Prestigious international film awards like Oscars and the Cannes or Venice festivals may soon find aggressive marketing of Indian films.
Prestigious international film awards like Oscars and the Cannes or Venice festivals may soon find aggressive marketing of Indian films. The Modi government is planning to create a fund to support Indian filmmakers bid to gain recognition abroad. The fund will support Indian film competing for these awards with funding of up to Rs 1 crore for the Academy Awards while those in contention for an award at Cannes or Venice may get around Rs 50 lakh. In another move aim towards promotion of India as a shooting destination for foreign films, the ministry has approached home and external affairs ministries, seeking a special category visa for foreign film-makers who want to examine locales in the country.
“A proposal has been readied to provide support to film-makers as they try to win awards in major international film festivals,” said minister of state for I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore. The Centre may provide assistance to such filmmakers for travelling, exhibiting their movies, hiring of halls etc. in different countries, he said.
Sources stated that the proposal is soon likely to be put before the Cabinet for approval, in which funding of up to Rs 1 crore can be provided for films participating in prestigious international award functions.
The move comes to help ensure Indian movie win more international awards and is expected to boost the country’s tourism and entertainment industry globally, sources said.
The information and broadcasting ministry has also suggested to the MHA and the MEA that a separate category visa should be created for foreign filmmakers to facilitate their visits to the country, so that Indian places are promoted as global shooting locales, Mr Rathore said.
A committee may be formed which may look at aspects related to implementation of the proposal, sources said.
It is understood that the ministry wants to ensure that all cities with 1 lakh and above population should have at least three FM channels, for which the base price during the upcoming auctions would be kept low.
Allowing FM channels to broadcast their own news bulletins was difficult, as it is not possible to monitor so many channels but added that they have been given the option of using All India Radio (AIR) bulletins, sources said.
