[Goanet]Iffy Angle on IFFI
## # If Goanet stops reaching you, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # Want to check the archives? http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/# # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ## RE: Money for IFFI (Nov 13) The extract of Ranjan Narayan's piece from GOAN OBSERVER made interesting reading. I seem to have heard the complaint about Goa's lack of a film culture attributed to a foreign film maker long ago. Then it was voiced by a reputed film maker of Kerala. Given the sniping by the Keral and W.Bengal CMs, I would think that the real challenge facing the Goa CM is not about finding money to pay for the extravaganza he has decided in his great wisdom to foist on Goa right from the word Go but to harmonise the viperous factions in the Indian film industry so that they accept the choice of Goa as the permanent venue for IFFI. The Goa CM's mistake might have been to assume that the BJP would return to power and he would have no financial problems vis a vis a Cannes-style IFFI out here. Its odd that the BJP/NDA itself refused to open the purse strings for this event as implied in the Rajan Narayan piece. Btw, the argument that the problem was not time but money is specious because time IS money. No one in his right mind will charge the same rate for something to be done in 6 months as against sixteen (or even sixty) months. The choice was between learning and paying as you go (a long term proposition) or get your ducks all lined up (via integrated infrastructural planning) and go for it. Our honorable CM seems to be going for it alright but like like a bull in a china shop. Let's wish him well for our sakes.
[Goanet]Iffy Angle on IFFI
## # If Goanet stops reaching you, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # Want to check the archives? http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/# # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ## RE: Goan Voices' on And Bollywood's vote goes to Goa of Nov 4 1. Cannes and Venice are said to be tourist destinations whose film festivals are yet another attraction. Only few know that Cannes took decades to establish itself as an international film festival with enlightened French government involvement whereas Goa seems to be under the delusion that it has already arrived, festival-wise, and could concentrate on road upgrades (including for the coincident Exposition) instead of film infrastructure. Expecting to have an instant hit on its hands may be a serious mistake! 2. New Delhi is notorious for being a festival venue that is government oriented. Goa may not have been able to shake off this strangle hold so far. Film aspects have been the least of the Goa govt's priorities as these are accepted as being in Delhi's bailiwick. The heritage building of which much has been made recently is partly restored as the IFFI office to which the Delhi directorate folks can retire for an occasional Goan holiday! So far, reportedly, all the money has been spent out of Goa's pocket with not a single cent from the Centre which initially was touted as being good for as much as Rs 500 cr! 3. It is not clear as to whose brainwave the choice of IFFI actually was -- whether Shyam Benegal's as per the current write-up, the ex-IB Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad (or his predecessor Sushma Swaraj) or even CM Parrikar. Some grist here for the film historian's mills. 4. So its confirmed. The agreement is only for running IFFI in Goa this year. Reportedly the decision about next year/permanent venue will be made based on feedback from the international delegates. These will be virtually a handful and we can be sure that no stone will be left unturned to wine and dine them over to Goa's side. Who knows what the quality of the festival programming itself will be and how the infrastructure holds up. Some talk of an Asian theme. Others talk of an Italian flavour etc. The agitators who naturally see an unnecessarily high profile IFFI as a golden opportunity to arm twist the government will also have to be pacified and neutralised in time. 5. For next year's IFFI Goa, be prepared for the freshly paved roads to be dug up all over again to lay underground electric cables (to solve those pesky power outage problems that chronically afflict the State) or for some other inane reason (including re-work of this year's crash jobs [no pun intended!] though no excuse seems needed to mess up a newly surfaced road and potholes are always there to oblige anyway).
