No plans to totally hand over IFFI to Goa

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2008-11-27
PANAJI - The director of film festivals, Mr S M Khan made it categorically clear on Wednesday that the directorate of film festivals (DFF) neither has the plan to hand over the International Film Festival of India to Goa for its total organisation from 2009 onwards, nor there is any commitment to make Goa a permanent venue for the IFFI.
Addressing a mid-fest press conference at the Maquinez Palace Mr Khan said that as for the DFF, the IFFI is its property and the same cannot be handed over to the Goa government, the Entertainment Society of Goa or any other state government.
Speaking further, Mr Khan said that he cannot comment on the permanent status of Goa as an IFFI venue. “I am not aware of any commitment to the state government in this respect,” he stated, adding that the central government annually takes the decision about the venue of IFFI at the time of signing the Memorandum of Understanding as regards the film festival, with the state where it is to be held. The non-Goan delegates coming from various parts of the country clapped at these announcements by Mr Khan, extending their support for the same.
Mr Khan also announced that a documentary by the noted Indian artist, M F Hussain titled ‘Through the Eyes of a Painter’ scheduled to be shown in the ‘Framing Time’ section of the Films Division is not cancelled but just deferred. “Let’s not get into controversies as to why it was deferred,” he said, adding that the documentary will be definitely screened during the ongoing film festival. “I am sure all this controversy has now made the documentary quite famous and there would be a crowd to watch the same,” he quipped.
The director of film festivals also stated that a co-ordination committee meeting was held on November 26 in the presence of the Chief Secretary, Mr J P Singh as well the DFF and ESG officials, to review the running of the festival. “We had received some complaints about the discourteous behaviour of some of the staff of INOX Multiplex and have taken up the matter with the theatre authorities,” he informed.
Mr Khan further stated that the festival was running very smoothly after the initial jerks. “There are at least three Dadasaheb Phalke award winners at the festival - Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shyam Benegal and Mrinal Sen; Mrinal Sen being felicitated at the IFFI venue on November 26,” he stated, pointing out that the next few days of IFFI will witness a number of luminaries arriving at the festival. Observing that a number of award winning films have been already screened at the IFFI 2008, the DFF chief said that the DFF would be making ‘World Premiers’ section, one of the important sections of the film festival, in the future.