Goa To Be Permanent IFFI Venue

ET&T Staff-Mumbai

Goa, which had hosted the International Film Festival of India for the first time in November-December last year, is to be the permanent venue for this annual festival.

The decision comes after more than three years of uncertainty, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the directorate of film festivals of the information and broadcasting ministry and the Goa government recently..

The Information and Broadcasting joint secretary (Films), Afzal Amanullah, who is holding additional charge as DFF director and Debashree Mukherjee, information secretary Goa government, signed the MoU.

The DFF, in its announcement inviting entries for the IFFI-2005 had listed Goa as the venue and also fixed the dates for this year from November 24 to December 2. The formal announcement has come as a relief for the organisers as the arrangements can now proceed with full vigour.

The DFF and the Entertainment Society of Goa will collaborate for the festival. The 10-day festival will showcase cinema of the world along with the best of contemporary Indian cinema. Delegates from different countries and from across India will attend, view films and participate in the various forums, seminars and events that form part of the festival.

Making Goa a permanent venue for the IFFI is expected to help in the branding of the IFFI internationally as a well-recognised name and promoting Goa as a tourist destination.

Meanwhile, in a major departure from previous years, the festival (36th IFFI) this year will have a competition section of films from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The festival, for the past few years, has been confining its competition to Asian films only. The other sections will be cinema of the world, retrospectives, tributes, focus, Indian Panorama, mainstream Indian cinema, and film bazaar.

Although the decision to convert Goa as a permanent venue for the festival had been taken by the then information and broadcasting minister, Sushma Swaraj in 2002 and supported by her successor Ravi Shankar Prasad, the MoU signed with the then Goa chief minister, Manohar Parrikar was only for one year. The Goa government had then put together infrastructure, including the construction of the first cineplex in the state, to prove that it was capable of holding this festival.

The decision had at that time evoked much criticism, but Swaraj had been impressed with the infrastructure at the Cannes International Film Festival and felt that holding the festival at a renowned tourist destination would help both tourism and the growth of cine-literate audiences.

During the 35th IFFI last year, the Information and Broadcasting Minister, S Jaipal Reddy had asserted that a final decision in this regard was not governed by political considerations, and had promised that his ministry would study the organisational, administrative and managerial difficulties before arriving at the final decision. "We will consult the state government before signing of the final MoU. There is no rival claimant for hosting the prestigious event. Governments do not make knee-jerk announcements. We have to look at all aspects," he said.

Parrikar had announced during the fete that his government planned to develop the state as the hub of Asian entertainment industry and promised incentives for the industry to shoot films in the state as well as setting up of a filmcity and a film museum. He said in the next three to five years, IFFI, with Goa as the permanent venue would be considered as among the topmost festivals in the world.

Sources in the secretariat informed that under the modalities of the MoU the state government should upgrade infrastructural facilities required for holding the 36th IFFFI.

The MoU also decided to hire local theatres on rental basis for public screening of films during the film festival. It has also agreed upon that the state government would be entrusted with responsibility to look after the visiting dignitaries.

Besides, it was also agreed upon that both the state government and the DFF would work together for sponsorships. The state has agreed to spend Rs 3 crore on accommodation, airfare and local transportation.