In another example of the step motherly treatment given to the local media by the officials of the International Film Festival of India, scheduled interviews with the renowned international film star Michelle Yeoh were cancelled by the PR agency citing reasons of 'objections from the organisers of the festival, on grounds of protocol’, whatever that is supposed to mean. The star is in town for the closing film of the 42nd IFFI, The Lady.

This local daily was one of the newspapers invited for the interview scheduled on Friday morning, but in a highly un-professional manner, at the last moment, the PR representative, Mr Anand, representing Anand Culture Brandz, Mumbai informed that the IFFI director has taken a decision to only allow a local edition of a national newspaper the ‘permission’ to interview the actor. When contacted by The Navhind Times, the director of the festival Mr Shankar Mohan did not reply to our queries and our subsequent attempts to contact him proved futile.

Considering that it is the local media which is giving maximum coverage to the festival in print, in the electronic media and online, it is baffling that the organisers would take such a decision. It also proves the scant regard and respect they have for the Goan media.

Even if one assumes that the organisers can pick and choose as per their whims and fancies, it is humiliating for the Goan newspapers to be invited first and then told their name has withdrawn because the festival director thinks so.

On Thursday, the press conference with the Russian director was a big fiasco and had to be cancelled as the organisers could not arrange for an interpreter for this ‘international film festival’.

And then they talk about making IFFI a world class festival.