Mumbai: The 2026 edition of the International Indian Film Academy Awards will be held in Asia between August and September, with a special tribute planned for veteran Bollywood legend Dharmendra, founder-director Andre Timmins said.
“We are doing IIFA Utsavam in October in Telangana and the main awards will be in Asia. We want to work with not one country but several countries. We’re going to host our digital awards, masterclasses, and screen tribute films, we’re also going to bring in many international digital stars. For the first time this year, we are going to introduce an international best film , like what Oscars does for the rest of the world. We are doing it now for the rest of the world, we are going to launch that this year. So, we will bring international films into it. The production house has to apply for the awards,” Timmins was quoted as saying by PTI.
The IIFA Awards are organised annually by Wizcraft International.
The first ceremony took place in 2000 in London, and since then, the event has travelled to several global cities, including Johannesburg, Singapore, Amsterdam, Dubai, Yorkshire, Thailand, Macau, Tampa Bay, Colombo, Toronto, Bangkok, Madrid and Abu Dhabi.
Reaffirming IIFA’s original vision, founder-director Andre Timmins said the platform was created to celebrate Indian cinema on a global stage.
While the awards recently marked 25 years in Jaipur, taking the event to international destinations continues to remain a key part of its identity.
“Cinema is soft power. The idea is to take India abroad, connect stars with global audiences, and open new markets for collaboration, business, and film production,” he said.
As part of its expansion, the IIFA Awards has launched several new initiatives, such as IIFA Connects, a monthly industry event in Mumbai; the IIFA Digital Awards for streaming content; IIFA Honours, which will celebrate legends with over 30 years of contribution; and IIFA Tributes, which will honour artistes who have passed away.
“Actor Anil Kapoor could be among those considered for IIFA honours, while a tribute is being planned for veteran actor Dharmendra with screenings of his iconic films such as ‘Sholay’ and others,” Timmins said.
Looking back at Wizcraft’s journey, Timmins recalled the 1996 India visit of pop icon Michael Jackson as a major milestone for the company. The late singer performed at a concert in Mumbai, which saw a huge turnout.
During his visit, Michael Jackson also met several Indian personalities, including Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Prabhu Deva, Anupam Kher and late politician Bal Thackeray.
Timmins also said that Wizcraft International is planning to host a screening of the film ‘Michael’, which is set to release in theatres on April 24.
The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua and stars Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson
“He spent two hours with Balasaheb Thackeray, who presented him Shivaji’s sword. During his visit, he even met a lot of orphans, gave a lot of gifts to them. He was staying at the Oberoi’s, and when he was leaving, he wrote beautiful messages on the pillow, towels, and on the bed sheets, thanking them and expressing his love for India and Indian food,” Timmins recalled.
