PANAJI
It’s been two decades that IFFI has been organised in Goa, and the initial aim to bring this prestigious international film festival to this State was a part of the larger vision of the then Chief Minister of Goa, the late Manohar Parrikar who wished to introduce Goans to the film culture and to boost the local film industry.
The goal was also to bring in filmmakers from across the globe to this tiny State that had beautiful locations for shooting, talented local artists and a rich cultural heritage. It is debatable whether or not this goal has been achieved in its entirety, however, most Goan filmmakers agree that it is an honour for the State to host IFFI and it has helped the local film industry to grow organically.
The masterclasses and in-conversations happening at IFFI do help budding filmmakers to get an idea of the filmmaking process and to learn from the experiences shared by other established personalities in the industry, says filmmaker Swapnil Shetkar. Otherwise, most Goan filmmakers are self-trained and work on amateur projects, learning on the way on their own. Attending masterclasses once a year during IFFI does not help much, and Goa needs to have a film school to train local talent. Apart from a film school for enthusiastic learners, it is also necessary for the local film community to come together and guide other budding filmmakers, he feels.
It was expected that over the period, Goan films should get someplace in IFFI, which to some extent has been successful. However, it is still not officially a part of the festival, points out Swapnil, and adds that if quality films are made locally, the global audience who watches these films will carry a profound message that Goan films are impressive. But to make quality films, one has to invest significantly, and if these investments do not get recovered, the film suffers losses. It’s here that the government intervention, in the form of monetary assistance, comes in handy, says Swapnil.
The demand to regularise the dormant film finance scheme has been long pending, and each year, just before IFFI, there is announcement of reviving this scheme. The scheme should be regularised in actuality and not remain as an announcement only on paper, and deserving filmmakers should get the benefits, express Goan filmmakers.
Agreeing that IFFI boosted their morals, many also share that they have burnt their hands in the filmmaking process and incurred huge losses. Others managed to avail the film finance scheme and get through. However, after the scheme was put on the back burner and discontinued for unknown reasons, local filmmakers did go on back-foot.
Rajdeep Naik, a Goan actor and his producer-writer wife Suchita Narvekar are among those who had invested in their film but could not recover the cost. “We were theatre persons. When we decided to make a Konkani film ‘Kestav de Confusao’, we invested Rs 95 lakh in the hope that government support would leverage our expenses. The film was released in 2018 and shown in 2019 IFFI. But by then the Film Finance Scheme was shut, hence no financial assistance could be availed from the government. We sold four of our vehicles and jewellery to pay off our loans. Still, we haven’t come out of our losses. We are still repaying the film loan from whatever we earn from the theatre,” laments Suchita.
Expressing hope, Rajdeep adds, “We now look forward to availing the subsidy, as the Goa government has recently announced the revival of the Film Finance Scheme, and the backlog of earlier years also will be included for the subsidy. The application form is yet not uploaded on the government website, and keeping all relevant documents ready, we eagerly await for the website to put up the form. As we understand that the officials are busy in IFFI, we will wait till the festival ends.”
Actor, writer and film producer Jyoti Kuncolienkar who has made 12 films until now, wants a change in the IFFI venue, not because she is disillusioned with the film festival. She agrees that two of her films have been screened in previous IFFIs and this year her third film, ‘Kalakhachi Vaat’ will be screened on November 27 at INOX apart from the earlier ones, ‘Mareparyant Faashi’ (Marathi feature film), and ‘Goi Swatantryache Homkhand’ (Konkani).
Jyoti explains, “We have been entertaining and hosting the guests so far who come to watch the films in Goa. But as a producer I want my films to go to audiences from other States, and IFFI is being held at different places, the Goan films also will go to a larger audience. It is my experience that Goans prefer to watch national and international films in IFFI rather than watching ‘Made in Goa’ films. So, where do we get the audience, unless we go to panchayats, schools and colleges to showcase our films, spending from our own pockets?”
In Goa, the artists, producers, directors are the investors. Finances are not available from industrial houses or big businessmen as Goans are not keen on taking or financing the filmmakers. “The two decades of IFFI in Goa has not been successful in making the State flourish with film culture and as the film culture is not yet rooted here, people do not step forward or take risk of investing in films,” points out a Goan producer.
There is also an entry fee to be paid by filmmakers to take the films in competitions. And as the techniques are changing fast, the films need to be submitted in different formats which, again, costs money. The DCP of 4K film has to be submitted in 2K, which means the camera format has to be changed, taking around 6 hours to transfer, and also Rs 10000-15000. “Earlier such transfers had to be done in Mumbai, but now Goa has the facility,” he added.
After Goa became a permanent venue for IFFI, infrastructure, and sound studios were opened, but due to a lack of workflow, many had to shift their focus to ad films or other projects to sustain and survive. Goa is tiny, has few theatres, and a small population. For the local film culture or film industry to thrive there needs to be a continuous flow of projects, enthusiastic audience, and government support.
