The declaration of any place as a permanent venue itself defeats the very purpose of popularizing cinema and creating a film culture throughout the country.
For over a decade now, Goa as the default venue for IFFI did not get anywhere close to the ‘Cannes’ promised by the chief minister. Many would now realize that it is one thing to make promises and take short cuts and quite another to create a serious film culture to rival Cannes or any other festival such as the Oscars of the Grammies of high literary, artistic or cultural standing.
Apart from the inability to create authentic film culture of any substance, Goa has been unable to even create the basic infrastructure such as decent cinema halls, conference halls for discussion, master-classes, a decent bazaar for commercial vending of films, parking, film appreciation and critique courses in colleges, let alone create, a film city to direct and produce films.
Now that funds are due to flow with budgetary provisions for a permanent venue and convention centre, the temptation will be to dump this infrastructure close to Panjim. For decades now the IFFI has been preying on Panjim’s infrastructure such as parking venues, DB avenue for festival street, Kala Academy for the film bazaar, and the Campal football ground for opening and closing ceremonies –all this being makeshift adhoc arrangements.
The government multiplex which has been leased out to Inox also preys on the parking area of the CCP market and is a nightmare to park or to pass through on weekends. All goes to show how thoughtless designing of infrastructure can create endless headache for citizens who wish to go shopping or just pass through the city. Previously, citizens have had to face dogged traffic jams on the St Inez road since the Campal road would be closed for traffic during festival days.
It is now up to the government to thoughtfully take this infrastructure away from Panjim city and leave those who are not fans of what passes off as films shown at IFFI to go about their daily life without hassles.
For a start a IFFI venue cum film city has to be identified, in places such as Pernem, Sanguem, or Canacona, backward talukas where infrastructure can be developed. The city should create its own market, infrastructure, hotels, transport network so that film goers are engrossed in film and films alone. The film city would catalyse the local market and those who are solely dependent on agriculture or mining can have alternative sources of income. It is anyone’s guess that starred hotels are the ones which have pressured the government in keeping the film festival in Panjim.
From the point of view of 20 years perspective planning, even locating the IFFI at Taleigao plateau would create congestion in a few years where land is at a premium. The film city at Pernem, Sanguem or Canacona would form an additional tourist circuit and diversify from beach tourism whose infrastructure is already overstretched as seen at Christmas- New Year mega festivals. Additionally, the film city can have something for local and tourists by way of programmes in and out of season.
A film college and later a university, teaching music, various aspects of film theory and practice and performing arts can be created in this locale. It is only decades of this kind of serious engagement with film can get us somewhere. Already a private sector film city known as Bollywood city is coming up in Malwan, far from distant Mumbai, with many Mumbai based actors showing keen interest in the project. The project has active support from South Maharashtra strongman Narayan Rane who has plans to convert the entire south Maharashtra into a vibrant tourist zone along with the Chippi airport as a hub. Similarly, Goa should go for wholistic planning rather than a few bhel puri stalls, some public screenings and a festival that even Bollywood increasingly avoids.
