Everyone -- from Dilip Kumar to Information and Broadcasting Minister Jaipal Reddy to Goa Governor S C Jamir -- was all praise for the coastal state, which is now the permanent venue for the film festival.

"We were cheering for this beautiful land from the plane itself," Dilip Kumar said. The veteran actor, who inaugurated the ceremony, said he was speaking on behalf of his wife, Sairo Bano, music maestro A R Rahman and other fellow passengers who arrived on Monday.

One of the issues discussed at the festival was how to control film piracy through strong legislation.

Reportage: Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji
Photographs: Rajtilak Naik
Design: Uday Kuckian