The Hindu : Govt. keen on Goa as film fete venue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 26, 2003

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National

Govt. keen on Goa as film fete venue

By Gautaman Bhaskaran

CHENNAI OCT. 25. As the curtain came down on the International Film Festival of India last Sunday, it was apparent that the event would shift to Goa, if not next year, certainly in 2005. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry, which organises the Festival through one of its wings, the Directorate of Film Festivals, is keen on an exotic locale for the 11-day cinematic extravaganza. Both Sushma Swaraj, the erstwhile I&B Minister, and the incumbent, Ravi Shankar Prasad, have been impressed by Cannes and Venice, whose alluring by-the-sea ambiance has been an important attraction for their festivals.

In fact, this time in New Delhi, where the Indian Festival had sought refuge after years of gypsy existence, Veronique Cayla, Director-General of the Cannes International Film Festival, was a special invitee. She said she would visit Goa and help officials to set up a festival there.

Although Mr. Prasad is quite keen on the Festival opening in Goa next year, the logistics of building a multiplex theatre complex may be an impediment. Some say that it will take at least 18 months to complete it.

Both the Venice and Cannes film festivals among others were first promoted to boost tourism, not quite cinema. It is another story that they have now become centres where some of the finest movies from around the globe are showcased.

But, the Indian Festival needs to do a lot more than just go to Goa if it were to be a worthy competitor to some of the top European or Asian festivals. One of its greatest problems is its reluctance to stop being a brochure event. Even this year, most of the movies, which were screened at New Delhi's Siri Fort were selected on the basis of the publicity material available in different festival publications. Perhaps, it is time that the officials attend major festivals for better choice. Also, no festival can rise to a certain level of excellence unless it has a permanent face. India's Festival Director is often changed, and this makes dialogue, especially with foreign producers, directors and festival chiefs somewhat complicated. In the world of cinema, good movies are exchanged largely on the basis of personal rapport. As the president of the Cannes International Film Festival, Gilles Jacob, has often said, it can be "bewildering and confusing to talk to a different festival head everytime one lifts the telephone and makes a call."

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