Building 'multinational' films

Q&A: Nina Gupta

Nina Gupta, CEO, National Film Development Corporation, began Film Bazaar to facilitate co-production deals. Abhilasha Ojha gets an idea of the plans ahead.

What’s so special about Film Bazaar 2008 and what will it showcase this year at the Indian International Film Festival in Goa?
Film Bazaar has been associated with the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and been a part of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) for more than a decade. Last year we reformatted it and made it an interactive co-production market, to facilitate young, aspiring filmmakers clinch deals in a global market. The idea was to create a platform through which producers and filmmakers could interact directly. It was actually on the lines of prestigious film fests like Cine Mart and Pusan Film Festival.

But there wasn’t even one deal that was struck last year?
It takes a while to get deals struck. We can’t expect results in just one year. We changed the format completely, did away with a crummy stall that would otherwise be present at the glamorous IFFI and actually managed to bring together producers from different parts of the world to see our films and vice versa. And I’m sure that towards the end of this year’s IFFI, we’ll definitely have deals that will get struck.

What are the other highlights of the Film Bazaar this year?
Well, we have 12 feature projects and 10 non-feature projects to showcase. Most of these films are strong in content despite being moderate in budgets. We will have sessions in departments such as screenplay and scripts. Film Bazaar will also look at promoting international films in the Indian market. And maybe Film Bazaar will strike on a co-production deal with cast and crew from different places coming together.

Has there been something like that before?
Of course. Samsara, a multi-country co-production, was an excellent example of creative minds coming together to create a marvel on the big screen.