Film Federation of India proposes formula for benefit of country’s cinema

New Delhi: Film Federation of India on Tuesday, proposed a formula for a reinforced PPP (Public Private Partnership) with government of India towards boosting footfalls in cinema houses and creating more jobs. Speaking at an event here, the federation further spoke about realising the industry’s true potential as a contributor to the national economy and expanding its footprint and strengthening its presence in India and across the world. The newly elected Executive Committee of Film Federation of India (FFI) met to discuss certain issues that have been plaguing the Indian Film Industry like greater industry representation in government bodies, more screens, restoring and rejuvenating single screens, localised Animal Welfare Board offices, boosting film tourism, and reclassifying the Indian Film Industry. Speaking about it, President Firdaus ul Hasan said, “FFI has always been a pro-active organisation and has worked together with the government of the times since its inception,” adding that it is more than willing to constructively help support and complement the Indian government in its efforts to strengthen Indian cinema. Touching on the subject of film piracy, FFI says that India certified nearly 2,000 films in 2017-18, yet barely 600-700 films made their way to cinema halls and those that did had restricted access due to lack of shows and unrestricted ticket prices in states like Maharashtra. The federation summarised that India needs 30,000 screens but has less than 10,000. They also spoke about saving single screens and making conversion to multiplexes for single screens easier. He further said, “We need tax holidays and rebates together with reduced custom duties and the like to enhance footfalls with affordable ticket pricing.” FFI also plans to organise an international film festival in a city other than the big metros to promote movies and the region for tourism and investment from film fraternity for shooting purpose. Furthermore, speaking on the issue of Animal Welfare Board, FFI said that while they understand the importance of the board, its operation out of Haryana makes the process of seeking compliance entangled and lengthy considering that nearly 2,000 films go for certification every year. FFI proposes that at least two members of the film fraternity be incorporated in the Board so that they can explain the process of using animals and also take into cognizance the care and difficulties. It further proposes that like censor boards in each region, an Animal Welfare Board be opened along with it so that seeking compliance becomes easier.