The International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) 2026 edition is set to be held in Asia in August-September, IIFA Awards founder-director Andre Timmins said.“We are doing IIFA Utsavam in October in Telangana and the main awards will be in Asia. We want to work with not one country but several countries. We’re going to host our digital awards, masterclasses, and screen tribute films, we’re also going to bring in many international digital stars.“For the first time this year, we are going to introduce an international best film (category), like what Oscars does for the rest of the world. We are doing it now for the rest of the world, we are going to launch that this year. So, we will bring international films into it. The production house has to apply for the awards,” Timmins told PTI.The IIFA awards are held annually by Wizcraft International. The first-ever IIFA award ceremony was held in 2000 in London, and over the years, the awards gala has travelled to places like Johannesburg, Singapore, Amsterdam, Dubai, Yorkshire, Thailand, Macau, Tampa Bay, Colombo, Toronto, Bangkok, Madrid, and Abu Dhabi.Reiterating IIFA’s founding idea, Timmins said the platform was conceived as a global celebration of Indian cinema. While the awards marked their 25th year in India in Jaipur, taking the event overseas remains central to its identity.“Cinema is soft power. The idea is to take India abroad, connect stars with global audiences, and open new markets for collaboration, business, and film production,” he said, adding that the long-term plan involves working closely with multiple countries and governments.As part of its expansion, IIFA has also introduced several new initiatives like IIFA Connects, a monthly industry event in Mumbai, IIFA digital awards for streaming content, IIFA Honours, which will recognise living legends for their contribution spanning over three decades, and IIFA Tributes, which will commemorate artistes who have passed away.“Actor Anil Kapoor could be among those considered for IIFA honours, while a tribute is being planned for veteran actor Dharmendra with screenings of his iconic films such as ‘Sholay’ and others,” Timmins said.Reflecting on Wizcraft’s journey, Timmins recalled the 1996 India visit of pop icon Michael Jackson as a defining moment for the company. The late singer held a concert in Mumbai.There was a massive public turnout for Jackson, who also met Indian personalities such as Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Prabhu Deva, Anupam Kher and the late politician, Bal Thackeray.Timmins said Wizcraft is planning to host a screening of the film, “Michael”, which releasing in theaters on April 24. It is directed by Antoine Fuqua and stars Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson.“He spent two hours with Balasaheb Thackeray, who presented him Shivaji’s sword. During his visit, he even met a lot of orphans, gave a lot of gifts to them. He was staying at the Oberoi’s, and when he was leaving, he wrote beautiful messages on the pillow, towels, and on the bed sheets, thanking them and expressing his love for India and Indian food,” Timmins recalled.