IFFI’s Indian Panorama section inaugurated

: The day after the inauguration of the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here, Minister for Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Venkaiah Naidu opened the Indian Panorama section featuring 26 feature and 21 non-feature films.

The Minister disclosed that the Indian Panorama 2016 had allowed entries from uncertified films as well, with the aim of encouraging the inclusion of the latest films from across the country. Around 20 non-certified films have been admitted into the Indian Panorama section based on an affidavit that they will subsequently obtain a certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification.

Opening films

The Indian Panorama received a total of 429 eligible feature and non-feature film submissions from 29 States across the country.

The jury for the Feature Films section, headed by director and producer Rajendra Singh Babu, has selected 26 films out of 230 eligible entries, while the Non-Feature Films jury chaired by documentary filmmaker Arvind Sinha picked 21 films out of 199 eligible entries.

The Indian Panorama opened with a Sanskrit film for the second consecutive year.

Ishti , directed by G. Prabha, was screened as the opening film.

The film is set in mid-twentieth century Kerala, at a time when young Namboothiri Brahmins challenged the orthodox, patriarchal traditions of a Brahmin community.

Manipuri film Ima Sabitri , directed by Bobo Khuraijam, opened the Non-Feature Film section. The Indian Panorama 2016 has five entries from the northeast.

FFI criticised

Expressing unhappiness over the lack of transparency in the selection of the four popular films recommended by the Film Federation of India (FFI) for the Indian Panorama section, Mr. Babu demanded that the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) also be brought on board with the FFI for ensuring transparency to the process.

Talking to presspersons on the issue of film selection, Mr. Babu, along with members of his panel, expressed disappointment that a “powerful film” like Rajanikanth’s Kabali did not find place under the FFI’s recommended category of popular cinema in the Indian Panorama.

He alleged that S.S. Rajamouli’s Bahubali (Telugu), being the Best Feature Film of the 63rd National Film Awards 2015, had been included in four recommendations for the Panorama section as per Clause 8.6 of the Indian Panorama 2016 Regulations.

However, the other three films, namely, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani , Raja Krishna Menon’s Airlift and Ali Abbas Jaffar’s Sultan , included by the FFI were all in Hindi.

He said that the south Indian film industry makes nearly 1,000 films annually and is the biggest in the country, but “nobody knew the criteria” that the FFI applied to make its recommendations.