IFFI to have more international presence from next year: Neelam

Panaji, Dec 2 (UNI) The Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) is keen to have more ''international presence'' in the future International Film Festivals of India (IFFI).

''We will work to get presence of more international film-makers in future film festivals here to understand the latest global trends in cinema. We will come out with some decisions in this regard,'' the DFF director Neelam Kapur told mediapersons on the penultimate day of the ongoing IFFI here today.

The jury had seen only 14 films and would come out tomorrow with the names of the awardees of the Golden and Silver Peacocks representing the Best Film and the Best debut director respectively, she said.

She agreed with the suggestion of increasing the prize money for the awardees besides expanding the competition section to the developed countries like the US and Europe.

She further said the IFFI had to play a level-playing field while inviting the cinema from these resource-rich countries. The DFF would soon come out with the decision in this regard, she said.

Ms Kapur did not concur with the suggestion that the DFF office be shifted from New Delhi to Goa permanently, after the latter was declared the permanent venue for the IFFI.

''Our role is not only conducting IFFI during this season, but organising national award and cultural programmes all over the country. We, however, continue to collaborate with the state-owned Entertainment Society of Goa for all other film-related activities scheduled throughout the year,'' she said.

Meanwhile, chief secretary J P Singh said the government had plans to float an efficient marketing agency for making the best use and maintenance of the state-of-the-art infrastructure created for the IFFI since 2004 to encourage film culture in Goa.

He appreciated the role of the DFF and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) for successful conduct of the ''Film Bazaar'' during the IFFI, which evoked tremendous response.

The government, he said, was trying to ''build a niche for Goa Film Festival'' in due course.

Both agreed to consider demand for revoking the festival bulletin in Hindi in the coming festivals instead of running two English bulletins by duplicating the work of the I&B Ministry and the ESG.

UNI