IIFA awards to be presented in Dubai

The International Indian Film Academy awards will be staged in Dubai on June 16, this year.

The glitterati of Bollywood will decscend on Dubai in June for the Indian film industry's equivalent of the Oscars, the organisers announced on Wednesday.

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The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) has staged the extravaganza abroad since 2000 to raise the international profile of its homegrown movie industry.

"The IIFA awards have marked the beginning of a new era for recognising and applauding the achievements of Indian cinema," Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan said.

"I am looking forward to the celebrations in Dubai this year," he said.

The awards have been held twice in South Africa and once each in Singapore, Malaysia, Britain and the Netherlands.

This year's version will take place on June 16.

India is the world's biggest film producer with around 1,000 features a year but accounts for only one percent of global film industry revenues.