More controversies at Mumbai International film festival

“It is like ignoring the best film award at the Cannes festival or even the Oscars. This year,the jury did not find any film good enough to be awarded the Golden Conch. Another prestigious award,the International Jury Award,too was ignored. Never in the history of the festival has such a thing happened that two of the top awards were not given out,” said documentary filmmaker Ananya Chatterjee Chakrabarty.

Chakrabarty,along with filmmaker Suprio Sen and KG Das,former member of the Bengal Film Division,had said that none of the films entered from Bengal were chosen for the festival this year.

“There were 50 entries from Bengal and all of them were rejected. Each year we win at least two to three awards at the festival,yet this year we were told none were up to the mark,” said Chakrabarty.

The filmmakers had even filed a PIL with the Mumbai High Court against the Film Division and had approached Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni,but to no avail. The filmmakers have also demanded that the government control over the festival be restricted.

“The festival is now being run by bureaucrats who have little knowledge about cinema. It is a pity that while documentary filmmakers from the country are being recognised all over the world,we are not given respect in our own country,” said Sen.