ITV

Tag: International Film Festival of India

  • Govt. creates a conducive environment to attract foreign investments in M&E sector including visual effects & animation

    Govt. creates a conducive environment to attract foreign investments in M&E sector including visual effects & animation

    Mumbai: The government is continuously making efforts to portray India as an ‘incredible destination’ globally for filming. To make it a reality, the centre is focusing on various ways to ease out doing business in India, especially in the film and visual effects & animation sector. The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has offered foreign filmmakers incentives, which will provide an impetus to the Indian media & entertainment sector in future. “Media & entertainment, including visual effects and animation, is one of the fastest growing industries in the country,” the I&B minister Anurag Thakur told the Lok Sabha recently.

    To boost the growth of the sector, Thakur further added that the government has set up the Film Facilitation Office (FFO) under the aegis of the National Film Development Corp.(NFDC), for providing a single window facilitation & clearance mechanism to accord online permissions for film shooting in India for both international & domestic filmmakers. In addition to this, NFDC organises “Film Bazaar” at the International Film Festival of India in Goa every year, which is the largest South Asian film market and attracts investors from around the world. The event encourages creative minds to come under one platform and collaborate with South Asian & international film communities.

    The minister also emphasized attracting investment from foreign filmmakers and promoting India as a preferred filming destination. The government announced in May two schemes i.e., an incentive scheme for audio-visual co-production and an incentive scheme for the shooting of foreign films in India to increase investment and boost the growth of the M&E industry.

    Currently, India has audio-visual co-production treaties with 15 countries, he mentioned and added, “This further enables international producers to invest in Indian projects.” Such collaboration helps in the effective contribution of technical, creative, and artistic personnel of the participant countries. Thakur mentioned that local IP creation and outsourcing work for foreign studios are key drivers of growth in the animation and visual effects industry.

    “The contribution of the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute and the Film & Television Institute of India via courses on animation and visual effects is providing skilled manpower in the industry,” he told Lok Sabha while answering a query.

    He mentioned that the government has also set up a task force earlier to unleash the potential scope of the animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics (AVGC) industry. The task force will monitor the development of progressive policies, promote growth and recommend incentives for increasing foreign direct investment in the AVGC sector. It will also help in developing world-class creative talent to meet domestic and global demand.

    The M&E ecosystem is a sunrise sector and is expected to generate revenue of Rs 4 lakh crore annually by 2025 and reach Rs 7.5 lakh crore (100 billion dollars) by 2030.

  • 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) aims to promote cinema business, says I&B minister

    53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) aims to promote cinema business, says I&B minister

    Mumbai: The 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is scheduled to be held from 20-28 November 2022 in Goa. A steering committee has been formed to conduct this year’s event. The steering committee is deliberating the roadmap for the event.

    Information & Broadcasting (I&B) minister Anurag Singh Thakur said that his vision for IFFI is to work closely with the film fraternity from Indian Cinema and use their expertise as well as understanding to take the 53rd IFFI to the next level. Also, he said that IFFI is a festival that aims to promote the business of cinema for the benefit of the film industry by providing collaborations and networking in order to boost the ‘creative economy’ of India. He added that the creative economy has the potential & talent to create new entrepreneurs in the media & entertainment (M&E) sector which will help transform India into a content and post production hub for the world.

    The function of the steering committee is to support the ministry to finalise the IFFI programming which includes various sections of IFFI programme, master classes, workshops and cultural components.

    The steering committee deliberated over various components of IFFI and discussed ways to enhance collaborations with international film makers, participation of regional cinema, giving a platform to young filmmakers as well as showcase new trends in cinema along with emerging technology that enhances the experience of cinema lovers. The steering committee will hold a number of meetings in the run up to IFFI and ideate on content curation and explore partnerships. 

    Simultaneously, the festival aims at providing a common platform for filmmakers from across the globe to showcase their talent and put forth the excellence of cinema from all over. Bringing together film cultures, the festival aims to allow the understanding of various social and cultural ethos and appreciation of world cinema. The festival is conducted jointly by the directorate of film festivals (under the ministry of information and broadcasting, government of India) and the state government of Goa.

    With an aim of providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of film art, IFFI  celebrates cinematic works every year from India and around the world.

