Despite the much-awaited Guwahati International Film Festival (GIFF) expanding its wings with every passing year by making new value additions, fund allotment for this year’s festival has not witnessed any hike compared to last year.
This, many believe, may force the organisers to compromise on certain aspects of the third edition of the festival which gets under way on October 31.
According to a source, last year the State government had allotted Rs 1.94 crore for the festival, which remained unchanged this year despite the organisers asking for an increase.
The organisers had submitted a proposal asking the government to effect a hike but to no avail. “On an
average, Rs 40,000 will be spent against every film to be screened at the festival. As the number of films has increased in comparison to last year, the expenses have also increased. So the organisers have no choice but to compromise on certain aspects,” the source said.
Around 100 films are to be screened during the festival at two venues – Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra and Jyoti Chitraban – during the week-long festival.
However, despite the financial constraints, the third edition of GIFF is packed with a good number of quality films. The main attraction of the festival will be Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi, who is considered as one of Europe’s most famous film auteurs and has been a stalwart in Europe’s cinema movement.
He will be present as the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the festival. Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar will also attend the opening ceremony.
The prime focus of the organisers is to engage the student community in the festival and to facilitate their participation.
They have accordingly arranged bus services for educational institutions of Guwahati and its adjoining areas. Moreover, they have made arrangements to accommodate around 600 students from the North East, Odisha and Haryana during the festival days.
