IFFI not to be revived

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, NOV. 20. The Chairperson of the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ms. Malati Sahai, on Tuesday ruled out reviving the 32nd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) this year. ``It stands cancelled and we have to wait till next October.''

Expressing disappointment at the unexpected impasse in the IFFI juggernaut, she said there was no way the festival could be held at this stage as the itinerary of the international film festival circuit was drawn up much in advance.

This year's leg of the prestigious international film festival, which was to be held at Bangalore, was bogged down by a series of events - first, the Karnataka Government backed out on in the eleventh hour on grounds of severe drought conditions in the State and later the September 11 attacks in th U.S. raised apprehensions about a considerable drop in international participation as also security of foreign delegates.

``I was crestfallen by the turn of events, but now I have come over it,'' Ms. Sahai told presspersons here. A saving grace though has been the Indian Panorama section of IFFI, the annual showcase of contemporary Indian cinema, doing the rounds of cities like Kolkata and Mumbai. ``It will be reaching Delhi shortly. The idea was to ensure that we go ahead with at least the Indian component. That was the least we could do.''

On the ongoing 12th International Children's Film Festival of India in the city, Ms. Sahai underlined the need for the development of a parallel network of children's film festivals as was the case with the IFFI which had the Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai and Kolkata film festivals running along with it. Regional initiatives, be it private or public, were the need of the hour.

The Children's Film Societies too ``should get a little more active,'' she said and suggested that the education departments all over the country should include screening of children's films in the school curriculum. With exhibition of such films being extremely difficult in the commercial network, schools were the best available alternative. ``The Government can also make compulsory screening of children's films in one theatre once a week in every town.''

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