IFFI, other Film Festivals, and the Media: Partners or undesirables?
When the first film festival as held in Bombay in the year 1952, by the Films Division, 30 years after the first international film festival was held in Venice, nobody would have expected we would be holding the 55th edition in 2024. In the 50s and early 60s, festivals were not held in India regularly, only sporadically. In the 70s it became an annual feature, hence only 55 festivals are spread over 72 years. Since then, it has shifted base many times, undergone name changes, become a competitive festival, again reverted to a non-competitive one, and finally, a competitive one. In 2004, the State of Goa was granted the privilege to host the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) there. Though Goa is not a major film production city (in fact not even a minor film producing city), the powers at be must have had compelling reasons to shift it there, permanently.
IFFI is a government organised one, with earlier festivals solely a Ministry of Information and Broadcasting event. In its early stages, it had the active participation of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), earlier known as the Film Finance Corporation, with the FFC head being film festival Director. A Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) was established later, with the responsibility of holding the National Film Awards and IFFI. The Goa (Panaji, the capital, is where IFFI is held) festival was held in collaboration with the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), formed as a semi-government body, for financial facilitation. DFF and ESG jointly held IFFI, with the cost shared, probably on a 50-50 basis. Now, DFF has been dissolved and NFDC has stepped in, as an umbrella organising, also taking under its wing the Films Division and may other divisions of the Ministry of Information and Broadcsting, that dealt directly with the art and science of cinema.
IFFI is the biggest film festival in India, with 10,000+ registrations of delegates. Media is welcomed here. They have a dedicated Media Centre, with work centres for computers, printers, copying machines, and Press Conferences. For several years, journalists were given the task of moderating press conferences, I being chosen to moderate some. That practice is now completely taken over by the PIB, and as a result, we often find the PIB staff or its chosen Moderators ill-equipped to deal with the task. There are buses and free auto-rickshaws plying between the main venue and other centres where screenings or events are held, a most welcome facility.
Besides facilities, the Media was treated to beverages and snacks, but this was subject to the budget allowing it. So, in some years, we had tea, coffee and snacks, all free, all unlimited. In other years, it was just tea and coffee, with some biscuits thrown in, for the early birds only, and at fixed hours. There were also ferry cruises, with cocktails and dinner. At most parties, the media was invited. Several countries hosted their own parties, and there the media was invited to breakfasts, lunches, cocktails and dinner. This last practice has been almost discontinued of late. The duration of the festival, which used to be 15 days long before 2004, has been curtailed to 9 days, the inaugural and closing days included. At most parties, media is not allowed, and at some, passes are either given on first-come, first-served basis, because, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) says it gets 10/20/50 passes only, to distribute among the media, and there are 150-300 (my rough estimate) journalists/photographers registered. Doesn’t anybody (PIB? Why not?) tell the hosts that there are, say 200, journalists, about 100 of might want to attend? On many occasions, none of these reach the media. Wonder who gets them, in the end.
The media is given a free cloth bag, the quality of which has fast deteriorated to a street hawker q