A delegation of Goan film artists, directors, and producers met Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) General Manager Mrinal Valke on Thursday, submitting a memorandum raising concerns over ambiguities in eligibility criteria, award categories, and regulations of the upcoming State Film Festival 2025.
The delegation comprising Vishal Pai Cacode, Dilip Prabhudesai, Prashanti Talpankar, Dnyaneshwar Govekar, Augie D'mello, Rajesh Pednekar, Saish Pai Palondicar, and Rajdeep Naik urged ESG to call a joint meeting with the Goan film fraternity and relevant authorities to address issues related to the Goa Schemes of Financial Assistance for Films 2016 and safeguard local stakeholders.
They pointed out that Notification No. DI/INF/Goa Film Festival Regulations/2014 has contradictory clauses. Specifically, Clause 4 (a) and (b) on film durations conflict with Clause 9.3 (iv) and (v), and Clause 4 (c) contradicts both. They also highlighted outdated references to past festival editions in Clause 9.3 (iii), which should be revised for 2025.
Clause 9.3 (vi) was called out as unfair for requiring only 15% Goan representation among artists and technicians. The delegation appealed to reverse this ratio to 85% Goans and 15% non-Goans to prioritise local talent.
They also demanded that award categories for Non-Feature Films be expanded to include Best Director and other key honours, similar to Feature Films.
Regarding Clause 4 (c) and (d), which mandates a Censor Board Certificate, the delegation stated this is impractical for Non-Feature films and should be waived. They also requested an extension for submitting domicile certificates until the festival date.
