PANAJI: The Federation of Film Fraternity of Goa (FFFG) has welcomed the decision of the general body of the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) to pass a total budget of Rs 34.86 crore for 2012-13, with three-time enhancement as compared to its previous budget.

“The FFFG hopes that the ESG under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Parrikar will lay emphasis on the development of the local film fraternity,” the FFFG added.
The noted Goan film-maker and acting president of the Federation of Film Fraternity of Goa, Mr Dyaneshwar Govekar in a press note issued on Saturday said, “The Goan filmmakers are pleased to know that the general body of the ESG has kept a provision of Rs 3 crore under the Film Finance Scheme for the local filmmakers, and hope that the implementation of the scheme would be done effectively.”
“The FFFG also welcomes the decision of the governing body to withdraw its role from organisation of the Short Film Centre during the International Film Festival of India,” the press note added, pointing out that the FFFG appeals to the Chief Minister to organise the Short Film Centre as an independent activity and not to merge the same with the IFFI.
“The FFFG is happy that till date most of its demands are met, including the recent decision of the ESG to withdraw from the SFC,” Mr Govekar said, noting, “Earlier, the T-20 Section of Indian Cinema and War and Peace Section were removed by the ESG, after the FFFG had exposed irregularities in the same,” he observed.
“The FFFG is also of the opinion that the ESG should start the process of streamlining the Indian Premier Section, which is managed by the ESG during the IFFI, with the governing body immediately taking up the exercise of framing proper guidelines for the same,” the FFFG press note maintained, adding that the Goan filmmakers would also like to request the government to bring all the film related activities under the umbrella of the Entertainment Society of Goa. “It is observed that various departments and corporations are independently producing advertisement films and even financing some film related events,” it pointed out, stressing that this practice needs to be stopped and all film related activities routed through the ESG.