Team Herald
PANJIM: The eighth edition of Goa State Film Festival, organised by Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) and State Information and Publicity Department, was inaugurated at Kala Academy in Panjim on August 5. The festival that will showcase 12 Goan films in Konkani and Marathi, including one short film, will be on till August 8.
The festival was inaugurated in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister of Goa Francis D’Souza, Vice Chairman of Entertainment Society of Goa Damu Naik, Deputy Speaker Vishnu Wagh and Mayor of Panjim, Surendra Furtado, Director Information and Publicity Jayant Tari and Secretary Information and Publicity Daulat Hawaldar. The occasion was just right to also unveil the brand new logo of Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG).
Before lighting the inaugural lamp, Hawaldar took to the mic and spoke about the history of films thereby taking the audience back in time. Hawaldar said, “It is a coincidence that the first tiatr was staged in the same year as films began in Europe. Cinema started as silent films, sound came only 35 years later. Colour was added much later. India joined the party later and now we are the largest producers of films worldwide.”
Damu Naik, while speaking about the festival said, “The Goa State Film Festival usually happens once in two years where films produced in those two years are showcased at the festival. However, last year, the film festival was held after a hiatus of 7 years and we tried to clear the backlog of the fifth, sixth and seventh editions of the festival. This year, we want to get things back on track and celebrate the films produced in Goa.”
The total prize money for the festival across the three categories is approximately Rs 11 lakh.
Prizes in the categories of Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Story, Best Music Director, Best Art Director, Best Editor and 21 other awards will be announced. The best film award in Konkani and Marathi category carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh in the name of late Jerry Braganza who produced and directed first Konkani film Mogacho Anvddo. The runner up entry will be rewarded with Rs 3 lakhs.
Twelve Goan films, produced over the course of the last two years, will be screened at the festival. A four-member jury comprising Sameer Arya, Anil Gandhi, Vijay Jain and Akshay Indikar will be judging the Marathi and Konkani films, while Sugandha Lonikar, Sanjay Mone and Shrikant Karlekar will be judging the entries in the short film category. It is also an interesting fact that the Goa Film Festival is the only State Film Festival in which movies are screened for public before the results are announced.
The four-day festival will also see veteran filmmaker Chandrashekhar Narvekar, better known as N Chandra, being recognised for his invaluable contribution to Indian cinema. The producer, writer and director who traces his roots to Goa is known for his films such as Ankush, Pratighaat, Tezaab and Narsimha, will be awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The festival will conclude on August 8, 2016 and the organisers have confirmed the attendance of a few big stars from the Marathi film industry.
Sachin Pilgaonkar, Varsha Usgaonkar and Mrinal Kulkarni have reportedly confirmed their presence.
When contacted Sushant Khedekar, Vice-Chairman of Kala Academy and member of the Executive Council of ESG, he said, “Names such as Sachin Pilgaonkar, Varsha Usgaonkar and Mrinal Kulkarni will be present for the festival. Nana Patekar too has confirmed and we are awaiting confirmation from Upendra Limaye to be present for the concluding day. Playback Singer Bela Shende will perform at the closing ceremony.”
The repeat screenings of the movies will be held from August 9 to 13, 2016 at Maquinez Palace, Panjim.
