MUMBAI: The Times of India Group has announced the first edition of the Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) that honors and recognises excellence in Hindi cinema at foreign locations.

Felicitating the best from the field of acting, direction, music, choreography and scripting, the awards will be held annually at diverse international destinations. In its first year, TOIFA has partnered with British Columbia to hold the awards in Vancouver, Canada, from 4-6 April.

TOIFA will rival International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA), an initiative of Wizcraft International Entertainment. IIFA is being held every year since 2000.

Times of India Group MD Vineet Jain said, "Times of India Film Awards is yet another step in getting closer to millions of Indians across the globe. The Times of India Group has always been at the center of the readers‘ mind and heart. As we celebrate our lineage of 175 glorious years of thought-leadership in the media, TOIFA will extend this to a worldwide audience. The awards come at a time when Hindi Cinema celebrates a centenary milestone of offering versatile entertainment."

TOIFA will connect the international film communities and act as a gateway to the glittering world of showbiz. The awards give fans a chance to vote for their favorites that have demonstrated exceptional work spread across 14 different categories.

The event will be conceptualised, scripted, directed and managed by event management company The Cineyug Group of Companies.

The evening will see performances by celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Abhishek Bachchan, Anushka Sharma and Priyanka Chopra.