  • In a first, major OTT platforms to participate in IFFI

    In a first, major OTT platforms to participate in IFFI

    Mumbai: The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will see participation from major OTT platforms, for the first time in its history. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Zee5, SonyLIV, and Voot will participate at IFFI that is being held in Goa starting 20 November.

    The festival will offer exclusive masterclasses, content launches, previews, and much more. The 52nd edition of IFFI will be held in hybrid format considering the present Covid-19 situation.

    Netflix has organised a three-day virtual masterclass by the Paris-based renowned school of image and arts, Gobelins – School L’image. It facilitated the India premiere of the film “The Power Of The Dog” by Jane Campion, a special screening of the film “Dhamaka” including an introduction of the film by Karthik Aryan and a preview of the first episode of its upcoming crime thriller series “Aranyak” starring Raveena Tandon and Ashutosh Rana. SonyLIV is organising a masterclass by “Scam 1992” screenplay writers Sumit Purohit and Saurav Dey.

    The union minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur announced that actor and member of parliament from Mathura Uttar Pradesh Hema Malini and lyricist and chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Prasoon Joshi will be conferred the Indian film personality of the year award 2021 at the festival.

    IFFI will feature 148 films from about 73 countries in the international section. The festival will have about 12 world premieres, about 7 international premieres, 26 Asia premieres, and about 64 India premieres. IFFI received 624 films from 95 countries this time, up from 69 countries in the previous edition.

    Global cinematic giants Martin Scorsese and Istevan Szabo are being honoured with the first Satyajit Ray lifetime achievement award. They will not be attending the festival physically but their video messages conveying acceptance of the award will be played.

    The opening feature film of Indian Panorama 2021 is the film “Semkhor,” directed by Aimee Baruah. This is the first-ever film made in Dimasa (dialect from Assam) to be featured at IFFI. “The Visionary” (English) directed by Shri Rajiv Parkash is the opening non-feature film in the Indian Panorama section. “The King of all the World” (El Rey de Todo El Mundo) directed by Carlos Saura will be the opening film and this will also be the film’s international premiere. IFFI 52 will come to a close with the screening of Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero,” which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.

    There will be about 18 specially curated films presented as part of the ongoing celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The festival director informed that the international jury chaired by the Iranian filmmaker Rakhshān Banietemad is coming to attend the festival. The BRICS Film Festival is being held on the sidelines of IFFI for the first time. There will be a special package presenting films from the five countries.

    The 52nd edition of IFFI is paying homage to the prominent Kannada film actor Puneet Rajkumar and iconic James Bond actor Sir Sean Connery.

    IFFI will open with a star-studded inaugural ceremony, featuring Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh, Shraddha Kapoor, amongst others. Karan Johar and Manish Paul will host the event.

  • Prime Video to premiere ‘Chhorii’ on 25 November at IFFI

    Prime Video to premiere ‘Chhorii’ on 25 November at IFFI

    Mumbai: Amazon Prime Video has unveiled its lineup for the 52nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Goa from 20 November. This includes the world premiere of Amazon original film “Chhorii” on 25 November and multiple masterclasses and interactive panels with the country’s creative stalwarts.

    For the first time in its history, IFFI is inviting video streaming platforms to the festival.

    On 21 November, a masterclass session on ‘Creating Cult Icons’ will be led by the cast and crew of Amazon original series “The Family Man” including Raj and DK, Amazon Prime Video’s head India originals Aparna Purohit, Samantha Ruth, and Manoj Bajpayee (virtually).

    On 23 November, a masterclass session on ‘Creating Cinematic Success and Storytelling of Sardar Udham’ will be led by Shoojit Sircar and Ronnie Lahiri.

    Prime Video will also showcase Satyajit Ray’s evergreen films on the homepage of their website between 20-28 November to commemorate the filmmaker’s birth centenary. This will include 11 of his iconic films – “Abhijan,” “Aparajito,” “Ashani Sanket,” “Chiriakhana,” “Hirak Rajar Deshe,” “Pather Panchali,” “Seemabaddha,” “Sonar Kella,” “Shatranj Ke Khilari,” “Charulata,” and “Jalsaghar.” The platform will also stream “Satyajit Ray Through His Films,” a documentary presented by Soumitra Chatterjee.

