Team Herald
PANJIM: After a warning of protest by Congress, the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) has removed the minimum four entries condition from the eligibility criteria of Goan Premiere Section.
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Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat said this is not enough and demanded that Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant immediately intervene to ensure that all the films under this section are a part of the ‘Official Section’ of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2021.
“It is unfortunate that the BJP government has no respect for the artist community and film fraternity of Goa. Film makers have put in hard efforts to produce films braving all adversities during Covid pandemic. They deserve appropriate recognition. Screening their films in Official Section of IFFI-2021 will come as a big reward for them,” Kamat said.
He further said that government must immediately cancel Clause 9 of the Regulations issued by the ESG which clearly states that “Producers will not be entitled for any Financial Assistance as per the Film Finance Scheme for the screening of the film in this Special Goan Premiere Section Konkani/Marathi Feature and Non-Feature Films during the 52nd IFFI, 2021”. “This is injustice on local film producers whose films will be screened without any benefits under Goa Film Finance Scheme”, he pointed out.
“The above clause of the Regulations clearly exposes the fact that the Special Goan Premiere and Non-Premiere Section for Konkani /Marathi Feature and Non-Feature Films is just an informal screening of films during IFFI and producers will not have the right to claim that their film was screened in an International Film Festival,” he claimed.
Under Clause 8 (c) of Film Finance Scheme of the Goa Government, those features films which are screened in IFFI are eligible for getting an assistance of Rs 5 lakh and non-feature films are eligible to get an assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh under Goa Film Finance Scheme.
Kamat alleged that the BJP government kept the Film Finance Scheme dormant for almost last 5 years whereas during his tenure as CM from 2007 to 2011, maximum Goan films were screened in Official Sections of IFFI.
