Stephen Woolley finds Cannes disorganised, crazy

Panaji, Nov 29 (UNI) Celebrated British filmmaker and Oscar winner Stephen Woolley today came to the rescue of the International Film Festival of India authorities, facing volley of criticism for "mismanagement" from various quarters.

Mr Woolley said he found the Cannes film festival much more disorganised.

"It is a completely crazy and chaotic event," he said during his interaction with the media at the Master Classes session with Mr Vijay Singh, Paris-based Indian novelist, screenplay-writer and filmmaker.

He does not buy the argument that delegates had to endure long queues to watch a film.

In Cannes, about 40,000 passes are issued for about 3000 seats.

The movies lovers there do not mind the inconvenience of standing for long with little prospect of getting inside, he said.

"I was astonished to find such a large number of people come here for watching films, which is a testimony to the utility of the festival," he added.

He said after his arrival two days ago, he and heard there was a debate over the choice of Goa being the permanent venue of the festival. According to critics, Goa lacked a "film culture".

However, as far he was concerned, Mr Woolley said he found the response to the festival here quite encouraging.

"It is a unique festival. Here you have a phenomenal audience for serious cinema too," he added. Mr Singh concurred with his opinion.

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