    “We are honoured to be a part of IFFI, an event that celebrates the diversity and rich cinematic heritage of India, and brings the entertainment community, content creators and talent together,” said Amazon Prime Video India country head Gaurav Gandhi. “We will continue to contribute actively to the entertainment ecosystem of India by promoting local narratives that are deeply rooted in Indian culture while delivering an immersive entertainment experience to viewers.”

  • Avoid ‘slippages’ of film sector budget utilisation, House panel recommends

    NEW DELHI: While noting the ‘slippages which could have been avoided’, a Parliamentary Committee has taking serious note of the continuous reduction in expenditure in the film sector despite reasonable budgetary allocations.

    The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology which also examines issues relating to Information and Broadcasting Ministry asked the Ministry to be “more cautious and take necessary corrective steps so that there are no cost and time over run of Schemes in the film sector”.

    A sum of just Rs 835.6 million out of a reduced revised estimate of Rs 1.3439 billion was utilized in the film sector in 2016-17 because of various reasons including among other reasons the Request for Proposal (RFP) and stakeholder consultation process in the National Film Heritage Mission has resulted in under utilization of funds.

    The Committee was told that the original budget estimate was Rs 1.4148 billion against the proposed Rs 2.4512 billion for the film sector.

    For the shortfall in expenditure, the Ministry also blamed delays in late approval and prolonged inter-ministerial consultations and RFP for selection of private partners in setting up of National Centre of Excellence for Animation, Gaming and Special Effects.

    The Ministry attributed delay in raising Bills for the International Film Festival of Goa and conducting of major film festival during the last quarter to be some of the reasons for under utilization of funds.
     
    The Committee noted that the allocation under film sector has been enhanced from Rs 1.3439 billion at revised estimate stage in 2016-17 to Rs 2.07 billion at budget stage for the year 2017-18.

    The enhanced allocation is to be utilized in respect of Scheme of NFHM where RFP for preventive conservation of film reels, digitization of films, 2K/4K picture and sound restoration of landmark feature films and short films etc are to be floated during 2017-18.

    While expressing satisfaction that the film sector has got an enhanced allocation this year, the Committee said the Ministry should take advantage and give more focused attention to Schemes under this sector and concerted efforts be made for optimum utilization of funds allocated for the year 2017-18.

    Also Read :

    Film piracy: Govt has no ‘losses’ figure, industry estimates Rs 180 bn a yr

    No middlemen in film certification process anymore

    Films Division shorts in cinema halls: Centre mulling revival    

     

  • IFFI 2016: India, S. Korea keen on co-productions

    IFFI 2016: India, S. Korea keen on co-productions

    NEW DELHI: Minister for Information and Broadcasting (MIB) M Venkaiah Naidu has said the government is keen to work and cooperate with South Korea in the domain of film production in a way that could benefit both countries.

    Speaking at a meeting with the Korean delegation yesterday in Panaji, the Minister said the government gave great importance to the 2014 agreement between the two countries on co-production and exchange of ideas and expressed satisfaction at Korea being the main partner in the cultural sphere and the focus country at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

    MIB Secretary Ajay Mittal said the Film Facilitation Office was set up by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) to address issues on film production and facilitating mutual cooperation.

    Korean ambassador to India Cho Hyun shared his ideas and themes for future film making. The delegation also expressed its happiness of the remake of the South Korean movie `Montage’. Hyun also remembered the role India played on the peace keeping operations in the Korean War.

    A large Korean delegation is attending the IFFI this year and veteran Korean filmmaker Im Kwon Taek had been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the inauguration of the festival.

    A total number of 18 films are being screened from South Korea and the opening film was `Tunnel’ whose director Kim Seong-hun said later at a press meet that it was his first visit to India and he was thrilled to meet a new audience at this venue. The other directors and producers present at the event talked about their films’ genres and storylines.

    The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) representative, also present at the conference, talked about the screening of 18 films at the fest and further strengthening the foundation of Indo-Korean relationship through this step. He added that Korea produces three films per year under co-production and has a budget of $ 300,000.

    Director Lee Joon-ik of ‘Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet’ spoke about the removal of censorship in South Korea and its impact on the Korean film industry. He said that in the 70s, Hollywood had 80 per cent share in the Korean market. But with the complete removal of censorship, now the Korean cinema has gained 30 per cent of the market share, reducing Hollywood share by up to 50 per cent.

