provide a unique experience for our consumers thereby strengthening our relationship with the Indian Diaspora across the globe, specially the youth. We are sure that the Micromax IIFA Awards will reach new heights as never seen before."

Through the efforts of IIFA, UNICEF and the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, contributions in lieu of financial resources are being made to the "Cricket for Change" project wherein former child-soldiers are being rehabilitated. These child soldiers, who have borne the scars of war, are being educated and cricket-trained, and will also get an opportunity to participate as volunteers. The charity cricket match between Indian celebrities and Sri Lankan cricketers is scheduled to take place on the second day of the Videocon IIFA Weekend.

IIFA, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, will adopt and rebuild a village in for refugees with the proceeds of the cricket match being donated to this cause. Habitat for Humanity is an organization initiated by US President Jimmy Carter and is already doing considerable work in the region.

Nishantha Wickramasinghe, Chairman, Sri Lankan Airlines, said, "This is an event which has already generated a huge amount of excitement among all Sri Lankans. The Government of Sri Lanka is making a considerable investment in this event, and a large number of government agencies and private sector organizations are hard at work developing Colombo's facilities to host this event. We are determined that the eleventh IIFA Awards will be an event that we will all enjoy and remember for many years to come."

At a press conference to announce the event, it was also announced that Lara Dutta, Riteish Deshmukh and Boman Irani will once again don their roles to play hosts for the Micromax IIFA Awards 2010. Both Lara and Boman will play hosts for the fourth time at the Awards, while this is Deshmukh's third time teaming up with Boman Irani.