from Lenny Barretto
Daijiworld Media Network - Goa (MB)

Panaji, Aug 11: Goa's most pampered festival -- International film festival of india (IFFI), will have financial trimming this time with the state government deciding not to spend much on the event. The festival will be bereft of the blitzkrieg and will focus only on films relieving the state government of extra expenditure.

"This time only Rs five crore would be alloted to the festival as against Rs 10 crore allocation last time,'' state finance minister Dayanand Narvekar told reporters on Friday.

This, admits narvekar, is a part of Goa government's initiative to have a better fiscal management for the state.

Goa hosts IFFI annually between November-December and this time, the festival promises to be more cinema focussed cutting down on the carnival quotient attached to it. The float parades and various peripheral activities mark the festival, which, the organisers, are trying to do away from this year.

``We (government) has told the entertainment society of Goa to cut down on the frivilous expenditure incurred for the festival.... There are some things, which are not necessary,'' Narvekar said.

The state government, which earlier had expressed its willingness to take over the entire management of the festival by 2008, has cited that the directorate of film festival is not chipping in financially for the festival though they are co-hosts.

``In the year 2005, the directorate of film festival had given Rs 30 lakh. Thereafter, the finance has stopped from them,'' Narvekar told reporters in presence of finance secretary Ramesh Negi.

Entertainment society of Goa, a nodal agency commissioned to host the festival, will now have to rely on the sponsorers to bear the cost of the festival. The ESG, in past, has time and again, stated that this year onwards, they will cut down on the peripheral activities which were pinning hole in their finances.

Despite trying their best to conduct the festival error-free, the organisers had to face criticism from some south Indian directors for ``ignoring and disrespecting'' them. The questionmark was also raised whether Goa is the right venue for the festival.

Pumping in more seriousness to the festival, the DFF has also decided to improve upon their concept of film bazaar, an initiative handled by confederation of Indian Industries (CII).

In the steering committee meeting held, in Mumbai, recently, the Information and Broadcasting ministry, had decided to conduct a study on film bazaar.