SAFF '09 to Focus on Young Filmakers

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2009-06-26
The South Asian Film Festival 2009 will focus on new era filmmakers from the South Asian countries, with quite a number of such new generation filmmakers making appearance as well as actively participating in the four day event, beginning on June 26.
Mr Rahul Barua, the general secretary of the South Asia Foundation, which is a major force behind this film fiesta told the media Thursday evening that the SAFF 2009 will focus on hopes and aspirations of young people. The young audiences will view films made by young filmmakers from the South Asian region, he informed.
Learning from the past experience of limited audiences at the SAFF 2008, the Entertainment Society of Goa, which is the partner in the film festival, said that it has already invited 400 to 500 local youth to attend the festival. The youth are linked to various film clubs and socio-political groups in the state.
The CEO of the ESG, Mr Manoj Srivastava told the pressmen that mails have already been dispatched to the members of Cinephile, the film club run by the Society. “We have even received confirmation from them and are assured of large viewership for the film festival,” he
pointed out.
“Cinema exhibited at the SAFF is very special because it belongs to special region, the region so volatile politically,” Mr Srivastava said, adding that South Asian films have different treatment, innovative innovations and technical experimentations.
The chairman of the organising committee for SAFF 2009, Mr Jitendra Deshprabhu said that media orientation is as important as film appreciation, with a view to highlight good things about cinema.
Around 70 films from countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with two films from Afghanistan and 13 films from Iran will be screened during the SAFF 2009. Around 65 to 70 foreign delegates from the entire South Asian region as well as Iran are expected to arrive in Goa during next four days.
“They will also explore the possibility of interacting with India filmmakers and their counterparts in other South Asian countries, for filmmaking as well as distribution of films,” Mr Deshprabhu informed.
“The government has compiled data as regards the film festivals taking place in the state, including the International Film Festival of India, and forwarded the same to various government offices so as to make an expression that it can hold film festivals on its own,” Mr Deshprabhu informed, maintaining that this data is open for public viewing. He also observed that the government is doing much more in terms of locations and tourist requirements
of films.
The chairman of Kala Academy, Mr Pratapsingh Rane, present at the briefing said that the entire state of Goa is like a big studio.