PANAJI: The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) - Goa received global attention at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival, with a suggestion that apart from improving the connectivity to the festival venue - Goa, there is an urgent need for fully-equipped theatre to hold the opening and closing ceremony functions of this film festival.

A panel discussion on ‘Restructuring of IFFI Goa’ witnessed Indian filmmakers namely Govind Nihalani and Nagesh Kukunoor, a German film maker, Roland Reber and the president of the Film Federation of India, Mr L Suresh debating ways to garner greater global recognition for the festival. The panel also called for two additional screens at Goa for showing digital films.
The Cannes Film Festival which is being held from May 12 to 23, 2010, has the presence of Indian pavilion which is organising workshops on ‘Audio-visual co-production agreements,’ ‘India - The emerging animation hub,’ ‘India - Preferred shooting location,’ ‘IPA and copyright regime’ and ‘New emerging platforms: Digital entertainment, IPTV, mobile entertainment.’
A workshop on IFFI-Goa held at the prestigious film festival had participation by representatives from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, representatives from the directorate of film festivals, eminent film producer Bobby Bedi and the CEO of the Entertainment Society of Goa, Mr Manoj Srivastava. The workshop was followed by a question and answer session.
According to I&B Ministry sources, the panel felt that the Goa calendar should be shared internationally so that it can be noticed by film buffs globally, and included along with other known international festivals like those at Cannes and Berlin. It was also felt that proper networking, greater government grants and institutional funding should be provided to the young film makers.
The Ministry sources further added that the panel also called for two additional screens at Goa for showing digital films. A brainstorming session at the workshop dealt on how to bring IFFI-Goa at par with other major film festivals of the world. A directory on Indian producers as well as IFFI 2010 posters, brochures and regulations would be released during the 12-day film fiesta.
The CEO of the ESG said that it was a good sign that the Indian government understands the importance of the Cannes Film Festival as an important platform in Europe and strives to leave lasting imprints.