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IFFI Goa 2017, IV: No Director, no Jt. Director, but the Indian film lists are out

Press Information Bureau (PIB), Mumbai, is largely invested with managing the media at International Film Festival of India (IFFI). Their home page has the following address: http://pibmumbai.gov.in/#

On this home page, you are greeted with a pop up about the government’s cleanliness drive. Click on the cross at the top right hand corner there, and the pop-up closes.

Now you are led to a site whose address is  

https://my.iffigoa.org/

that has nothing to do either with the PIB or with IFFI. The page carries a headline, ‘Welcome to your Umbraco installation’. What is the problem? Is someone monitoring the website?

Continuing my surfing expedition, I landed on a page that answers to http://www.mib.gov.in/film/directorate-film-festivals

MIB here is the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The following two gems are on display on this page:

1 Filling up of the post of Joint Director in the Directorate of Film Festivals, New Delhi Download (2.03 MB) 30/11/2016

2 Filling up of the post of Director in DFF, New Delhi Download (2.05 MB) 30/11/2016

Obvious inference: the posts of the Director and the Joint Director have not been filled for a whole year, not even when the next (now current) film festival is just about to kick-off.

No perceptible change is seen on the websites of the DFF or the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) since I last visited them two days ago. That means, no updated information related to IFFI.

Luckily, if you are told how to navigate your way, you will find the list of Indian feature and non-feature films selected for IFFI, on the www.pib.nic.in/newsite.

It is not on their home page and there are no links there either.

Copied and pasted here, without any alteration/modification whatsoever.

Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
09-November-2017 18:34 IST

Indian Panorama selection of Feature and Non Feature films for 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2017 announced

Indian Panorama 2017 today announced its final selection of Feature & Non-Feature films to be screened in Goa at 48^th International Film Festival of India, 2017 which is scheduled to take place from 20^th to 28^th November, 2017.

Five Mainstream films have also been selected under Indian Panorama Section of 48^th International Film Festival of India, 2017. The final list of 26 feature films selected for the Indian Panorama 2017 is as follows:

As per Clause 8.6 of the India Panorama 2017 Regulations, the Best Feature Film of 64^th National Film Awards 2016, titled “Kaasav”, has been included in Indian Panorama 2017 by virtue of direct entry.

The complete list of 16 Non - Feature Films selected for Indian Panorama section for 48th International Film Festival of India 2017 is given below:

 The opening film of the non-feature film section of Indian Panorama is Pushkar Puran.

As per Clause 8.6 of the India Panorama 2017 Regulations, the Best Non-Feature Film of 64^th National Film Awards 2016 titled “Fireflies in the Abyss” has been included in Indian Panorama 2017, by virtue of direct entry.

In the feature film category, notable exceptions (rejections) would be Sexy Durga and Nude.

In the non-feature list, the tribute to Satyajit Ray/Sandip Ray’s detective hero, “Feluda - 50 Years Of Ray's Detective” has been left out too.

Some disgruntled directors have indicated that the selection was confined to films that had been granted certificates from the Central Board of Film Certification, although this is not mandatory for films shown at the festival. Films not certified were not considered at all. The relevant clause reads:

6.3 The completion year of production of the films should be during the last 12 months preceding the festival i.e. 1st September 2016 to 31st July 2017. The applicant should submit a declaration stating the date of completion year of production in the format as mentioned at clause number 7.2 (c) I, ii, iii. Films certified by CBFC during the period 1st September 2016 to 31st July 2017 are also eligible.

Note: (1) If the film (Feature or Non-Feature) has been selected/screened in any Indian/international selection of a festival, it will be eligible for entry in Indian Panorama section in the same year only.

(2) If a film selected for Indian Panorama is not certified by CBFC, DFF would take necessary action for seeking exemption as per Cinematography act, 1952 for the festival screenings.

(2) Is contentious. Why should the process of seeking exemption be necessary on a case by case basis, once the blanket principle of “no need for certification” is in place?

Film-makers adversely affected by the abuse of any of these provisions should speak up. This column is open to all.

More on these issues later.

Watch this space.