New Delhi, June 6 (IANS) Bollywood star Salman Khan's debut production venture "Chillar Party" will open the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) film festival to be held across four cities in Ontario in Canada.

The film festival will be held as part of the IIFA weekend, an annual celebration of Indian cinema on international shores. While the IIFA weekend kickstarts June 23, the three-day film fest will open June 24.

"Chillar Party", a light-hearted comedy, revolves around the lives of seven children who defeat the odds and prove their loyalty to a friend. It is co-produced by Ronnie Screwvala's UTV Motion Pictures.

Salman is excited about showcasing the movie at the 12th Videocon d2h IIFA weekend.

"'Chillar Party' is very close to my heart, the concept appealed to me and the children's performances were endearing. This is the first film under SKBH (Salman Khan Being Human) Productions and we felt there was no better place to screen the movie than at the IIFA film festival. For me, IIFA is home-grounds and it can't get bigger than IIFA in Toronto," said the actor.

This year, the film festival has been designed keeping in mind the Punjabi population across four cities of Greater Toronto Area (GTA) -- Toronto, Markham, Brampton and Mississuaga -- where the screenings will take place.

The assortment of films are a mix of Bollywood classics and blockbusters based in and around Punjab. Some of the films to be showcased are "Rang De Basanti", "Dabangg", "Chashme Badoor", "Dil Bole Hadippa", "Veer Zaara", "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" and "Yamla Pagla Deewana".

"We are pleased to open the festival with the much-anticipated, 'Chillar Party'," said Sabbas Joseph, director, Wizcraft International Entertainment, the organisers of the event.

The film festival is just one of the activities that will enthrall Bollywood fans in Toronto during the IIFA extravaganza. The premiere of "Double Dhamaal", the Grey Goose IIFA Rocks - a music and fashion event, a music workshop and the Floriana IIFA Awards will be held as part of the event too.

In the run up to the IIFA celebrations, a line-up of Bollywood films including "Golmaal 3", "Housefull", "Raajneeti" and "Once Upon a Time In Mumbaai", which have also been nominated for the Floriana IIFA awards, will be screened at open theatres across different locations and different dates upto June 26.