ITV

Tag: KFCC

  • Kannada film talks postponed; Non-Kannada films to release next week

    Kannada film talks postponed; Non-Kannada films to release next week

    BANGALORE: The 9 November meeting between Karnataka CM Dharam Singh and the representatives of the Film Federation of India (FFI) has been postponed since the former is busy with cabinet expansion work. A fresh date will be announced later.

    The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Indian film industry which had threatened embargos against Kannada filmdom is, for the moment, satisfied with the Supreme Court (SC) and the Karnataka High Court (HC) verdicts against the moratorium and have decided not to participate in the FFI meeting with the CM.

    The Hindi film producers have decided to directly release Veer Zara and Naach on coming Friday – 12 November, since the local distributors are a part of an out-of-court settlement of a three week moratorium with the Kannada Film fraternity. Aitraaz, Manthan (Tamil), the Sudeep starrer Kannada film Nalia are some of the other Indian films slated for release on the same day.

    The Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce (KFCC) has in the meantime urged the state Government to release the Rs.50 million sanctioned for subsidy to Kannada Films, saying that over 60 Kannada films are due for subsidy since 2002. The films entitled for the subsidy have to be short-listed as yet. Since the moratorium has no legal standing as is evidenced by the SC and the HC verdicts, the KFCC also plans to work out an informal pact with the FFI to help the Kannada film industry and are yet hopeful of implementation of the moratorium.

    The KFCC also feels that though the JAC has decided not to take part in a meeting with the CM over the moratorium, they are still bound abide by any decision taken by the FFI which is the apex body.

  • Karnataka HC relieves theaters from moratorium obligation

    Karnataka HC relieves theaters from moratorium obligation

    BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court ruled on Wednesday, 3 November that theater owners need not abide by moratorium on release of other language (non-Kannada films) as no order has been passed by the government, after the government advocate informed the HC that that it has neither prohibited theatres from exhibiting non-Kannada films nor imposed any condition in this regard.

    This interim ruling was given by the court while hearing a petition filed by owners of two theaters – Cauvery and Vybhav. Notices have been issued to State Government, Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerece (KFCC), respective associations of Karnataka Film Producers (KFPA), Karnataka Film Directors Association (KFDA), theater owners, the Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV) and the city police.

    The High Court said that the petitioner-exhibitors need not abide by the Clause (4) of the resolution passed by the government-headed panel, to solve issues related to the Kannada film industry. The committee had imposed a seven-week moratorium for releasing non-Kannada films. The Clause (4) says the KFCC would implement the agreement reached with the exhibitors in 1994 for not releasing new non-Kannada films for seven weeks after their release, in their respective states.

    The theater owners had approached the HC asking it to quash the order imposing the seven-week moratorium on the release of other language films in the state issued on 3 September. The petitioners contention is that there are not enough releases of Kannada language films in the state and if they were to wait for seven weeks before release of other language films, they would have no audiences to see the films as pirated CD’s and DVD’s would be available by then. The petitioners have also asked the court to direct the police to give protection to theaters screening non-Kannada films in the state and also to instruct the KRV not to cause any damage to the petitioners’ interest.

    Theater owners have in the mean time decided to adhere to the new three-week moratorium until the Film Federation of India-CM meeting scheduled to be held on 9 November. No Non-Kannada films are scheduled for release on Friday, November 5, 2004.

    In spite of the SC and the HC decisions against the moratorium, the KFPA still hopes that the other language film theater owners will abide by what they term as an out-of-court settlement of a three week moratorium for the benefit of the Kannada film industry.

  • Kannada filmdom: Uncertainty persists

    Kannada filmdom: Uncertainty persists

    BANGALORE: The Joint Action Committee of Indian film industry (JAC) along with Film Federation of India (FFI) and the Andhra Pradesh Film Chambers of Commerce (APFCC) meeting with Karnataka deputy CM Siddharamiah and the Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce (KFCC) to sort out the issues related to Kannada filmdom has been postponed to a later date.

    Meanwhile the APFCC has denied reports appeared in some sections of the media that FFI had dropped the proposed sanctions against the Kannada film Industry keeping in mind that the moratorium on non-Kannada films had been reduced to three weeks instead of the earlier seven weeks moratorium.

