The Indian Panorama section of the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was reportedly inaugurated on Monday with the opening films ‘The Show Must Go On’ (non-feature) and ‘Hadinelentu’ (feature). This year, the section will include 25 feature and 20 non-feature films. Incidentally The FIFA World Cup football also commenced on the same day that IFFI got underway on Sunday. It is observed that at the FIFA World Cup the host nation gets the honour of playing the first match of the World Cup even if the host team has not got through the World Cup qualifying rounds. Likewise it would have been desirable for the Indian Panorama section at IFFI to be inaugurated with a Konkani film either in the non-feature or feature category. Goa being the host state for IFFI, Konkani cinema needs to be given all the encouragement it deserves. Konkani films can reach high standards if they get proper support and exposure. And what better occasion is there than the International Film Festival of India. It would be in the fitness of things to give Konkani cinema the pride of place at the Indian Panorama section at IFFI in future.
