Govt tarnishing India’s image; not we: FTII students
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 24 November 2015 18:12 IST
Pratik Vats & Kislay Gonzalvez (Photo: Ved)
Protesting students of Film and Television Institute of India have countered the allegation,stating that the government is actually tarnishing the image of India which the students are trying to reclaim.
The FTII students are not allowed to enter the venue of the 46th International Film Festival of India in Goa, alleging that they are tarnishing image of the country by holding protests at IFFI.
Chief Minister of Goa, the host state, has also been requesting the students not to protest and malign Goa’s image before the international audience.
But the FTII students have a counter point.
“It is the Information and Broadcasting Ministry tarnishing India’s image by making political appointments from governing council to the director, who have no expertise in films. We want to reclaim that image”, says Kislay Gonzalvez, the ex-student of FTII.
He was arrested by Goa police for shouting slogans at IFFI inaugural, almost when the function ended.
Precisely this is the reason almost 28 filmmakers returned the awards they won for their films, he said.
The FTII students had 139-day long strike from 12 June against the political appointments, including director Gajendra Chauhan, after which they are now also protesting in creative manner.
PARALLEL FEST BEGINS
As no FTII student is allowed to enter the IFFI venues by even cancelling their delegate cards, the students organised a two-day parallel film festival from today.
The state authorities attempted to stop it by slapping a notice last minute, seeking censorship certificates and permission to hold the festival.
Since morning, the FTII students screened 10 films – 11 am to 1 pm and 5 pm to 7 pm, most of which have won several awards at different festivals, including national awards, and are also screened at IFFI.
“But we are not allowed to enter the venue. Is it illegal to question the appointments which would ruin the reputation of FTII”, asks Pratik Vats.
His film “Kal, 15 August, Dukan Band Rahegi” has won the President’s Rajat Kamal Award in 2012.
Fr Maverick Fernandes, who allowed the FTII students to use the Nossa Senhora de Piedade Institute in Panaji to screen the films, said this is the first time government has sent them notice when they are screening films since 2008.
The authorities however succeeded in not getting the film screened made by the students on the FTII strike, since it does not have a censor certificate.
“The institute has not sought censor certificate for a single film since we started our strike”, says Vats, holding the FTII responsible for not getting censor certificates.
Such political appointments are made in several institutes like University Grants Commission, Hyderabad University and various art and culture related government institutes, he observes.
Kislay on the other hand asks why government authorities are not allowing to show films on what happens in India when similar kind of films of China and Greece are screened at IFFI.
“Who is suppressing India’s voice and who is tarnishing the image of India before the international audience through such acts”, he asks.
