The upcoming edition ofthe International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here will have the "future of cinema" as its focus and the organisers are working towards making it a people and artiste-friendly event, said an official today.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today reviewed the preparations for the festival at a meeting held at the premises of the Entertainment Society of Goa (EGS) here.
ESG, a state-run body, is the nodal agency for the festival. The coastal state is the permanent venue for the prestigious event.
"The minister (Irani) wants to bring the future of cinema (theme) into this festival. The focus (this year) will be about the new cinema," ESG Vice Chairman Rajendra Talak told reporters after participating in the meeting.
He said all agencies concerned are working in tandem for a smooth conduct of the festival, which is held annually in the last week of November. This year the 48th edition of the event will be held from November 20 to 28.
The National Films Division Corporation (NFDC) has also joined hands with the Directorate of Film Festival (DFF) and the ESG to host the fest.
Till last year, the NFDC used to organise its own event, 'Film Bazar', on the IFFI sidelines. From this year, however, 'Film Bazar' will not be a standalone event, but part of the IFFI, Talak said.
"Earlier there was no coordination between the DFF and the NFDC over organising Film Bazar. But now it will be held (as part of the IFFI) with proper coordination (between the two agencies)," he said.
The ESG has decided to launch a new people-friendly website to facilitate online registration of delegates. The move is aimed at making IFFI a people and artist-friendly event, the official said.
Talak said the opening and closing ceremonies of the festival would be held at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium near here.
According to the IFFI website, the festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of the film art; contributing to the understanding of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos and promoting friendship and cooperation among people of the world.
The IFFI's founding principles centre on discovery, promotion and support of film-making of all genres - thus bringing together the diversity of the forms, aesthetics and contents, it said.
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