Another International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has ended, the 20th in Goa, and 19 years later, the promised convention centre is yet to become a reality.
In a departure from the past, there is now a school of thought among the film fraternity that there is no need for a convention centre, and that Panjim is the best location to host the festival.
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, chair of the jury for the current IFFI, who made the statement about the unnecessity of a convention centre, is of the opinion that Goa has helped the festival grow.
Given the increased number of delegates that turn up every year from the rest of the country and even from abroad, that perhaps cannot be argued with.
Goa is a tourist destination, and the riverside locale of the Kala Academy and the Inox courtyard ensconced in a heritage area could be unrivalled. This itself takes the festival to another level.
Yes, Goa has given the festival a distinct marketing and branding advantage that has perhaps not been fully exploited and could even bestow more on the festival.
Goa is a tourist destination, and the riverside locale of the Kala Academy and the Inox courtyard ensconced in a heritage area could be unrivalled. This itself takes the festival to another level.
So, Goa has helped IFFI grow. But, can the same be said about IFFI helping Goa grow?
Sadly, Goa has not reaped the benefits of IFFI, not to the extent expected and projected.
For the few days of the festival’s duration, local businesses – hotels and restaurants in particular – will show a rise in income, as may some entertainers and those who set up stalls along the Mandovi promenade – but that’s about it.
The film culture that IFFI was supposed to bring has not come about and after 19 years, it is unlikely that it will.
The film culture that IFFI was supposed to bring has not come about and after 19 years, it is unlikely that it will.
Ironically, mid festival, Loliem locals rejected the proposal of a film city on their village plateau.
Perhaps, they have done the right thing, for a film city would not change much for Goa, but, then, the decision of the gram sabha coming during the festival had a certain ironic ring to it.
The festival has also not turned around tourism in the State; on the other hand, by being the host, Goa has put in much for the festival, including crores of rupees in expenditure every year.
Yes, Goa has given to IFFI a lot more than it got back. IFFI came to Goa with high expectations. That the festival would put Goa on the map of international film festivals, perhaps even rivaling Cannes that also happens on the seaside; but internationally, nobody remembers Goa for the festival. Goa is known beyond the borders of India for tourism.
That the festival would put Goa on the map of international film festivals, perhaps even rivaling Cannes that also happens on the seaside; but internationally, nobody remembers Goa for the festival.
At the end of the National Games earlier this month, a statement that resonated and drew applause was that Goa would now be known as the state of ‘sun, sand, sea and sports’.
Hosting one National Games does not make a State a sports destination. Hosting the IFFI and being the permanent host of the festival for the last 19 years has not made Goa a film destination.
Hosting the IFFI and being the permanent host of the festival for the last 19 years has not made Goa a film destination.
If there is a desire to reinvent Goa as a destination, it needs planning and then execution of the plans. Goa, where the film festival was concerned, had neither over the past two decades.
In 2004, the first IFFI in Goa was pushed through with the minimum required infrastructure constructed through the night, with the then Chief Minister actually inspecting ongoing works during the night.
After that, no other infrastructure was built for the film festival, but IFFI has grown even as Goa has limped along.
If there is a desire to reinvent Goa as a destination, it needs planning and then execution of the plans. Goa, where the film festival was concerned, had neither over the past two decades.
Goa has not been able to promote itself as the IFFI destination, while the festival may have been able to get some added glitter because of the host state.
Goa seriously requires to do some introspection on what it has gained from the festival and whether these gains compensate the expenditure and effort made in hosting it.
Two decades is long enough time to undertake such an exercise and bring about changes that will also benefit Goa.
Let IFFI not become a matter of prestige. It has to also pay back, and that time for it is now. There are 11 months before the next IFFI, ample time to study past festivals and gauge the gains from them.
It is important to do this so that Goa enters the next decade of IFFI knowing what it has done and what it can do better. There is always room for improvement, but unless we know what is the improvement needed, that room will remain vacant.
