Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wants to turn the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) into a saleable and enduring brand, but to do that he has to contend with Cannes first. In fact, the five-day MIPCOM festival, described as the event for trade pundits from the audio-visual industry on the French Riviera, beginning on October 10 is threatening to take the shine off IFFI 34 by keeping the big buyers of films away. So with a day to go before IFFI-Bazaar kicks off, I&B Ministry officials are seriously contemplating a reschedule of the festival dates to avoid a clash. ‘‘We have to revisit the dates if we want Bazaar to be taken seriously,’’ officials at the Ministry said. Started a year ago by the Government, Bazaar is an official platform for distributors/producers and filmmakers to sell their wares in the course of the festival. The motive: Festivals are not just for watching films. A lot of buying and selling also takes place in major festivals abroad. Bazaar is presently a tripartite venture between the Government-run National Film Development Council, the FICCI and the CII. The MIPCOM festival, started in 1984, is where the movers and shakers of television and cinema meet for some hard talk and business. Nearly 5,000 exhibitors take part in it and close to 3,000 buyers are on the prowl looking for good films. Compared to that the two-year old Bazaar has 24 buyers up from 16 last year. Though Bazaar has an overwhelming sprinkling of sarkari buyers (Mauritius Film Development Corporation, South African Video and TV, China Central TV, Sovexport Film, Mauritius Film Development Corporation) and a couple of private buyers (Eros Multimedia, Ramoji Films, Crest Communication, Narendra Hirawat and Co.), the festival organisers have to remain content with the present group. Next year at Goa, perhaps things will change. The Government too will have a lesser role to play as the festival becomes more filmy and less sarkari. Sources said that is the real intention behind shifting the venue to Goa — far from Delhi.
