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Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 10, 2004

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National

Film festival in November: Minister

By Anil Sastry

PANAJI, MAY 10. Setting at rest speculations that the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) may be postponed, the Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday announced that the festival would be held as scheduled in November in Panaji.

Emerging from a meeting of the Key Advisory Group on the entertainment industry at around 9 p.m. here, Mr. Prasad told newsmen that the group was satisfied with the preparations for the festival. He said the Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar, was committed to holding the festival in November and the State Government had promised to complete the preparations by the end of October.

Mr. Prasad noted that Indian films were doing well in revenue terms worldwide. Devdas was being exhibited in 50 theatres in France. Indian film festival now figured on the calendar of international film festivals in the world, he noted.

He said "after extensive review of all the arrangements, it is decided that IFFI shall be held in November in Goa."

``I want to assure the people of Goa that the State's stature will go up with the IFFI. The traditional ambiance of Goa will be protected.'' He stated that the Group had visited many places in Goa last year before zeroing in on Panaji for holding the festival. The decision to hold the festival in Panaji was not that of the State Government, but of the Group.

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