Goa gearing up to host IFFI alone from '08

Goa will host the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) independently from 2008. Till now, the state has been hosting the festival in association with the Directorate of Film Festival (DFF), which has played a key role in the event ever since its inception.

With Goa being declared a permanent venue for the film festival, plans are afoot to raise the profile of Goa, on the lines of Cannes. The state government, in 2005, also formed a nodal body "" Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) "" to host the IFFI.

"The central government has recommended that Goa host the IFFI independently and induct a consultant for selecting foreign films, with a view to raise the standard of selecting international films," said Goa chief secretary J P Singh told Business Standard.

Brushing aside the funding from the central government, Singh said that the state government would continue fund the event. "The IFFI is not just for Bollywood. We are intent on reaching out to an international audience and selecting quality films is of primary importance to IFFI," Singh added.

By 2007, the Goa government is planning to take over the reigns from the DFF, which will work under the Information and Broadcasting ministry. "We don't have the expertise, but we will provide training to our personnel to meet with the international standards by 2007," said Singh.

This year, the DFF has already announced the dates for the 37th edition of IFFI. It will be held from November 23 to December 3.

"Sponsorships are definitely going to increase, as Goa has created its name not only as one of the best tourist hubs in the country, but also as the best destination to host the IFFI," Singh said.