Kamat demands Konkani films in official section of IFFI

Leader of Opposition in the Goa Assembly Digambar Kamat on Tuesday questioned the absence of Konkani films in the Indian Panorama section of the next month's International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

IFFI will be held in Goa from November 20 to 28.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should intervene and ensure that Goan films are screened in the official section of the 50th edition of IFFI, Kamat said in a press release, reacting to media reports.

When he was chief minister and chairman of the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG, which hosts the festival), films by Goan film-makers were screened in the official section of IFFI and the ESG had five official programming sections at the festival, Kamat said.

But since 2012, the ESG does not have a single programming section at IFFI, the Congress leader stated.

The BJP government in the state as well as ESG should take up this issue with the I&B Ministry, he said, warning of staging a protest during the festival otherwise.

However, ESG Vice Chairman Subhash Faldesai said the society does not play any role in the selection of films.

"ESG does not have a direct say in the selection procedure. It is for the experts (on the panel appointed by the Directorate of Film Festival) to decide. They don't decide it on the basis of language," he said.

Selection of Konkani films for Indian Panorama during Kamat's tenure was a mere coincidence, he said.