The eighth South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) is set to take the stage on August 15-16 as part of the Summer in Qatar (SiQ) programme.

The prestigious awards will see a galaxy of South Indian stars light up Doha’s firmament for the two-day event.

SIIMA is the most-viewed award show in the industry, with awards across four languages: Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.

The show, taking place during the 2019 Qatar – India Year of Culture, will see 100 awards in 50 categories handed out over the two-day extravaganza. Indian ambassador P Kumaran will attend the festivities, which begin on India’s Independence Day.

South India cinema, though less well known than its northern counterpart, is far more prolific, and accounts for about 50% of annual domestic box office collections.

SIIMA, which is held outside India, aims to introduce a broader audience to South India cinema, continuing to build upon the ever-widening popularity of Indian cinema.

Managed by One FM 89.6, SIIMA will be held at the Lusail Indoor Arena, which has a capacity of 8,000 people. Tickets range from QR50 to QR3,000, and are available at aynatickets.com.

SiQ includes a plethora of entertainment shows, music concerts and comedy performances by top international artists, including summer camps for children and youth, thrilling experiences and sporting tournaments in addition to exciting travel, hospitality and retail promotions running until August 16.

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