Adoor Gopalakrishnan endorses Goa as permanent venue for IFFI

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Panaji, Nov 29 (UNI) Goa, whose status as permanent venue for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is under constant uncertainty and controversy, today found a morale boosting endorsement from renowned filmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan.

''During all these years we had really given up IFFI as something problematic and a very frustrating experience, but for the last four days I am here, I find that the tiny coastal city had suddenly assumed a character,'' Adoor told a press conference before speaking on his film 'Four Women' screened in the Indian Panoraama section at the on going 38th edition of the festival here.

The Festival has no reputation internationally, but now he felt that its atmosphere has become academic, and hoped that it would build upon it in the times to come.

'' Goa, of course, needs some improvement, and if efforts continue it would certainly develop the needed things that characterise an international film festival,'' the great Malyalam film maker added.

Mr Gopalakrishnan confessed that earlier he was among those who were against shifting the festival from Delhi, but he now felt that the festival should remain in Goa.

While praising the Directorate of Film Festival for improvements in the organisation of the event, Mr Gopalakrishnan said there should be a separate entity besides the DFF which should throughout the year function for the success of IFFI.

Moreover, he said the head of the DFF should not be changed too frequently and the present one should be given some years to work.

About the selection of movies for IFFI, he said it should be given more attention, and it can be better if the authorities directly approach the filmmakers instead of agents.

He found the quality of screening in Goa theatres much better than in cities like Mumbai and Kolkata.

Mr Gopalakrsishnan said in the competition section, the DFF should try to bring exclusive films which have not been premiered earlier.

Moreover, the centre of IFFI should be the Indian panorama, which , he said, was the only platform where good filmakers could show their work, In this connection, he came down heavily on Doordarshan for its ''apathetic'' attitude towards quality cinema.

He said he was disappointed when DD discontinued the practice of showing art films saying it was not getting adverstisers for that slot, and the practice was resumed only after the fiklmakers took up the issue with authorities.

'However, he added the royalty they got from DD for the films was a meagre amount when compared to money spent on making a film.

Doordarshan is a public broadcaster, but it was sad that it was trying to imitate private TV channels, which does not augure well for country, said Mr Gopalakrsihnan.

UNI

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