    APFCC has threatened to go to the Supreme Court (SC) to resolve the issue, saying that every non-Kannada film producer will follow Gemini’s route to get their films released simultaneously across India, including Karnataka, if the need arose. Gemini’s Shankardada MBBS (Telugu) has been released across Karnataka after intervention from the SC on the basis of a writ petition filed by Gemini.

    Normally Diwali is the boom time for theaters, and a number of non-Kannada films are slated for a 12 November release. Non-Kannada film producers would like to ensure that the moratorium issue is sorted out by then so that films are released simultaneously in Karnataka.

    “Actually the Indian film industry wants the CM or the deputy CM to intervene and end the moratorium issue once and for all, but, it was Siddharamiah himself who had backed the Kannada film producers when they had a massive rally in September. This moratorium has no legal sanction. How will the Karnataka government extricate itself from this mess is to bee seen,” said a theater owner to indiantelevison.com, “Dhoom has been a hit. I would have made at least Rs. One lakh (Rs.100,000/-) a day if the movie had been released here at the same as elsewhere in India,” he added.

  • Exhibitors call for theater bandh in Karnataka

    Exhibitors call for theater bandh in Karnataka

    BANGALORE: Following attacks on three theaters and the snatching of film reels by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists over the past few days, film exhibitors in Bangalore have called for a theater bandh across Karnataka on 14 October to express solidarity with the theaters that were attacked.

    Exhibitors of non-Kannada films and Kannada films are divided over the bandh. The Hubli based Karnataka Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF), which has been the only body to really sustain a fight against the government-sponsored Pandey committee recommendations on the seven-week moratorium on non-Kannada films, has opted for a wait and watch strategy.

    Meanwhile on 11 October, eight producers resigned from the Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce (KFCC) reportedly citing loss of faith in the KFCC. Two more members followed suit on Tuesday. The producers who have resigned allege that KFCC president Gangaraju is hand in glove with the theatre owners. Gangaraju is yet to accept the resignations. The Karnataka Film Producers Association (KFPA) is seeking CM Dharam Singh’s intervention to end the row over the moratorium.

  • Indian film industry delays embargos on Kannada filmdom

    Indian film industry delays embargos on Kannada filmdom

    BANGALORE: The Indian film industry and the Kannada filmdom have agreed to a ceasefire it seems. In a move to give the newly elected KFCC (Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce) office bearers time to settle the seven-week moratorium issue, the Indian film industry has decided to delay the embargos it was considering against the Kannada film industry.

    The Hubli headquartered Karnataka Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF) has refused to accept the seven-week moratorium. The spokesperson reportedly said that non-Kannada films in North Karnataka would have a simultaneous release as elsewhere.

    Meanwhile, media reports talk of a formula attributed to actor-politician-mediator Ambarish wherein the moratorium would be reduced to five weeks with a five print limit.

  • Karnataka theaters to defy moratorium

    Karnataka theaters to defy moratorium

    BANGALORE: In a move to challenge the seven-week moratorium on non-Kannada films in Karnataka enforced by the state government sponsored Pandey committee, theatre owners in Karnataka are likely to release two new non-Kannada films on Friday, 2 October.
     

    Popcorn Khao Mast Ho Jao (Hindi), Aliens vs Predators (English) and the Om-Puri starrer King of Bollywood (which opened last week elsewhere in the country) will be screened in theaters in Bangalore and North Karnataka tomorrow.

    Theater owners have also submitted a memorandum to the Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvadi stating that the moratorium does not have constitutional validity and that it was being forced on the theater owners.

    In another development, a division bench of the High Court comprising of chief justice N K Jain and justice V G Sabahit has issued notices to the state and union governments and the KFCC on a petition challenging the “illegal” seven week moratorium on the release of other language film sin the state. The petition was filed by Bangalore city advocate S Vasudevamurthy, also ruling that pendency of the petition will not come in the way of a compromise formula if worked out to sort the issue.

    The Karnataka Film Producers Association (KFPA), which has been instrumental in the enforcement of moratorium, has threatened to stage a dharna outside the theaters, which violate the moratorium, and has urged Kannadigas to boycott non-Kannada films.

    Meanwhile the newly elected members Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce (KFCC) top brass met the chief minister on Monday and the deputy CM yesterday. The deputy CM has asked the film industry heads to solve the current crisis over release of non-Kannada films themselves, saying that the present problem was mainly between the distributors, exhibitors and producers, requesting that the government not be dragged into this matter.

