Films an important constituent of Govt.’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’ initiatives,
says Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore at Cannes 2015
Cannes, 14 May 2015:
Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Retd), inaugurated the India Pavilion at Cannes Films Festival today in France. Speaking at the packed inaugural session of the India Pavilion, Hon’ble Minister said, “new Government at the Centre is certainly more decisive and focused and is constantly working towards taking India to higher levels of growth which is inclusive. The government is channelizing that objective through campaigns like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’ and realizes that the film industry is an important part of these campaigns given its tremendous potential towards job creation”.
Adding to that the Minister said that, “even though steps may seem slow but they are certainly for sure”. Col. Rathore further said,“India has already signed coproduction agreements with a slew of countries. In the last one year five co-productions have been undertaken with France alone. We need to take these partnerships to the next level now”.
He added that the government is rigorously working towards providing a seamless work environment for the film industry by establishing a single window clearance mechanism. Also, a center of excellence for gaming and visual effect s has been announced. The government would do its best to be an infrastructure partner and would like to have faculty coming from the industry itself and looks forward to more faculty exchanges.
The session also saw unveiling of the 46th IFFI, 2015 regulations and ‘India Film Guide’ by the Minister. The India Film Guide is a comprehensive booklet with information on policy initiatives by the government pertaining to film sector, the listing of Indian companies at Cannes Film Market, Indian Films at Cannes and contacts of important people in the business of film making.
The session was attended by luminaries such as Dr. Mohan Kumar, Ambassador of India to France, Mr. Bobby Bedi, Film Maker, Ms. Nandita Das, Actor/Film Maker, Mr. Roshan Baig, Minister of Information and Public Relations, Government of Karnataka, Mr. K. Sanjay Murthy, Joint Secretary, Films, Ministry of I&B, Govt. of India and Mr. Ravi Kottarakara, Former President, Film Federation of India.
Mr. Bobby Bedi, the celebrated film maker, in his welcome address said that, “India’s presence at Cannes has increased tremendously over the past decade and we have seen an increase in representation in terms of quantity and an improvement in the quality of content as well”. Dr. Mohan Kumar, Ambassador of India to France said that the ambition should be to get Indian films in the most important category of films at Cannes. He added over the next two to three years he will strive to work on that. The quality of films from India has been wonderful quality and content now. Mr. Ravi Kottarakara, Former President, Film Federation of India felt that India has on offer some of the best shooting locations. There has been a tremendous change in the Indian film landscape and the sector is definitely going to grow by leaps and bounds. We should try to experiment more to have a wider global acceptability. Also, India’s linguistic cinema which includes films in Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi, Bhojpuri are as good as mainstream Bollywood films and should get an equal opportunity to be showcased.
Ms. Nandita Das, Actor/Film maker said that she would like to raise the issue of censorship in India. As we mature, it is important to promote freedom of expression rather than curtailing voices. Mr. Roshan Baig, Minister of Information and Public Relations, Government of Karnataka suggested that it will be really great if the regional film industry is showcased as a part of the delegations to some of the major international film festivals.
Mr. K Sanjay Murthy, Joint Secretary, Films, Ministry of I&B, Government of India said that over the course of next few days we hope to learn from various film commissions and carry back new partnerships and learning experiences.
