------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660 Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------ Relevance of IFFI ------------------------ We need to ask about the relevance of the IFFI to Goans and if so, where it could be fitted in the overall scheme of Panaji and Goa's developmental plans.
Primarily local entertainment in state is through music and tiatr, and practically no production base of feature films exists which makes the proposal to permanently locate the IFFI in Goa very much suspicious.
The argument that if the IFFI is located here, it will spawn the culture of film-making is far from reality. The logic being that you need to first start making films and then get them up to festival standard which will be a project spanning generations of our budding film-makers.
Like in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai a large number of films are being made but rarely any of the film festival grade. Films which grace festivals are not any great commercial successes to bring in good revenues to theatre owners except those which are of the prurient nature. Even in Delhi which is the current venue of the IFFI, the Siri Fort auditorium is where the inaugural and closing functions of the festival are held and which is also one of the screening centres for the delegates to the festival.
Otherwise for the benefit of cinema buffs, the films are screened in 10-12 cinema halls spread over an area of 20-km radius of the Siri Fort complex. So if you see the IFFI does not fit in with Goa since there is no similar infrastructure available.
The IFFI does not directly benefit Goa but indirectly can bring in additional tourism revenues to those existing. Therefore, the venue should be where it does not impact to a large extent the way of life of the common people. Hence, the best option would have been to hold it at some beach side where you have the proximity of good hotels and cinema halls.
To supplement the latter there could be efforts to build one or two multiplexes quickly so that there are more options for screening films. Given the distances that people are used to travel even in Delhi for the festival the cinema theatres at Panaji, Vasco and Margao could be used.
The solution can still be to let the IFFI continue in Delhi for a couple of years until the new convention complex in Goa comes up and then merge the IFFI with this convention centre.
This will give adequate breathing space to build the multiplexes and upgrade the existing cinema theaters in a planned and cost effective manner rather than hurtling through a 9 month schedule of construction of the facilities and upgrading Panaji city with the intervening monsoon.
Srinivas Kamat, Porvorim in a letter to the Editor ------------------------------------------------- The Navhind Times 3/03/04 Page 10 -------------------------------------------------
======================================= GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE Documentation + Education + Solidarity 11 Liberty Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507 Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] website: www.goadesc.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Working On Issues Of Development & Democracy =======================================
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