Going, going, Goa Udita Jhunjhunwala Mumbai, September 6, 2005
France has Cannes. Italy has Venice. Ger many has Berlin. Canada has Toronto. Korea has Pusan. Each of these cities hosts a respected, coveted, annual film festival that our filmmakers trip over themselves for invitations to.
But in India, the large movie-making hub of the East, the annual film festival has been controversial, nomadic and faltering. That is, until now. Goa has finally been accepted and named as the per manent venue for the annual International Film Festival of India (Iffi).
In 2004, Goa had the opportunity to showcase itself as a potential permanent venue for Iffi. A spanking new multiplex was constructed in time, a promenade was designed and built, and the Goa ministry engaged in a major public relations exercise, tom-tomming its readiness, budget, planning and value as the venue.
Three months before the start of Iffi 2005 comes the announcement that Goa it is -- for better or for worse.
The biggest argument -and many industry insiders say the most logical one -is that all the major film festivals in the world are identified with a city, so why not Iffi?
On the flipside comes the dissenting voice that questions the preference for Goa. It is not the capital city, the industry is not located there, etc. But apply those same questions to Cannes, Venice or Karlovy Vary and you will get the same answer -- they are not capital cities either, none of them are film-making centres. Yet, they all host festivals where significant films are screened or premiered. These are festivals where business is conducted, contacts are made, deals are done and stars descend in all their red carpet glory.
Goa, say promoters, has the potential, if only sceptics would stop trying to run before they can walk. If only we were not naïve enough to believe that Goa can become a Venice or a Berlin in a year or two. Those are festivals with a long tradition, built over decades. Iffi Goa will have to prove itself. It will have to work hard to establish itself as a serious film centre, worthwhile market and a viable venue vis-à-vis hospitality.
The hope is that, over time, the calibre of films entered will improve, and perhaps Goa stands a better chance of being a purist's film festival precisely because it is not the capital and therefore is unlikely to become a victim of babudom and the pulls and pressures of being located where the film industry does its job.
Over time, and that could mean at least five years, the festival should organically evolve into the mould of Toronto and Berlin -- with a marketplace, exhibition areas and high quality films vying to be in competition at Iffi Goa.
Statistics suggest that the import and export of films in and out of India is rising rapidly. As the importance of India as a film consumer increases, so will the interest in Iffi Goa. Add to this the attraction of a beach town with plenty of `extracurricular distractions', and the film festival could become a destination for businessman, creative minds and film-lovers.
However, before we rejoice and order a peg of feni, let's be modest enough to acknowledge that Indian planning and infrastructure -- especially where gover nment inputs are involved -- are usually wanting. Before Goa can boast of being a Cannes or Venice, it needs to leverage and garner judicious media attention, critical acclaim and set an artistic standard.
The selectors and organisers must shake of f their Bollywood fixation, and put a `capital I' for International into Iffi. It is all too easy -- and frankly rather trite -- to promote and provide a platform to Bollywood films for the sake of harnessing glamour and local support. Let's instead see some quality world cinema.
The festival organisers must offer the opportunity for local producers and distributors -- many of whom cannot afford to travel to other prominent film festivals -- the chance to learn from and interact with their international counterparts.
"Goa is a fun place, and Iffi is a festival, not a serious academic symposium," says Amit Khanna, one of the key advocates of Goa as a permanent venue.
But let's not forget that festival delegates largely take the business of films seriously. Let's hope that the Goa susegad (relaxed) attitude won't be applied to Iffi and that sometime in the future Goa will indeed be taken as seriously as Cannes, Berlin and Toronto.
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