The Hindu : New Delhi News : A unique talent hunt at Goa film festival

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 07, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

A unique talent hunt at Goa film festival

By Lakshmi B.Ghosh

NEW DELHI, NOV. 6. It may be the biggest film festival in India, but the International Film Festival of India is this year hoping to not just rope in the big stars to Goa but also help discover some.

An ambitious attempt to give wannabe film aficionados the best 24 hours of their life, the Goa festival will unfold an extraordinary talent hunt that will give cinema lovers the chance to make their own movie and get it premiered at the weeklong festival that takes off on November 29.

There is, of course, a catch. The participants have to be below 24 years of age and most importantly shoot and edit their film in Goa in just 24 hours. Aptly titled "24x7 Making movies'', all the participants will have to make a movie on "Nature and Violence''.

"We have specifically kept the under-24 bracket as we don't want it to be a platform for professionals who already have fixed ideas or technical expertise. The idea is to give a chance to those who always dreamt of making a film. We are hoping for fresh ideas and approach for youngsters who can bring in a whole new perspective,'' says Neelam Kapoor, Director of the Directorate of Film Festivals.

The applications for the competition will be screened by film-makers Dev Benegal and Anuradha Parekh, with the selected participants allowed to make a film between 24 seconds and 24 minutes long.

But the real clincher for the participants would be the fact that the film made by them would be screened for a special jury, with the two best entries being selected for an award, and a gala premiere on the closing day of the festival.

"It happens to be a chance that youngsters can only dream of. We are giving them the opportunity of not just making a film but also a premiere of their work at an international platform,'' adds Ms. Kapoor.

To be held on all seven days of the festival, the contest has Panasonic providing the cameras for the shoot and Apple providing the right technical expertise for the editing bit.

With five participants likely to be sponsored every day, the IFFI is hoping that it will have all 35 debut film-makers succeed in beating the clock."What will add on to their work is the brilliant ambience of Goa. It happens to be a place that any film-maker would love to shoot. And we are hoping that the participants will be able to exploit the opportunity well,'' says Ms. Kapoor.

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