By: Kiran Ayodhya

Hollywood and Bollywood keep finding ways to bump into each other, even in the farthest corners of the world.

This week, stars from both industries are not just in the Middle East but in Nigeria as well, as the sixth edition of the traveling ION International Film Festival launched on Wednesday – the same day as Dubai International Film Festival. Coincidentally, the ION Film Fest was held in Dubai in 2008.

The cinematic showcase runs in the African country between December 9th and 12th. Only one Indian film will be featured at the festival — Somdev Chatterjee’s documentary Bilal.

Held in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt, some of Bollywood’s biggest names will be in attendance at the ION International Film Festival, including Masumeh Makhija, Adnan Siddiiqui, Nandana Sen, filmmaker Madhu Mantena (producer of Ghajini) and actress/filmmaker Nandita Das.

Among the Hollywood stars in attendance include actress Darryl Hannah and musician Pras (formerly of The Fugees).

“People in Port Harcourt have an energy that I have never experienced before, and for too long it has been showcased like a place of conflict and extreme insecurity,” Caterina Bortolussi, local producer of the ION Film Fest told CNN in an interview. “The time has come to shift the focus from the bad news to the good news, to the light of the Niger Delta — the positive initiatives that are taking place in this corner of the world.”

This year will mark the sixth edition of the ION Film Fest, which is held each December at various locations worldwide. In 2008, Dubai hosted the cinematic showcase. Festival organizers move the event around to different locations in hopes of providing a diverse international venue for filmmakers to showcase their talents to a wide array of people.

“The ION Film Festival makes a serious commitment to supporting thoughtful, innovative, provocative, funny, intuitive and out-of-the-box projects and stand-outs in the world of film festivals,” Hannah said on the event’s website.

Some of the innovative, outside-the-box films hail from India.

The Nigerian film industry is popularly known as “Nollywood” and is among the world’s largest by revenue, competing with counterparts in America (Hollywood), India (Bollywood and Kollywood) and East Asia.

Nollywood has become quite an establishment on the African continent, which has provided steady employment for Nigerian citizens while reportedly producing between 500 and 1,000 films per year. According to IANS, Nollywood is about a $250 million per year industry, keeping it competitive with the likes of Hollywood, Bollywood, Kollywood and East Asian cinema.

According a festival press release, Thailand was also considered a potential location for this year’s event, but Port Harcourt was reportedly chosen for the showcase due to the area’s diverse culture and strong film-making roots.

The ION Film Fest website states it moves to different location each year “in an effort to promote global awareness and unity.” In 2007, the showcase was held in Hollywood, while Dubai hosted the event last year. Next year’s event will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, according to festival organizers.