    Korean Film has come of age in terms of technology and production said Korean filmmakers. The directors believe that if the Indian audience enjoy Hollywood cinema, they will surely like Korean cinema as well, because just like Hollywood, Korean cinema is also technology-driven and, at times, is way ahead of Hollywood.

    The film ‘Tunnel’ tears down the conventional disaster movie genre. Through a disaster, which seems lifted from ordinary reality, the film reminds us all of the forgotten dignity of human life. The director shifts smoothly between emotional extremes to create a distinctive and realistic disaster movie that brings something new to the genre.

  • IFFI 2016: India, S. Korea keen on co-productions

    IFFI 2016: India, S. Korea keen on co-productions

    NEW DELHI: Minister for Information and Broadcasting (MIB) M Venkaiah Naidu has said the government is keen to work and cooperate with South Korea in the domain of film production in a way that could benefit both countries.

    Speaking at a meeting with the Korean delegation yesterday in Panaji, the Minister said the government gave great importance to the 2014 agreement between the two countries on co-production and exchange of ideas and expressed satisfaction at Korea being the main partner in the cultural sphere and the focus country at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

    MIB Secretary Ajay Mittal said the Film Facilitation Office was set up by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) to address issues on film production and facilitating mutual cooperation.

    Korean ambassador to India Cho Hyun shared his ideas and themes for future film making. The delegation also expressed its happiness of the remake of the South Korean movie `Montage’. Hyun also remembered the role India played on the peace keeping operations in the Korean War.

    A large Korean delegation is attending the IFFI this year and veteran Korean filmmaker Im Kwon Taek had been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the inauguration of the festival.

    A total number of 18 films are being screened from South Korea and the opening film was `Tunnel’ whose director Kim Seong-hun said later at a press meet that it was his first visit to India and he was thrilled to meet a new audience at this venue. The other directors and producers present at the event talked about their films’ genres and storylines.

    The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) representative, also present at the conference, talked about the screening of 18 films at the fest and further strengthening the foundation of Indo-Korean relationship through this step. He added that Korea produces three films per year under co-production and has a budget of $ 300,000.

    Director Lee Joon-ik of ‘Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet’ spoke about the removal of censorship in South Korea and its impact on the Korean film industry. He said that in the 70s, Hollywood had 80 per cent share in the Korean market. But with the complete removal of censorship, now the Korean cinema has gained 30 per cent of the market share, reducing Hollywood share by up to 50 per cent.

    Korean Film has come of age in terms of technology and production said Korean filmmakers. The directors believe that if the Indian audience enjoy Hollywood cinema, they will surely like Korean cinema as well, because just like Hollywood, Korean cinema is also technology-driven and, at times, is way ahead of Hollywood.

    The film ‘Tunnel’ tears down the conventional disaster movie genre. Through a disaster, which seems lifted from ordinary reality, the film reminds us all of the forgotten dignity of human life. The director shifts smoothly between emotional extremes to create a distinctive and realistic disaster movie that brings something new to the genre.

  • CNN-IBN and IBN 7 the official promotional partners for 37th International Film Festival of India

    CNN-IBN and IBN 7 the official promotional partners for 37th International Film Festival of India

    New Delhi, November 22nd 2006: CNN-IBN and IBN 7 are the official promotional partners for the 37th International Film Festival of India – country’s annual celebration of cinema -taking place from November 23rd to December 3rd 2006 in Goa, India.

    CNN-IBN and IBN 7 will present to its viewers exclusive interviews of IFFI delegates and celebrities on the likes of Priyanka Chopra, Shahid Aamir, Sudesh Bhonsle, and Bombay Vikings etc and will also preview the film screenings. In addition, the channels will also air the official launch of various movies like ARYAN, 90 MINUTES BY IQBAL RIZVI etc.

    Dilip Venkatraman, Director Marketing and online projects, CNN-IBN and IBN 7 says “International Film Festival for India is the biggest gathering and a must attend event for business and entertainment leader from around the world. IFFI 2006 is an excellent opportunity for CNN-IBN, as the official promotional partner to increase awareness of the channel and extend its offering to the masses.”