Cologne may host next IFFA awards ceremony

Mumbai, Nov 2 (UNI) If all goes well, Cologne may be the next location for the forthcoming IFFA (India Film Festivals) awards eremony.

''Located in the western part of Germany, the city is the permanent venue for hosting German TV awards every year and hence the city may be the most suitable location for hosting the IFFA awards ceremonies in future too,'' Mayor of the the city Fritz Schramma, who is heading a high-level German delegation to the country, told UNI on the sidelines of a media conference.

''Though the Bollywood event management company Wizcraft Entertainment Co, which hosts the ceremony, has already selected Yorkshire in the UK as the venue for the event next year, we are trying to convince them to come to Cologne for the same for the year 2008 onwards,'' the Mayor said.

''We have already held talks with the organisers of the IFFA award ceremony during our current trip and let me tell you that it was quite positive,'' he added.

Sharing his views with the Mayor, Department for Economic Development and Real Property of Cologne Director Dr Norbert Walter-Borjans said, ''We have got a good number of suitable locations in the city for the purpose. For example, the hall 'Koeln Arena' has got the sitting capacity of 18,000 people and is equipped with some of the modern technological gizmos required for holding such events''.

Another hall 'Coloneum' in the city forms part of the biggest TV stadium of Germany and hence can be chosen as a suitable venue for holding IFFA award ceremonies, he informed.

Today 30 per cent of German TV productions are being shot in the city alone, he added.

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