[Goanet]Iffy Angle on IFFI
## # If Goanet stops reaching you, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # Want to check the archives? http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/# # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ## Re: Frederick Noronha's on IFFI and Heritage Groups of Oct 31 It should be appreciated that the Mid-day piece attached with the Oct 31 posting deals solely with one IFFI project viz the old Goa Medical Complex in Campal that too from a heritage building perspective. This structure has reportedly been bifurcated into a brand new multiplex with four screens and an office type complex which retains some of the old elements. Presumably there is a bridge connecting the two. A recent report in the Herald observantly mentioned that on the inaugural run of the multiplex (perhaps in one of the four theatres) the State's bigwigs were seen with hard hats at the ready. So it was the electronics, electricals and acoustics that were probably on test. The civil construction was still in progress. There is no word so far about the status of Kala Academy across the street which is undergoing major modifications for IFFI.
[Goanet]Iffy angle on IFFI
## # If Goanet stops reaching you, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # Want to check the archives? http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/# # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ## Philip Thomas writes: Where in heaven's name was there a need to go at IFFI/Exposition with hammer and tongs? If you ask me, first priority should have been given to an established event like Exposition considering the Goan people's sentiments and the huge numbers involved. As long as Parrikar can get away with murder, he will get away. In this respect, he is no different from Bush. He has such a big ego that clouds his perspective. And boot-lickers who are weak, who look up to a God or an allmighty or a big power will keep sucking up to him. It is no wonder we see boot-licking articles from the Middle East. The only way to change things is to make sure that people such as Parrikar are not elected. In this respect, all support needs to go to GoanObserver. May be Goan observer needs to be funded to make sure it is alive, and keeps flourishing. Perhaps we need Konkani and Marathi editions of GoanObserver. The point is: to have an alternate for BJP, money is needed. Given that the Congress lot are also selfish (we have seen that Isidore got elected despite being a unanimous candidate), we need others to raise the money. Rajan Narayan clearly stated the reasons: the narrow minded Congressmen were not willing to dip into their own pockets. NRIs who are well off have to put their money where their mouth is and support entities such as Goan Observer, Lok Shakti etc. Only then can possibilities of change be seen. regards, Samir Kelekar Bangalore
[Goanet]Iffy Angle on IFFI
## # If Goanet stops reaching you, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # Want to check the archives? http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/# # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ## re: Cecil Pinto's rejection of sympathy for Panjim people of Oct 30 A couple of weeks ago the Panjim HERALD carried a photofeature titled 'The Rape of Panjim City. In her piece in the paper today, Ethel Dacosta pointedly asks IFFI born of a quickie?. So I got to thinking whether IFFI is a matter of (chief) ministerial machissmo. He seems to be out to prove something for some unknown reason. Where in heaven's name was there a need to go at IFFI/Exposition with hammer and tongs? If you ask me, first priority should have been given to an established event like Exposition considering the Goan people's sentiments and the huge numbers involved. On the other hand, I dont recall seeing any enthusiasm among Panjimites for IFFI when the announcement was first made in May/June 2003! IFFI could very well have beeen launched in a modest experimental way with the intention of learning from experience and building a brand name in a measured way and Panjimites would never have batted an eyelid and even developed a taste for films in place of beaches. Instead a wholesale overnight makeover (presumably into Cannes) is being attempted, complicated by the coincident Decennial Exposition in Old Goa. For the latter, a new 100-150m bypass of a small old bridge at Ribandar Patto was begun a few months ago and completed recently to facilitate the flow of traffic to Old Goa. This is fine. But a proverbial visitor from Mars would never say that the bridge is new! It has such a shabby finish and already has potholes! And only now they are getting ready to install new light poles along the 4km causeway stretch probably negating the effects of the bridge bypass! But then they can say that a 10 km bypass is being readied to connect Old Goa with Panjim over the Kadamba plateau (and across the marshland which the causeway skirts) for which Rs 40 cr may have been earmarked. Everybody talks about it glowingly as a new highway which will be ready by the time the Exposition starts. But from the looks of things it is just going to be mostly a dirt road for the foreseeable future. The prospect of clean air and green surroundings is completely clouded in these parts by the pall of red dust (dug from the Kadamba plateau) until the next monsoon arrives on the scene (hopefully early). So one is entitled to ask what is going on here. Is this any way to run a State government? I for one am really mystified! Unfortunately polemical arguments with political overtones just dont seem to help.
