New policy announced to encourage Gujarati films

To encourage makers of Gujarati films to create quality work, the state government today announced a new policy under which it will offer financial assistance of up to Rs 50 lakh to movie producers.
It was also said that films which win international awards will be given cash rewards in the range of Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore.
Sharing the details of the 'Quality-based Gujarati Film Encouragement Policy-2016', Gujarat government spokesperson Nitin Patel said that, under it, Gujarati films will be divided into four categories -- A, B, C, D -- based on quality and box office business.

"Till now, we have been giving Rs 5 lakh as fixed subsidy to all Gujarati films. But that did not improve the quality. Under the new policy, assistance will be given as per the quality of films. This will encourage filmmakers to make good Gujarati films," Patel said.
As per the new policy, films will be graded by a film screening committee that will take into account aspects such as story, script, acting, editing, music, etc. Of a film. Box office performance will also be taken into account while grading a film.
A film which is assessed to be in 'A' category will get assistance of Rs 50 lakh followed by Rs 25 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, respectively, for the remaining three brackets.

The government will present Rs 5 crore to films which win an award at the Oscars or at Cannes Film Festival.

If a film wins at any other major international festival, including at the International Film Festival of India, a reward of Rs 2 crore will be given.
Gujarati children films or those dealing with issues of women's empowerment would get an additional 25 per cent assistance under the new policy.
Only films certified 'U' or 'U/A' by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) will be covered under the policy and not those with 'A' certification, Patel said.
Films with objectionable content or those promoting superstition and social evils will not be considered, he said, adding that eligible films can also get 100 per cent tax exemption.

The policy, which is prepared based on the inputs of a consultant, does not have any provision for cinema theatres to reserve slots for Gujarati films.