ABU DHABI: In association with Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), the prestigious annual South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) will be held in Abu Dhabi for the first time and will see the stars of South Indian cinema decend upon the city for the two-day event. Now in its sixth year, SIIMA is the leading and most-viewed award show in the industry, recognising talent and excellence while taking South Indian cinema across global horizons to create an engaging platform for South Indian actors to reach international fans.
Celebrating South Indian cinema in four categories, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, SIIMA will present awards to each industry throughout the two-day ceremony under the theme of ‘Celebrating the Unity and Oneness of the South Indian Film Industries’. Hosted by the renowned actor Rana Daggubati of the Baahubali fame, SIIMA will also see special performances by Shriya Saran, Armaan Malik, Akhil Akkineni, Usha Uthup,Mano, Regina Cassandra, and Pooja Hegde. A lifetime achievement award will also be presented to Mr. S. P. Balasubrahmanyam for his contributions to the industry.
In attendance will be South Indian movie stars Mohan Lal, Rana Daggubati, R Madhavan, Rakul Preet, Nivin Pauly, Trisha, Nayanthara , Sivakarthikeyan, Lakshmi Manchu, Mohan Babu, Anirudh Ravichander, and many more, as well as special appearanaces by Bollywood superstars Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, and Bhojpuri icon and Indian Member of Parliament, Manoj Tiwari.
Leading the way for innovation in entertainment, the 2017 SIIMA Awards will also host a virtual reality lounge – the first of its kind platform at any awards event. The lounge will be open to guests on June 30th and July 1st, creating immersive and engaging moments for visitors by transforming a conventional sit-and-stare viewing setup into an interactive experience for individual viewers.
Commenting on the event, Mubarak Al Shamsi, Director of Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, TCA Abu Dhabi said, “Abu Dhabi is proud to play host to this year’s SIIMA. Our famed hospitality, the welcoming nature of our emirate and our world-class facilities were all big factors in SIIMA deciding to hold this year’s event here in the capital. Now, we can now look forward to welcoming some of the biggest names in the South Indian film industry, as well as their fans, as we get to showcase Abu Dhabi’s multitude of offerings, including fantastic family attractions, some of the best retail outlets in the region, and world-class entertainment options.”
Brinda Prasad, Chairperson of SIIMA, added, “We are extremely happy and excited to be hosting SIIMA in Abu Dhabi and we welcome all the stars. We are also very proud to have Eithad as our airline partner for this year’s exciting edition and we thank them for their great support. As always, SIIMA will be a memorable celebration.”
Day 1 of the SIIMA Awards will be followed by a special session with Bollywood superstars Ranbir Kapoor, and Katrina Kaif ahead of their upcoming movie titles Jagga Jasoos, hosted at the Dusit Thani, Abu Dhabi on July 1st.
SIIMA 2017 will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from June 30th to July 1st from 7pm onwards. The event is sponsored by Etihad Airways as the Official Airline Partner, and Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi as the hospitality partner, and is co-presented by BigTicket.