[Goanet]Iffy Angle on IFFI
## # If Goanet stops reaching you, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # Want to check the archives? http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/# # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ## Re: S. Rys' on Goa being up and running for IFFI of Oct 30 My friend, yours is the veritable voice in the wilderness! It seems what most people here only care about is the moola to be made (from road type project contracts, spiralling real estate values, juicy rents etc etc). No one is bothered about the filmi aspects of the festival! The spirit of Cannes is not at all in evidence at least so far on the very eve of the festival's Goa avatar. Sure, we will muddle through. Maybe next year people will give proper thought to the filmi aspects provided IFFI 2004 is not a disaster literally or figuratively speaking and Goa continues as the permanent venue as orginially designated. Keep your fingers crossed!
[Goanet]Iffy Angle on IFFI
## # If Goanet stops reaching you, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # Want to check the archives? http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/# # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ## Re: Goan Voices' on Goa is up and running for IFFI of Oct 29 Fyi, there is at least one factual error in the piece. It is incorrect to say that there are four multiplexes nearing completion. In fact it is just ONE multiplex with four screens. Goes to show that our IFFI organisers (or Panjimites for that matter!) dont seem to know the difference between a multiplex and a hot potato!
[Goanet]Iffy Angle on IFFI
## # If Goanet stops reaching you, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # Want to check the archives? http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/# # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ## RE: GOAN VOICES' ON IFFI MAKES CM HERO No.1 OF OCT 28 The people of Panjim seem to be masochists to tolerate the wholesale upheaval being wrought by last minute IFFI and Exposition preparations all the way from Old Goa/Ribandar to Miramar and Dona Paula. It really didnt have to be done this crude and heavy handed way. Also according to all accounts top level governmental attention has been unnecessarily and unashamedly been diverted from other pressing needs of the State. Sure, a lot of people optimistically believe that things will be lovely in Panjim when all the work is over. But what guarantee is there that the powers that be wont come up with some new harebrained ideas to keep things from ever settling down? And who knows what the quality of the rush infrastructure jobs will really be like in the next monsoon or two. There may be enough re-work to keep things topsy-turvy in perpetuity. Heaven help us Panjimites is all I can say.
[Goanet]Iffy Angle on IFFI
## # If Goanet stops reaching you, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # Want to check the archives? http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/# # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ## RESPONSE TO GILBERT LAWRENCE'S OF OCT 24 on PARRIKAR'S ADMONITION Parrikar is quoted as saying We aim to look beyond films this year, including a film bazaar for any business opportunities that can be tapped .. I thought film bazaars were part and parcel of film festivals. Maybe IFFI never had them all these years. Maybe its the Cannes influence on IFFI Goa! Goood.
[Goanet]Iffy Angle of IFFI
## # If Goanet stops reaching you, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # Want to check the archives? http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/# # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ## SECOND TAKE ON GABE MENEZES' OCT 18 RESPONSE TO DABOLIM DEBATE Think of the baksheesh involved in this huge project which will also include highway roads avoiding NH 17 I too have noticed that our government leaders seem to have a fixation on transportation projects. In a comparison between CHOGM (1983) and IFFI based on an editorial in the HERALD last December I found that one legacy of CHOGM was striking viz the obsession with transportation projects. Then it was helipads, ferry jetties, motor launches, luxury buses -- and a boulevard. For IFFI it was initially with ropeways, skybuses, a floating theatre structure (all thankfully abandoned since then!) -- and the four lane boulevard. Motor launches and Volvo buses entered the picture later. Most recently there has been talk of screening films on beaches using gigantic plasma displays. If this clicks then soon we can expect to see beaches being converted into drive-in theatres (subject to CRZ regulations if any! ) and what would this involve? Paving them over for all the cars! Presto, an incipient transportation project.