    Gangaraju, the newly elected president of the KFCC, has in the meantime urged the ex-presidents of KFCC to use their influence in the industry to make the Indian film industry reconsider the embargos that have been threatened by it on the Kannada film industry.

    Mediator actor-politician Ambarish’s meeting with all the three aggrieved parties – producers, theater owners and distributors – held yesterday to work out a solution was called off since the star was busy with some other appointments.

  • Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce elects new governing body

    Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce elects new governing body

    BANGALORE: The election for the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) held on 25 September has elected distributor Gangaraju as president.

    Sa Ra Govindu from the producers’ sector, Vasudevamurthy from the exhibitors sector, and K Janakiram from the distributors sector have been elected vice presidents.

    The elected secretaries are B N Gangadhar from the producers’ sector, B S Nagaraj from the exhibitors sector and V H Suresh from the distributors sector.

    This year, the post for president was reserved for the distributor sector. Electronic voting machines were used for the first time this year. Gangaraju has reportedly been elected by a margin of 214 votes among the approximately 1100 votes that were cast. He secured 650 votes against opponent Basant Kumar Patil’s 436 votes. V H Suresh is the only pro-Basant Kumar Patil syndicate member among the seven persons who were declared elected.

    “This is a victory for a free mind and free business,” Odugouder, president of the Karnataka Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF) from Hubli, told Indiantelevision.com. “We expect him to do good for the entertainment industry. The entertainment industry does not know any language or religion, it recognises only art. I’m sure that he will do a lot of good for both the Kannada as well as the non-Kannada film industry. Gangaraju’s election marks the defeat of vested interests that have recently been dogging the film industry in Karnataka,” he added.

    Following the recent dramatic events that have taken place under the aegis of the Karnataka Film Producers Association (KFPA) lead by president Basant Kumar Patil, who was the other contender for the post of the president of the KFCC, many people associated with the film fraternity now expect some respite and maybe an end to the impasse between the Kannada film fraternity and the film industry in the rest of the country. The SIFCC coterie had announced embargoes against the Kannada Film Industry, fraternity and technicians, against Kannada Films.

    KFEF has been the only body which put up a strong resistance to the the government-sponsored Pandey committee, which implemented a semi-official seven week moratorium on non-Kannada films from the date their first release in their respective states, and a limit of six prints to be screened in the entire state. This lead to a forced closure of almost seventy theaters in Bangalore city alone. The KFEF retaliated by refusing to exhibit Kannada films in the northern districts of the state. Only the intervention of actor turned politician Ambarish prevented the situation from turning ugly with the KFPA threatening a star studded morcha in Hubli and the Northern districts and that they would force theaters to screen Omkara, a Kannada film released last week.

  • Kannada film producers’ fraternity takes on filmdom embargo

    Kannada film producers’ fraternity takes on filmdom embargo

    BANGALORE: Undeterred by the trade barriers thrust on it by the Indian film industry — mainly represented by the Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and some doyens from the Bollywood industry — the Kannada film producers fraternity has decided to take on cudgels and go ahead on its own, at least until the Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce (KFCC) presidential elections which is to be held in Bangalore on 25 September.

    Reportedly refusing to be cowed down by the film industry across India, most of the Karnataka Film Producers Association members have either accepted the decision saying that the Kannada film industry will improve if isolated from the rest of their brethren in India or have taken a threatening stance saying that Telugu and Hindu film industries will suffer if they tried the Kannnadigas’ tolerance, threatening retaliation along the same lines.

    The artistes and technicians who are involved with films across states are worried about their future and hope that the crisis would be solved soon.

    KFPA president Basant Kumar Patil (he is also one of the KFCC presidential candidates), having been pushed onto the back-foot by the recent developments, reportedly condemned the embargos announced under the aegis of the South Indian Film Chambers of Commerce saying the Kannada film industry could sustain itself without any support from others. He asked the non-Kannada film industry to take into account the fact that the KFPA is fighting for its survival in the state. He stated that the non-Kannada film industry could adjust their losses elsewhere since they have worldwide releases while Kannada films were limited to the state only. Patil added that the seven-week moratorium on non-Kannada films in the state would stay.

    The only other remaining candidate of the post of the president of KFCC, H D Ganagaraju has the support of the out-going president of the KFCC, S. Ramesh and actress Jayamala, Sa Ra Govind among others. Both candidates have released their election manifesto and have assured a quick solution to the problems faced by the Kannada film industry.