Lok Sabha Question No. 800 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-05
Subject: International Film Festival of India
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: C.N. Annadurai, Gautham Sigamani Pon, Ganesan Selvam, Dhanush M Kumar, Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 800 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2021

## INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF INDIA

800:   SHRI C.N. ANNADURAI:

SHRI GAUTHAM SIGAMANI PON:

SHRI SELVAM G.:

SHRI DHANUSH M. KUMAR:

SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

## Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state :

- (a) whether  51 st International  Film  Festival  of  India  (IFFI)  has  been  organized  by  the Government recently and if so, the details and the aims and objectives thereof;
- (b) the  number  and  the  details  of  films  from  India  and  different  countries  that  were screened in the festival along with the focus country in the festival;
- (c) whether the Government extends financial assistance to the Independent Indian Film makers to promote their films at International film festivals across the world;
- (d) if  so, the number of Indian Film makers who have been provided financial assistance during each of the last three years;
- (e) the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  promote  Indian  cinema  in  the International Film Festival and also promote regional films in the country; and
- (f) the contribution of Film Industry/Entertainment Sector in the economy and GDP of the country during the last three years?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE;  MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND  MINISTER OF HEAVY INDUSTRIES AND PUBLIC ENTERPRISES (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR):

- (a) Yes,  Sir.  The  51 st International  Film  Festival  of  India  was  organised  from  16 th -  24 th January,  2021  at  Goa  in  a  hybrid  format  that  was  both  virtual  and  physical.  The International  Film  Festival  of  India  (IFFI),  founded  in  1952,  is  held  every  year  in  the State of Goa with the aim of providing a common platform for film makers all over the world  to project  cinematic excellence.  The  festival is conducted  jointly by  the Directorate of Film Festivals under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and State Government of Goa.
- (b) The 51 st IFFI  showcased  122  films  from  60  different  countries  such  as  Bangladesh, Brazil, Germany, Austria, UK, Denmark, Japan, Uruguay, etc. The films were screened under  various  categories  such  as  Festival  Kaleidoscope,  International  Competition, Best  Debut  Feature  Film  of  a  Director,  Gandhi  Medal,  World  Panorama,  Special Screening, Indian Panorama, etc. Bangladesh was the country of focus during the 51 st IFFI.
- (c) & (d) Yes, Sir. Government provides financial assistance to filmmakers to promote their films in international film festivals of repute or India's official nomination for Academy Awards under Foreign Film Category. Directorate of Film Festivals is the nodal agency for implementation.

The details of financial assistance provided to film makers since 2017 is as under:

|   Sl. No. |   Year | Film                                                                                              | Selected in Film Festival          |
|-----------|--------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
|         1 |   2017 | i). Loktak Lairembee directed by Haobam Paban Kumar ii). Newton directed by Amit V Mausurkar      | Berlin International Film Festival |
|         2 |   2020 | i). Eeb Allay Ooo! directed by Prateek Vats ii). Laila Aur Satt Geet directed by Pushpendra Singh | Berlin International Film Festival |

- (e)  Ministry  of  Information  &  Broadcasting  participates  in  various  International  Film

Festivals  to  promote  Indian  cinema  and  also  hosts  International  Film  Festival  of  India regularly. In order to promote and recognise regional film industry, National Film Awards are  conferred  every  year  to  films  produced  in  regional  languages.  The  regional  films selected under National Awards and Indian Panorama are also showcased in the various International film festivals.

(f)  India's Film and Television Industry has been growing steadily over the past few years. However,  the  ongoing  COVID-19  pandemic  has  adversely  impacted  the  film  industry. Contribution of Indian Films and Television Industry in India's GDP is given below -

(Rs. in crores)

| Industry Size   |   2017-18 |   2018-19 |   2019-20 |
|-----------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Films           |     14500 |     15900 |     18300 |
| Television      |     59500 |     65200 |     71400 |

Source :KPMG in India's Media and Entertainment Report 2019

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