Toronto to host Bollywood film awards in 2011
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 9, 2009 | 10:49 AM ET
CBC News
Toronto will play host to Bollywood's brightest stars in 2011 when India's version of the Oscars touches down on North American soil for the first time, officials announced on Wednesday.
"Ontario is thrilled to host the 2011 International Indian Academy Awards," Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, currently in India on a trade mission, said in a statement.
"With so many film buffs living in Ontario, Indian film stars and executives will feel right at home."
Toronto has become an increasingly popular destination as Bollywood cinema expands globally, with the city hosting movie premieres, the Toronto International Film Festival increasingly shining a spotlight on Bollywood films and India's prominent Bachchan family of entertainers choosing the city to launch their international Unforgettable Tour in 2008.
First North American gala
Toronto will be the first North American stop for the annual celebration — a globe-trotting gala held since 2000 that switches to a new international location each year.
Past hosts have included London, Johannesburg, Amsterdam, Dubai, Bangkok and Macao.
The awards ceremony is the highlight of the event, which typically spans a weekend, and includes film screenings, performances and industry sessions.
Several hundred members of the Bollywood film industry typically attend the festivities and organizers are anticipating 40,000 visitors, with another 350 million expected to tune into the awards ceremony around the globe.
The 2011 International Indian Academy Awards are slated for June 16-19.
With files from the Canadian PressShare Tools
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