The organisers of the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFAs) have announced that the 2011 edition of the event will be held in Toronto, marking the first time that the Bollywood awards show has been held in North America.

The IIFA Weekend and IDEA IIFA Awards ceremony will be held in the Greater Toronto Area from June 16-19, 2011. The organisers have yet to announce the location of the 2010 IIFAs but said that an announcement will be made soon.

Canada has an Indo-Canadian and Asian population of over 960,000, from which the Greater Toronto area has a population of 550,000 Indians. The IIFA Weekend is expected to draw over 500 people from the Indian film industry and about 40,000 visitors to Toronto, with an international television audience of more than 350 million.

The International Indian Film Academy is also looking at fringe activities that will take place in parts of Brampton and Mississauga and will work closely with the Toronto International Film Festival, Luminato – The Toronto Festival of Arts and the Rogers Centre, where the IDEA IIFA Awards 2011 will be held.

“I thank IIFA for the great honor of hosting the weekend in Toronto. With so many film buffs living in Ontario, Indian film stars and executives will feel right at home. We look forward to an eventful and successful Weekend and Awards,” said Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty (pictured).

The IIFAs have previously been held in locations including Dubai, Amsterdam, Singapore and London and Yorkshire in the UK. This year’s edition was held at the Venetian resort in Macau.

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