Last year, under then I&B Minister Smriti Irani, IFFI ran into a controversy over payment-related irregularities.
New Delhi: After the prestigious International Film Festival of India (IFFI) ran into a controversy last year over payment-related irregularities, the government is trying to ensure that the Goa event in November turns out to be smooth sail sans controversies.
At a recent meeting of the IFFI steering committee, attended by Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, it was decided that only the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), the nodal agency for the festival, will hire an event management agency to execute the opening and closing ceremonies for the 49th edition of the event.
A celebrity management firm is also likely to be hired to handle the gamut of Indian and international celebrities attending IFFI.
Past controversy
Last year, in a sudden deviation, the I&B ministry, then led by Smriti Irani, gave the task of hiring a production agency for organising the opening and closing ceremonies to the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), instead of the usual Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF).
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During IFFI, the NFDC regularly organises Film Bazaar, an annual film business event, to attract international film producers, directors and script writers.
The I&B Ministry move resulted in a massive controversy after Sol Productions, the agency hired by NFDC for IFFI, billed additional amounts which were not part of the original tender. Prasar Bharati, the autonomous public service broadcaster, refused to pay a separate amount of Rs 2.92 crore to the company.
Sources said Rathore has directed the organising agencies — ESG, DFF and NFDC — to keep the focus of IFFI this year on better economic output in terms of international film business, raising the profile of the festival internationally and promotion of tourism in Goa.
Plans for this edition
The I&B Ministry is learnt to have finalised the jury for the Indian Panorama section of IFFI. The jury is likely to decide on the films by October.
The preview committee has begun watching films to be selected for the Competition Section, Kaleidoscope and World Panorama sections of the festival, said sources.
The ministry is yet to finalise the core committee for the festival.
Sources added that the theme for the opening ceremony this year will be new age entertainment in Indian cinema, while the closing ceremony is likely to focus on the launch of golden jubilee celebrations for IFFI in 2019.
Israel will be the focus country for IFFI this year, ThePrint reported earlier. Renowned Israeli actress and author Gila Almagor is likely to be invited as part of the international jury.
A new segment on animation films has been planned for the festival and the state focus film package is likely to be on Jharkhand.
Other features of the festival will include showing blockbuster films as part of a separate planned open air package. A talent hub competition involving Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Whistling Woods International Institute, Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) is also likely to be organised, along with a separate short film contest.
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Several special sessions are also proposed to be held during the festival, including an interaction with Amitabh Bachchan, among others, to mark the landmark moment of Indian cinema with a focus on the film Sholay (1975). An interaction of an eminent film critic with actor Ranbir Kapoor is also likely to be organised.
Special sessions on Indian cinema pushing boundaries and new-age digital entertainment with a focus on the Netflix web series Sacred Games are also on the cards.
A special emerging talent award is among the planned features for IFFI this year.
China focus
A special session on the success of Indian films in China, such as Dangal and Secret Superstar, will also be organised.
Sources said Chinese distributors will be invited for a session, likely to feature actor Aamir Khan, to discuss marketing of Indian films in China.
The IFFI stakeholders will be launching an aggressive campaign for branding and publicising the festival. A special audio-visual clip will be prepared by the Goa tourism department for IFFI and a multimedia, week-long campaign will be launched to promote the event. A football match is being planned before the event for publicity.
The government is also in the process of finalising media lists, including that of foreign journalists, for the festival.